A French court has ruled in favor of honoring the wishes of French-Jewish author Paul-Loup Sulitzer, granting his request for a Jewish burial, even though his eldest daughter opposed this decision and had planned to cremate his remains.
The legal battle unfolded following Sulitzer’s passing at the age of 78 in Mauritius, a small island nation located in the southwest Indian Ocean, where he had been residing for several months.
Following his death on February 6, tensions arose within the family when his eldest daughter made plans to have him cremated and transport the ashes back to France.
Sulitzer’s youngest daughter, with help from Rabbi Laima Barber, a Chabad emissary in Mauritius, took the matter to court in France.
In their legal filing, they emphasized that Sulitzer had expressed his desire for a traditional Jewish burial, consistent with Jewish law, which forbids cremation.
“It was a race against time,” explained a person familiar with the case. “Had we not received the court order swiftly, his remains would have been cremated, and we would have lost the opportunity to ensure he received a proper Jewish burial.”
After thoughtful consideration, the court ruled in favor of Sulitzer’s wishes, ensuring he would be buried at the St. Martin Jewish Cemetery in Mauritius, overruling his eldest daughter’s request for cremation.
{Matzav.com}