Orthodox Jews call for coroner’s removal in ongoing row over burials

Mourning: Orthodox Jews line the streets at a funeral in Stamford Hill. Photograph: Efrayim Goldstein

Tensions between Hackney’s Orthodox Jewish community and a senior coroner came to a head last week, as leaders from the religious group called on authorities to remove Mary Hassell from her post.

The Orthodox Jewish community has accused Hassall, senior coroner for inner north London, of showing “disregard for the religious rights of Jews,” after she allegedly refused to work out-of-hours during the Christmas period.

In Judaism, as in Islam, a body must be buried as soon as possible after death, often on the same day.

“She has no feeling for people, or for the religion that is so strongly respected in our world,” said Berel Kestenbaum, whose mother Ester Kestenbaum died on 26 December, aged 91, in Stamford Hill.

Mrs Kestenbaum, a holocaust survivor, died in a care home. In cases such as this, the law requires coroners to open an inquest and provide a burial order before the body is released to the family.

Berel Kestenbaum claims the coroner refused to release his mother’s body “out of hours” on Boxing Day.

He said they spoke on Tuesday 29 December, the next working day.

“In just four minutes we had a conversation and she said we could go ahead,” said Mr Kestenbaum.

His mother was then buried that day.

Anguish

An emotional Mr Kestenbaum told the Hackney Citizen: “If she knows how sensitive this is to our religion, and how big a Jewish and Muslim community there is here, why does she not behave as other coroners do and have the decency to come to us out-of-hours?”

Mr Kestenbaum claims he offered to pay Hassell for her out-of-hours work on 26 December but that she declined.

According to Rabbi Asher Gratt of the Orthodox Adath Yisroel Burial Society, coroners elsewhere in the country are willing to work out-of-hours.

“Throughout Britain coroners, sensitive to the needs of Jews and Muslims, would perform this service immediately, regardless of whether the work is done in or out of office hours,” said Rabbi Gratt.

“The suffering and anguish caused by a delay in burial is hard to adequately express, but it is widely and deeply felt.”

The coroner’s office has not responded to a request for comment.

Lost faith

This incident is the latest in an ongoing dispute between the senior coroner and Hackney’s Orthodox Jewish community, which has complained about Hassell’s conduct to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO).

“We’ve lost faith and trust in her as a representative of the judicial system and would like to see her removed,” said Gratt.

“We’ve been through so much pain we don’t think she’s ever going to change her conduct. It is very painful for family and community.”

Coroner services are provided locally by authorities in each coroner district and are independent of Government.

If the Investigations Office uphold the complaint, it may recommend to the Lord Chancellor, Michael Gove, a range of sanctions up to dismissal.

An Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “We are very aware of specific concerns from religious communities about the need for early burial.

“We are reviewing whether coroner services are responsive to faith group needs, particularly Jewish and Muslim communities.”