Interview on JM in the AM

This morning I was interviewed by Nachum Segal on JM in the AM, a popular morning radio show broadcast in the tri-state area, as well as on the web.  

As this week is Parshas Chayei Sara, I was talking about how Avraham's efforts to purchase a burial place for Sara set a precedent for the importance of Jewish burials.  A precedent that the Hebrew Free Burial Association has been following for the past 120 years.  Our commitment to Chesed Shel Emes is the same today as it was 120 years ago, and as it was with Avraham.

To hear the interview, please click here.

Green Funerals

With a new emphasis on environmental issues, it was only a matter of time that the focus would turn to funerals.  Among the criteria for "Green Funerals" are:

"Un-embalmed remains are put directly into the ground, either shrouded in cloth or buried in natural caskets made of biodegradable materials, such as ... pine." (NPR - Burials and Cemeteries Go Green)

In other words, a "green funeral" is a traditional Jewish burial.  The coffins traditionally used in a Jewish funeral are made out of pine wood.  In fact, they are built with wooden nails; no metal is used.  The deceased is dressed in plain burial shrouds.

The reason for simplicity in burial is because Judaism wants decomposition to take place.  Man was fashioned from dust and should be returned to dust.  The burial procedure is a reminder that our bodies are not ours forever, they are a gift on loan from the A-mighty.

But for now, when someone asks you about "going green" you can tell them that your funeral will be green, as Judaism has been practicing for thousands of years.

The Cemetery Is Falling

As first reported in the Yorkshire Evening Post and subsequently picked up by The Yeshiva World, Hill Top Cemetery in Leeds, UK has been ordered closed for safety concerns.

This is a sad, and apparantly unavoidable situation.  Is anyone aware of anything similar occuring in the past?