Chevra Kadisha News - Published by Kavod v'Nichum

Elul 5762 - August 2002

 

Kavod v'Nichum is pleased to announce that the Chevra Kadisha Conference will be from Sunday at 1pm to Tuesday at 1pm, June 22-24, 2003. A pre-conference workshop will be held at the Holocaust Museum on Sunday morning. The main conference will be held at B'nai Israel Synagogue in Rockville, MD, near Washington, DC. Some of the invited speakers include Rabbis Jack Riemer, Arnold Goodman, Linda Holtzman, Joseph Ozarowski, Mel Glazer and David Wachtel, Lynn Greenhough and Robert Hausman. Is your organization interested in co-sponsoring the conference? Much more conference info will be coming your way.

The Conference on Alternatives in Jewish Education (CAJE) brought together 1500 Jewish educators in San Antonio Texas the first week in August. David Zinner presented two sessions, one on Jewish traditions around death and the resources to teach it, the other on organizing a Chevra Kadisha. His course outlines are available on request. David also met with about 25 members of the San Antonio Chevra Kadisha.

When did Reform Jews begin doing Taharah? Before 1991 as you'll read in Simone Sofian's Taharat haMetim: A Personal Perspective. See Preparing the Body for more articles on Tahara.
Flooding in the Jewish community in Prague has impacted important Jewish sites. See the JTA article Prague's Jews look for help after floods harm shuls, museum and the new website of the Czech Heritage Action Initiative.
Bringing the Psalms to Life by Daniel Polish provides insights and understanding to those reading psalms for Shmira and Bikkur Holim.
Do you know anyone who has done research on attitudes toward death and how they vary based on religion and life experience? Do you think attitudes of Jews towards death will be different if they have participated or are aware of the Chevra Kadisha? Drop us a line with your experience or ideas.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission held hearings on June 7th, 2002 on amendments to the telemarketing sales rule. The proposed changes will set up a United States do-not-call registry, but it is unclear whether the pre-need funeral industry must comply. The Funeral Consumer Alliance advocates requiring funeral and burial pre-need sellers to observe both national and state do-not-call lists. FCA states that the funeral industry has obtaining unlisted phone numbers and blocked caller-ID. FCA also gave examples of deceptive practices employed in the pre-need sales area. Below is a letter from Julius and Edith Falwell sent to the FTC.

"In March 1996, we received a letter that we had been awarded a burial space valued at $945. We put the letter in the junk mail. After a few days, we received a telephone call asking if we had received their letter. We informed them that we were not interested. They explained that there were no obligations to buy anything. We thanked them and said no. "After two more calls on succeeding days, we agreed to meet with their representative, take the free space and get it over with."

 

The representative came to call. I explained that I was a Korean vet and was entitled to go to a veterans cemetery with a plaque. (They were building one in Amelia, VA at that time.) He explained that it might be years before it was open and, except for Arlington National Cemetery, they were not well maintained. He said funeral costs were going up and in a few years could reach $15,000 - $20,000 and would take away financial support from the survivor. "I said that an alternative would be cremation. He said you wouldn't be sure you would receive ashes from your loved one, or a mixture, and the bones didn't completely burn and were ground up. "To make a long story (2+ hrs) short, we are now paying $81.31 per month for six years after a down payment of $497. This is money we could be using for medical insurance. You can tell your senior citizens this is a new world, you can't be polite, if someone is selling something you don't want or can't afford. Hang up immediately.

 Kavod v'Nichum is starting to compile resources on military funerals and Veteran's cemeteries. Please share any knowledge or experience you have in this area. We are exploring U.S. government monetary benefits that a Jewish war veteran is entitled to in the area of funerals, burial plot, opening and closing the grave, liners, and monuments? How does this vary from private, to state to U.S. federal cemeteries?  What traditional Jewish practices are not allowed when U.S. government benefits are provided? May mourners fill in the grave in a state or U.S. national military cemetery? Are there any restrictions on tahara? Can the met be dressed in tachrichim? Can the casket be plain pine? Can non-military pall bearers carry the casket? What responsa exist regarding consecration of a Jewish grave in a non-Jewish (military) cemetery? If consecration is recommended, is this practiced? How is it communicated to rabbis? For some starting information, see http://www.funerals.org/personal/vet.htm and http://www.cem.va.gov/index.htm.

Why build a database of Chevra Kadisha groups? To know that you exist and to learn how to reach you. Please complete the contact form on our website. If any of our readers knows of a Chevra Kadisha, please let us know how to get in touch with them. If you'd like to do a survey of Chevra Kadisha groups in your area, let us know that too. We appreciate any assistance. Kavod v'Nichum needs individual and organizational support for our Chevra Kadisha work.  Our Founding Member Campaign is raising $100,000 to match foundation grants. Founding members will be praised and thanked and listed on our web site. Shomer - $5-10,000 from non-profit funeral homes or $1,000 from Chevra Kadisha groups, bereavement committees or other groups or Chaver - $360 from individuals. Todah Rabah (thank you) to all of the shomrim (guardians) and chaverim (friends). Please send your contribution to Kavod v'Nichum, 8112 Sea Water Path, Columbia, MD  20145 or call David Zinner at 410-799-8070 or e-mail to zinner@jewish-funerals.org for more information.