Three days after the tragic drowning of four-year-old Shalom Saginer in Mexico, arrangements have been completed to bring his body back to Israel for burial. The child, named after his grandfather, prominent Jerusalem rabbi Shalom Arush, who heads the Chut Shel Chesed institutions, drowned in the coastal city of San José del Cabo, where his family was staying.
Following news of the tragedy, volunteers from ZAKA's international unit mobilized in close coordination with Israel's Foreign Ministry to support the family and expedite the return of the child's body to Israel. After intensive efforts by ZAKA volunteers working with Mexican authorities and the legal system, an autopsy was avoided and the body was released for burial. Once all required bureaucratic and legal procedures were completed, the coffin was placed on a flight to Israel.
The body is expected to land at Ben Gurion Airport Tuesday morning, having been transferred on a private flight from Mexico to New York and then on a direct flight to Israel.
The funeral procession will depart Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. from the Chut Shel Chesed yeshiva building at 13 Shmuel HaNavi Street in Jerusalem, proceeding to the burial plot on the Mount of Olives, where the child will be laid to rest.
