As we all know, Israel does not have a lot of land. Existing cemeteries are crowded and traditional burial space is nearly unavailable. Yarkon Cemetery (Petah Tikva, near Tel Aviv) is near capacity with 110,000 graves on 150 acres. About 35,000 Israelis die each year, with that number expected to grow as worldwide immigration continues. The Yarkon Cemetery has sought to alleviate the burial-space problem by building 30 vertical cemetery structures.This will provide 250,000 additional graves, allowing about 25 more years of burial.
Israel may be at the forefront of the building of vertical cemeteries. However, from Brazil to Japan, elevated cemeteries are now where folks are to be buried.
You’ll find a very interesting AP article on the subject of vertical cemeteries posted at the October 17, 2014 Yahoo website. It includes a photo gallery of eleven fascinating pictures.
