Strictly orthodox protest against autopsies on infants who died at Jerusalem nursery

More than 50 other children with various levels of injury were evacuated from the daycare centre in Romema on Monday

Strictly orthodox protestors have clashed with police after rioting took place overnight against a court decision to carry out autopsies on the bodies of two babies who died at a daycare centre in Jerusalem on Monday.

Leah Goloventzitz, 4 months old, and Aharon Katz, 6 months old, were found on Monday at an unlicensed nursery in the Romema neighbourhood of Jerusalem. There were more than 50 other small children evacuated from the site, suffering from injuries. The daycare centre owner and the primary caregiver present were both arrested.

The autopsy order was approved by a Jerusalem court in response to a request from the Attorney General’s office and the police. Many of the injured children were taken to the Hadassah-University Medical Centre. The centre’s director, Professor Yaniv Sherer, told Israel’s Maariv newspaper that there appears to have been “some kind of poisoning, with or without a combination of crowding, fever, or dehydration”, although carbon monoxide poisoning appears to have been ruled out. The current police theory is linked to a faulty heating system at the nursery which led to the babies dying of heat exhaustion and dehydration – an autopsy would help confirm the cause of death.

While non-invasive autopsies via imaging are generally permitted by strictly orthodox authorities and are used worldwide, in specific cases where criminal forensic results are needed, such imaging is often inadequate. The families of both of the dead children are believed to be opposed to an invasive autopsy, and have been granted leave to appeal the court’s decision.

However, following the court’s initial decision on Monday evening, Charedi protestors blocked roads, set dustbins alight and reportedly threw stones at oncoming cars, leading to the police dispersing the crowds.