How Slain Dutch Tycoon Tob Cohen will be Buried in Nairobi in Line with Jewish Traditions

Slain Dutch businessman Tob Cohen is set to be laid to rest on Monday in Nairobi in accordance with the Jewish traditions.

Cohen, who went missing on July 19th before he was found dead on September 13th, will be buried a Jewish cemetery located along Wangari Maathai Road in Nairobi, The Standard reported.

It emerged that Cohen, whose decomposing body was retrieved from an underground water tank at his palatial home in Nairobi’s Kitisuru estate, had already marked his final resting place. 

At the cemetery, the spot is marked number 184, his final number under the sun, according to The Standard.

There will be no viewing of the deceased’s body or opening of the casket in line with the Judaist customs and traditions, a source at the Jewish Synagogue in Nairobi told The Standard.

The publication also reported that all the mourners will be expected to dress in black and modestly. There will also be no greetings at the cemetery when the mourners arrive until the body is lowered into the grave. 

Additionally, family members will be expected to make a ritual tear of their outer garments. Cohen’s siblings Bernard (brother) and Gabrielle (sister) will be expected to tear the left side of their garments.

The burial ceremony will kick off with a prayer followed by reading of the biblical passages before his eulogy is read.

“There will be no viewing of the body, no opening of the casket at the funeral. The body is not buried in suits but wrapped in white clothing,” said the source. 

“Sometimes the immediate family pay their final respects before the funeral. In Israel, caskets are not used at all, with the exception of military and state funerals. Instead, the body is carried to the grave wrapped in a tallit and placed directly in the earth,” the source added.

The ceremony, expected to begin at 1:30 pm, will be a private affair.  Cohen’s estranged wife Sarah Wairimu, who is the prime suspect in his murder, will be present if the court grants her request to attend the burial.

Wairimu, who is being detained at Lang’ata Women’s Prison, filed an urgent application last week seeking to be allowed to attend the tycoon’s funeral. The court is expected to make a ruling on Monday morning.