When someone dies, most people are unsure about what to do next. Yet Jewish custom requires that the deceased be buried as soon as possible, usually within two days of death unless a delay is necessitated by the Sabbath, a religious holiday, the need to transport the body to a distant place of burial or the needs of close family members to travel to the place of internment. This is a very short time in which to make all of the necessary arrangements.

At The Moment of Death
When someone dies in a hospital or hospice, the institution will arrange for a visit by a physician to formally establish a cause of death and complete necessary forms for the issuance of a death certificate.

If someone dies at home, you must call your physician so that an official cause of death is established and a death certificate is signed. If the deceased was not under the care of a physician you should call 911. In some situations, the police may authorize removal of the body to the or County Medical Examiner for further inquiry as to the cause of death.

Transporting the Remains
The funeral chapel will take responsibility for moving the deceased from the place of death to the funeral chapel. Therefore, you should contact a funeral chapel as soon as possible after death occurs to arrange for the transfer. If the death occurred in the local area, representatives of PLAZA will transport the body directly from the place of death or the Medical Examiner's office to the funeral chapel as soon as the death certificate has been signed. The funeral directors at PLAZA also have extensive experience in arranging to move remains from distant locations in the United States or around the world. Therefore, it is not necessary for the family to get involved in the complexities of moving a body from a distant location to New York.

Contact Your Rabbi
If you are a member of a congregation, you should promptly call your rabbi either before or after you contact the funeral chapel. Your rabbi will not only be an immediate source of comfort but can also be helpful in guiding you through the process of making decisions regarding funeral arrangements. For example, the rabbi may have a preference for working with a particular funeral chapel which could simplify the process of making arrangements. The rabbi may also be aware of the preferences of the deceased with respect to the customs to be followed. This will make it easier to answer the funeral director's questions regarding how the remains should be prepared for burial, the type of casket and other services. Most importantly, the rabbi's availability to perform the funeral will determine the precise timing of the funeral and burial services.

The funeral director will assist you in procuring the services of a rabbi if you or the deceased are not a member of a congregation.

Making Funeral Arrangements
The professionals at PLAZA will guide you through the process of selecting the funeral arrangements that are most appropriate to your needs. Those arrangements can be made by a personal visit to our chapel, by phone or by a personal visit from one of our funeral directors. You will be asked many questions and be required to make many decisions. This website contains information regarding Jewish funeral customs and some guidance regarding funeral costs that are intended to assist you in making decisions. Some of the more critical questions are:

Death Certificate
The chapel will arrange for the issuance of as many certified copies of a death certificate as you may need to notify banks, insurance companies, credit card companies and other institutions that need formal notification. In order to obtain those certificates you will need to provide the names of the deceased's parents, including the maiden name of the deceased's mother, the deceased's date of birth, occupation, social security number and other information.

Place of Burial
Does the family own a cemetery plot? If so, where is it located? If not, where will the deceased be buried?

Funeral Customs
Will the deceased have a Tahara (ritual washing); be buried in a shroud or in street clothing; in a plain wooden casket or a more elaborate one? Will the funeral take place in the funeral chapel? In a synagogue? At graveside? What time will the funeral take place?

The professional staff of Plaza Jewish Community Chapel stands ready to guide you through the process of answering these and other questions in an atmosphere that is free of commercial pressure. Our mission is to ensure that you get precisely the type of arrangements that suit your need. The highest quality of service is provided at the lowest possible cost with the maximum respect for the dignity of the deceased and the comfort of the bereaved. As a community owned and operated funeral chapel we have no other interests to serve.