The Many Ways That a Jewish Funeral Home Director Can Assist You
When your loved one dies, there can be seemingly endless details to which you need to attend, from the arrangement of the memorial service and burial to the preparation of an obituary, the selection of a casket or monument to securing certified copies of the death certificate. In the Jewish faith, with its unique traditions, there are other concerns as well—the ritual cleansing of the body, the creation of a Yahrzeit calendar and preparation for sitting Shiva. Jewish funeral home directors understand the importance of Jewish customs and will work tirelessly to ensure that those traditions are honored and that all your needs are met.
Though most of the services of a Jewish funeral director are provided after a death, many will also work with individuals during their lifetime, helping them plan their funerals in advance. That can include the arrangement of the memorial service and burial, as well as pre-funding of many of the costs of a funeral.
Among the many ways a Jewish funeral home director will serve you after the death of a loved one are:
- Transportation of the body to the funeral home—Your funeral home director will come to your home, the hospital or any other facility to escort the body to the funeral home. Most Jewish funeral home directors can handle all the details to bring your loved one home from virtually anywhere in the world.
- The preparation of the body under Jewish law—A Jewish funeral home director will be familiar with the involvement of the Chevra Kadisha, or burial society, in the funeral and burial process. The funeral home director will arrange to bring the body to the specific location where the Chevra Kadisha will perform the ritual cleansing, and may also provide a shomer/shomeret to watch over the body until burial.
- The details of the memorial service and burial, in accordance with your specific tradition—Your Jewish funeral home director will know the different customs of Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstructionist and Reform Judaism.
- A Jewish funeral home director will understand the importance of committing to body to the earth as soon as possible, and will work with you and your rabbi to arrange a memorial service and burial that complies with your tradition and wishes. The funeral home director may help you determine the order of the service, and will work directly with the cemetery to arrange a timely burial.
- The selection of an appropriate casket and monument, if desired—Your Jewish funeral home director will know the faith tradition of a simple wooden casket, and will help you select one that meets your needs. The funeral director can also help you choose an appropriate monument or memorial.
- The preparation of a meaningful obituary—Your Jewish funeral home director can assist you with drafting an obituary that pays loving tribute to the deceased.
- Helping you arrange the various periods of mourning in the Jewish tradition—Your Jewish funeral home director can guide you through the various stages of mourning, including:
- The pre-burial mourning, or Aninut
- Shiva, the seven-day period immediately following burial
- Shloshim, a 30-day mourning period, and
- The first-year mourning period observed by sons and daughters of the decedent
- The creation of a yahrzeit calendar, so that you can annually observe the anniversary of the passing of your loved one’s soul.
- Assisting mourners with choosing appropriate memorials to honor the deceased, from contributions to charities to the planting of trees in Israel.
Gutterman’s—Compassionate and Comprehensive Service to the Jewish Community
At Gutterman’s, we bring more than 125 years of experience to members of the Jewish communities in New York and Florida seeking funeral and burial services. We have a thorough knowledge of the different traditions within the Jewish faith, and can provide guidance regarding all matters related to funeral and/or burial services, from the order of service to arrangements for sitting Shiva, from the selection of a monument to the creation of a Yahrzeit calendar or language of an obituary.
For assistance in your time of loss or grief, or for answers to any questions about the Jewish funeral and burial services we offer, contact us online or call us at one of the numbers listed below to schedule a meeting. We will take your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.