The bodies of three Jews, two of whom survived the Holocaust, cannot be transported from New York to Israel due to a strike by diplomats, the Jerusalem Post reported this on Thursday.

The head of the crisis centre, Amudim Zvi Gluk, told the publication that all the necessary documents had been prepared; all that was left was to get formal permission from the Israeli consulate in New York.

The will of the deceased indicates that they should be buried in Israel. Due to difficulties, their relatives are now considering the possibility of holding a funeral in New York, and then reburial the remains in Israeli soil.

The newspaper notes that, according to tradition, the deceased should be buried as soon as possible, and obstruction of this can be perceived as a sign of disrespect.

As reported, on October 30, Israeli diplomatic missions in Russia and around the world went on strike in protest against the decision of the country’s Ministry of Finance to change the conditions for financing their work.

Since January 2019, the Ministry has retroactively introduced a tax on payments to diplomats for hospitality expenses and began to demand documentary evidence that the funds were spent earmarked. If they cannot present receipts, the funds are considered as an increase in the salaries of diplomats and are taxed.