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Jewish Death Practices:
Overview / Summary
Origins and History
Visiting the Sick or Dying 
Chaplaincy
Hospice

Phases of Death Observance
    Approaching the Time of Death
    Between Death and Burial
    Shemira
    Tahara
    Burial and Cremation 
    Mourning Practices

Spiritual Aspects
Funeral Homes
Funeral Contracts
Cemeteries
Embalming 

Caskets


Chevra Kadisha:
Articles about Chevra Kadisha

Tahara Manuals and Procedures
Tahara Training
Tahara Stories
Tahara Supplies Lists
Funeral Home Supplies

Suicide

Organ Donation

Disasters

Infection Control

 

Conferences
Next Conference
Previous Conferences

 

Learning & Resources:
Gamliel Institute
    Curriculum
    Registration


KNIT Resource Center
    Overview
    Contacts for Answers
    Catalog of Articles
    Additional Links


FAQ About Death and Dying
Modern Dilemmas
Guided Learning
Jewish Sources and  Responsa
Synagogue Brochures
Community Education

Jewish Funeral Practices Committee of Greater Washington

Who We Are

The members of the Jewish Funeral Practices Committee of Greater Washington (JFPCGW) are 40+ synagogues and other Jewish organizations that provides education, training, resources and assistance for Chevra Kadisha groups and synagogue bereavement committees.
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Jewish Funeral Package

The Jewish Funeral Package includes picking up the body at the place of death; transportation to the funeral home, the funeral and the cemetery; refrigeration; a simple casket; and use of the funeral home chapel for the funeral service, if desired.
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MD-DC Contract

VA Contract

Basic Guide To Jewish Funerals

Before making funeral arrangements, it is helpful to understand the basic principles and practices concerning death and mourning to which all branches of Judaism ascribe.
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Our History

JFPCGW came into existence in 1976 to take Jewish funerals out of ordinary commerce and restore them to a sacred and meaningful mitzvah performed by congregations and other religious communities. In the Washington Area, Tifereth Israel Congregation pioneered the concept and their committee began educating and training others.

Remarks On Jewish Funeral Practice - by Harris Weinstein at the United Synagogue Convention on November 16, 1977

History of Jewish Funeral Practices Committee of Greater Washington - by Bob Hausman in November 1989

Arranging a Jewish Funeral

The Jewish Funeral Practices Committee of Greater Washington contracts with two local funeral homes to provide a quality traditional Jewish funeral at a fixed modest cost. More...

Congregational Guides to Jewish Death Practices

 

Contact Us

for help in starting a chevra kadisha, to give us feedback on our contract providers, or for anything related to Jewish funeral practices.

Art Hessel
202-569-4289
hessel.arthur@yahoo.com

David Zinner
410-733-3700
davidzinner26@gmail.com

Jewish Funeral Practices Committee of Greater Washington