How is the Jewish service different from the typical American funeral?
* In keeping with the proscription “Bury me before sundown on the day I die,” funerals are held as soon as the family is able to assemble, usually in one or two days. * There are no wakes. There is no embalming. Families may arrange a private opportunity to say good-by but public viewings are discouraged. * Jewish tradition teaches “Dust thou art and to dust thou shall return.” The Jewish funeral usually includes an all-wood constructed casket that does not offer protection and will eventually return the body to the earth. Caskets ranging from simple pine to beautiful solid hardwood allow choices for all families. In keeping with tradition, a Jewish funeral service ends with burial in the earth or, if required, in unsealed grave boxes, not sealed burial vaults. A newer cemetery may choose to permit the burial of a sealed or unsealed grave box or vault because it provides a firm foundation for the lawn and maintains the integrity of the cemetery grounds. An unsealed box might be preferr
