Poet David Avidan rests here. This is Yarkon Cemetery. It serves as the main cemetery for the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area. It is located within Petah Tikva city limits. The Yarkon River is to the West. Highway 5 lies to the North. Road 491 is to the East and South.
Yarkon Cemetery opened in 1991. Chief rabbis Hayim David HaLevi and Israel Meir Lau officiated. The Southern Cemetery in Bat Yam was becoming too crowded. This prompted the search for a new location. Areas north of Ramat Aviv were considered. The current site was chosen. It was relatively far from Tel Aviv’s center.
Yarkon Cemetery is now unique. It is the only cemetery in the Dan Region offering free plots. It serves Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan. Holon, Bat Yam, and Kiryat Ono are also served. Other central cities use it too. An elliptical road circles the central part of Yarkon Cemetery. This road provides access to the graves. It also leads to parking areas for cars and buses.
Three memorial halls stand near the road at Yarkon Cemetery. The Yarkon River poses a challenge. Its water level rises during rainy winters. Traditional burial grounds are almost full. Yarkon Cemetery has 110000 graves across 150 acres. To address this, 30 vertical structures are being built. These will add space for 250000 more graves.
Many notable people are interred at Yarkon Cemetery. David Avidan was an Israeli poet. Shosh Atari was an Israeli radio personality. Yona Atari was a singer and actress. Sasha Argov was an Israeli composer. Mia Arbatova was an Israeli ballet dancer. Shlomo Aronson was an Israeli historian. Yardena Alotin was a composer and pianist. Avraham Bendori was an Israeli footballer.
Many more are buried here at Yarkon Cemetery. Debbi Besserglick was an Israeli actress. Menachem Banitt was a Belgian-Israeli scholar. Avraham Biton was an Israeli politician. Rafael Bash was also a politician. Rozina Cambos was an Israeli actress. Shlomo Cohen-Tzidon was an Israeli politician. Gamliel Cohen was an intelligence officer. Tzila Dagan was an Israeli singer.
The list goes on at Yarkon Cemetery. Sarah Doron was an Israeli politician. Shimon Even was an Israeli researcher. Nissim Eliad was an Israeli politician. Shmuel Gogol was an Israeli musician. Kariel Gardosh was a cartoonist. Gila Goldstein was an actress and activist. Ofra Haza was a famous Israeli singer. Isser Harel was an intelligence officer. Uzi Hitman was a singer. Amir Kertes was a singer. Shmuel Katz was a politician and journalist. Shmulik Kraus was a singer-songwriter. Sara Hestrin-Lerner was a physiologist. Amos Lavi was an actor. Arik Lavie was a singer and actor. Sara Levi-Tanai was a choreographer. Esther Lurie was a painter. Mordechai Mishani was a politician. Yigal Mossinson was a playwright. Dov Milman was a politician. George Ovadiah was a film director. Yigal Cohen-Orgad was a politician. Edward Olearczyk was a composer. Avner Shaki was a politician. Shin Shifra was a poet. Reuven Shefer was an actor. Gideon Singer was an actor and singer. Mordecai Seter was a composer. Pnina Salzman was a pianist. Yehuda Sha’ari was a politician. Dudu Topaz was a television presenter. Meir Vilner was a politician. Mordechai Virshubski was a politician. Yehoshua Zettler was a Lehi commander. Yigal Shilon was a television producer, screenwriter, director, and host.
Yarkon Cemetery is more than just a burial ground. It reflects Tel Aviv’s vibrant cultural and political life. It shows the diverse lives that have shaped Israel.