Jerusalem, 9 October, 2026 (TPS-IL) — A prominent Satmar rabbinical judge has ruled that the burial of a suspected murder victim may be delayed to help identify and apprehend his killer, citing the danger to others if the murderer remains free.
Yitzchak Elmakayes, 44, a London resident and father of seven, was found dead in a forest near Rabbi Nachman of Breslov’s grave in Uman, Ukraine, on the eve of Rosh Hashanah. His body reportedly bore severe signs of injury, raising suspicions of murder. A month later, he has still not been buried.
While Ukrainian police are prepared to release the body, a private investigation firm wants to continue searching for the killer. ZAKA activist Nachman Dickstein consulted Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Weiss, a Satmar rabbinical judge in Antwerp, who ruled that delaying burial is permissible to help prevent further killings.
