Court to adult siblings: Mother cannot be frozen

JERUSALEM, Dec. 17 (JTA) — A Tel Aviv court has rejected the request of two adult siblings to freeze the body of their deceased mother so that they could someday bring her back to life. The Tel Aviv Magistrates Court on Tuesday also ordered that a funeral for Miriam Be’eri, who died two weeks ago, be held by Wednesday. The court added that the family’s proposal to fly the body abroad to be frozen in ice was not possible. Siblings Moshe and Rachel Be’eri then suggested to the court that the corpse be stored in wax until a way to freeze her is found. Earlier this week, the brother and sister told the Tel Aviv court that they had even purchased a special freezer — at their mother’s request — to store her at home. Moshe Be’eri told Israel Radio, “It’s very hard to separate from her, emotionally and physically. It’s our and her desire to give her a chance to come back, one day.” A Health Ministry official told the Tel Aviv court that the woman could not be stored in a freezer because of decomposition.