Israel’s highest court has rejected a haredi Jewish woman’s petition against her son’s wish to be cremated after he had committed suicide.
The supreme court decision, reached late Tuesday, confirmed a ruling by the Jerusalem district court last week that said that the last wish of May Peleg – who was born a man and underwent a sex change – to be cremated should be fulfilled.
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Peleg, a 31-year-old who served as head of the executive committee of Jerusalem’s Open House lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community center, committed suicide earlier this month. He had long been estranged from his haredi family.
Before his death, Peleg drew up a will that specified he wanted to be cremated, but his mother asked the district court – and then the supreme court – to halt it because both suicide and cremation violate the Jewish faith.
