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The Cremation Process

The following is a graphic description of the cremation process. Please be advised that it is rather gruesome and may change your mind about electing cremation. It was written by W.E.D. Evans in The Chemistry of Death The coffin is introduced into the furnace where it rapidly catches...

Grieving a Loss? Resources to Help You Cope

Grief is a painful process and one that everyone deals with in very different ways. When we lose someone close to us, we enter a world of grief and mourning. There is no right or wrong way to grieve or official mourning period. The way...

Beliefs for the Afterlife

Traditional Judaism leaves room for interpretation about the afterlife, because the emphasis of the religion is on present life. Many believe that they will receive tangible rewards and punishments in their immediate lives, as opposed to theoretical rewards and punishments in the future. As a...

After a Burial

We accompany the deceased to their final resting place. The tradition is that the Kaddish prayer is not recited until after the casket has been lowered, and the grave filled. Dating back to Biblical times, the preference for Jewish people has been earth burial, and...

Judaism Burial Practices

Traditional Judaism embraces specific burial practices as a way to show respect for the dead. The Jewish religion values life and the afterlife and honors them with an extensive mourning period and burial practices to show respect for the life of the deceased. From the...

No Funeral Processions

It is common to conduct a procession of vehicles from the funeral home to the place of worship (if the funeral is not given at the funeral home) and then from there to the cemetery. The deceased is usually transported in a hearse at the...

Unusual Issues Concerning Jewish Burial

From time to time, some uncommon issues surrounding the deceased’s circumstances arise, presenting questions and/or conflicts with traditional Jewish funeral customs. Sometimes the concern regards the wishes of the family and other times the actual cause of death. One such situation concerns cremation. Cremation is...

Mourner’s Kaddish

The Kaddish is a hymn of praises to God found in Jewish prayer services. The oldest version of the Kaddish is found in the Siddur of Rab Amram Gaon, c. 900. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God’s name. “Mourner’s Kaddish” is said at all prayer services and certain other occasions. It...

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