by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Sep 27, 2023 | Jewish Heritage & History
How the Simple Bread Became America’s Favorite Nosh Who doesn’t love bagels, whether toasted or not, with cream cheese, lox, butter or nothing at all? It seems that everyone has an opinion about where to get “the perfect bagel,” just as everyone has a different theory...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Sep 26, 2023 | Jewish Heritage & History
Are Ancient Customs Adapting to Modern Society? It’s an integral part of the American Jewish experience—spending a part of every summer at camp. Studies show that nearly half of all Jewish people across the United States went to a faith-based camp while they were...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Aug 24, 2023 | Jewish Funeral Traditions, Jewish Heritage & History
Are Ancient Customs Adapting to Modern Society? Many Jewish burial traditions, often based on the Torah, have been in place for thousands of years. Some, such as the admonition to inter the body within 24 hours, have become increasingly difficult in our mobile...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Aug 21, 2023 | Jewish Heritage & History
Documenting Your Family History According to the Torah, in the 1st Chapter of Genesis, trees were the first living things on the earth, long before the appearance of man (Genesis 1:11-12). The tree of life, placed at the center of the Garden of Eden, thus became the...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Aug 8, 2023 | Jewish Heritage & History
What Makes Challah Unique? When Is It Used? Many of us have heard of, seen or even tasted challah bread, often without any understanding of its origins or its significance in the Jewish faith. Let’s take a closer look at this traditional bread, at its origins, how it...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Jul 24, 2023 | Jewish Holidays
Creative Ways to Help Your Kids Understand the Meaning and Lessons of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur The Jewish High Holidays are perhaps the most important time of the year for members of the Jewish faith, a time for personal contemplation and renewal. It can be a...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Jun 27, 2023 | Jewish Heritage & History
Tips for Tracing Your Jewish Ancestry It’s a part of being human—having a sense of your heritage, of the family members who shaped you, of the struggles they faced, the hardships they overcame or the remarkable things they did. When you’re Jewish, you’re part of a...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Jun 26, 2023 | Jewish Funeral Traditions
The Reasons a Person Would Seek to Be Interred in the Holy Land Within the Jewish faith, when someone dies, it’s not uncommon for them to have arranged to have their body flown to Israel for interment. Why would someone choose to do this? Is there anything in the...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Jun 7, 2023 | Jewish Heritage & History
Paying Homage to the Rich History of Judaism around the World Is there a tradition in the world with a more storied history than the Jewish faith, spanning continents and millennia? As a member of the Jewish faith, you’ve likely heard stories of the triumphs and...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Jun 7, 2023 | Funeral support
What’s the Difference? Which One Is Best for You? When a loved one passes, the grieving process can make it difficult to focus on the details of planning a funeral, particularly in the Jewish tradition, where burial typically takes place within 24 hours. One of the...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Apr 27, 2023 | Funeral support
Coping Strategies to Help You Process the Complex Emotions When Someone Dies We hear over and over that death is inevitable and, on an intellectual level, we understand it, but it doesn’t ease the pain and emotional trauma when a loved one passes away. Sometimes, we...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Apr 24, 2023 | Funeral support
How the Writing Process Can Help You Heal | Strategies for Compiling a Journal When a loved one dies, particularly someone with whom you lived and spent much of your time, you can experience a wide range of emotions. You feel unanchored, searching for something to...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Mar 24, 2023 | Jewish Funeral Traditions
Why Is Time Such a Concern for Burial? Within Judaism, there are a number of unique traditions regarding funeral and burial services after the death of a loved one. One of the most well-known, but perhaps least understood, customs involves the requirement that the...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Mar 13, 2023 | Jewish Holidays
Understanding the Story and Purpose of the Major Jewish Holiday Within the Jewish faith, Passover or Pesach, begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan. In 2023, Passover will start on the evening of Wednesday, April 5 and continue through the evening of...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Feb 28, 2023 | Jewish Funeral Services, Jewish Funeral Traditions
How Judaism Views Death | The Jewish Funeral and Burial Process The Jewish faith takes a unique perspective on death, and includes unique and meaningful customs to both honor the deceased and help facilitate the grieving process for those left behind. Let’s take a...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Feb 25, 2023 | Funeral support
Strategies for Moving Forward When You Are Grieving The death of a loved one can be paralyzing—so much of your life was shared with and centered around your relationship, that you often don’t know where to turn or what to do. You’ll likely have many well-intentioned...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Feb 8, 2023 | Jewish Funeral Traditions
