Cremation Thoughts

When I was old enough to think about my own burial, I decided that I wanted to be cremated. How much room is there in cities for more cemeteries? It seemed the right choice.

Over the years, the funerals I attended were usually coffins in the ground. Occasionally, there was a small container with the remains of a cremation.

When my step-mother died, I discovered that she wanted to be cremated. The funeral director asked if anyone wanted to be present at the cremation. A dear friend of my step-mother and myself agreed to attend. They took us down to the lower level where the crematorium is located. There she was in a plain wood coffin. Her friend and I held hands over the coffin. We cried, prayed, and said good-bye to our beloved Sarah.

We were then asked if we wanted to press the button that would start the conveyer belt moving. As we pressed the button, the metal doors opened, and her coffin began to roll forward. Ahead was what looked to me like a black, smoking inferno, with flames jetting out of one side. Her box rolled into this black pit, and then the doors closed.

When I thought of Sarah's soft, smooth skin, and her lovely, thick hair being burnt, I was distraught. This was her decision but as I stood there and witnessed the process, I couldn't bear to think of her being burned and ground down to a powder. At the cemetery, a small box with her remains was placed in the ground next to mother.

I respect her decision to be cremated, but I knew that I had to reconsider my burial plans. It's not easy to imagine how to deal with one's body after death. It's a difficult decision to make, but as I recalled her coffin going into the fiery, dark inferno, I knew that my original decision would now change.

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TASTE OF GAMLIEL

From Here to Eternity: Jewish Views on Sickness and Dying.

In 2017, Kavod v'Nichum and the Gamliel Institute are again sponsoring a five part “Taste of Gamliel” webinar. This year's topic is From Here to Eternity: Jewish Views on Sickness and Dying. Last year's Taste of Gamliel topic was Jewish beliefs about the Afterlife. 

Each 90 minute session is presented by a different scholar. Taste of Gamliel gives participants a “Taste” of the Gamliel Institute's web-based series of courses. The Gamliel Institute is the leadership training arm of Kavod v'Nichum. The Institute, offers five on-line courses, each 12 weeks in length, that deal with the various aspects of Jewish ritual around sickness, death, funerals, burial and mourning. Participants come from all over the United States and Canada.

Webinars are on January 22, February 19, March 19, April 23, and May 21. Learn from the comfort of your home or office.

The Taste sessions are done in a webinar format, where the teacher and students can see each other’s live video feeds. The sessions are moderated, we mute participants, ask them to raise their virtual hands with questions, and call on and unmute participants when appropriate. We've been teaching using this model for seven years (more than 250 session). We use Zoom, a particularly friendly tool.

Webinar sessions are free, with a suggested minimum donation of $36 for all five sessions. Online sessions are 60-90 minutes. Sessions begin at 5 PM PST; 8 PM EST.

Those registered will be sent the information on how to connect to the sessions. The link to ” target=”_blank”>http://jewish-funerals.givezooks.com/events/taste-of-gamliel-2017