Aninut | The Two Stages of Shiva | Shloshim | The First Year | Yahrzeit According to Jewish custom, after the death of a loved one, family members and other mourners must go through a number of rituals and practices to fully express their grief and loss. There are...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Jan 31, 2023 | Jewish Funeral Traditions
The Ways that You Can Express Your Sympathy For Someone’s Loss When a friend or acquaintance experiences the death of a loved one, you want to take the right steps to convey your concerns and condolences, so that they know you are thinking about them in their time of...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Dec 21, 2022 | Jewish Funeral Traditions
The Purpose of an Obituary | How to Write One that Honors Your Loved One When a loved one passes away, there are dozens of details to which you need to attend, including the preparation and publication of an obituary. An obituary, though, is more than a simple public...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Dec 2, 2022 | Jewish Holidays
Hanukkah—Its Origins, Traditions and Significance The Stories and Customs Behind the Jewish Festival of Lights From Sunday, December 18 through Monday, December 26, 2022, members of the Jewish faith will celebrate Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish “Festival of Lights.”...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Oct 25, 2022 | Uncategorized
What Is Yahrzeit? The Significance of the Yahrzeit Calendar and Candle Within the Jewish tradition, there is much importance in properly mourning the loss of a loved one. For that reason, there are many established customs to allow for the expressions of love, loss...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Oct 8, 2022 | Jewish Holidays
What Is the Jewish “Festival of Booths”? Within Judaism, there are three holidays known as “pilgrimage festivals,” commemorating those occasions where Israelites were commanded to make a journey to the Temple in Jerusalem. Those festivals are known as: Passover,...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Aug 29, 2022 | Jewish Holidays
Frequently Asked Questions about Yom Kippur Getting a Better Understanding of the Jewish Day of Atonement Yom Kippur, the second major holiday among the Jewish High Holy Days, will commence this year at sunset on Tuesday, October 4 and end at sundown the following...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Aug 24, 2022 | Jewish Holidays
Frequently Asked Questions about Rosh Hashanah Getting a Better Understanding of the Jewish New Year Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, will begin at sunset on Sunday, September 25, 2022, and last until the evening on Tuesday, September 27, 2022. For many in the...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Jul 29, 2022 | Funeral Preplanning, Jewish Funeral Services
Honoring Jewish Traditions When Death Occurs at a Distance In Jewish practice, after the death of a loved one, the funeral and burial must typically take place as soon as practicable, ideally within 24 hours of the end of life. The Torah, in the book of Deuteronomy,...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Jul 22, 2022 | Jewish Funeral Traditions
The Cherished Traditions of the Jewish Faith The rich tradition of the Jewish faith dates back many millennia. Among the most distinct practices within Judaism are those associated with funeral and burial services. Though there may be some variance within the...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Jun 29, 2022 | Jewish Holidays
The Significance and Traditions Associated with These Jewish Holidays Two of the most important Jewish holidays of the year—Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur—are just a few months away. Rosh Hashanah, the celebration of the Jewish New Year, will begin in 2022 at...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Jun 22, 2022 | Funeral support, Jewish Funeral Traditions
Understanding the Jewish Faith Traditions after the Death of a Loved One In Jewish funeral and burial practice, after the graveside service is over, close family members will engage in a mourning practice known as “sitting Shiva.” Because the word “Shiva” is...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | May 24, 2022 | Funeral support
Dos and Don’ts When Supporting Friends and Family Members Who Are Grieving When a friend or family members loses a loved one, we want to be there to support them. Often, though, it can be difficult to know what to say or do. We want to be sensitive to their loss,...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | May 18, 2022 | Jewish Funeral Traditions, Jewish Holidays
The Origins, Customs and Practices of This Minor Jewish Holiday On the 33rd day of the Omer (the 49-day period between Passover and Shavuot), there’s a minor Jewish holiday known as Lag BaOmer (also known as Lag Ba’Omer or Lag B’Omer). As the Omer is traditionally a...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Apr 21, 2022 | Jewish Funeral Services, Jewish Funeral Traditions
What Is Required? What Is Generally Forbidden? Jewish history and tradition is perhaps the richest of any in the world, dating back many millennia. That rich tradition includes many distinct practices centering around funeral and burial practices. Let’s look at some...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Apr 14, 2022 | Jewish Holidays
What Is Shavuot? What Are the Traditions that are Part of the Holiday? Within the Jewish faith, there may be no more important historical event than the receipt of the Torah by Moses on Mount Sinai, which has informed virtually every aspect of Judaism ever since. Did...