Jewish tradition teaches us that caring for the dead is one of the greatest mitzvahs (good deeds) of all. It is known as chesed shel emet, which translates to the truest act of kindness.
Rooted in the biblical tradition, Jewish custom is to bury the dead as quickly as possible. When a loved one dies, plans must be made quickly for the funeral and burial.
This fast pace from death to burial doesn’t leave much time to plan. Learning about Jewish funeral planning, and burial and mourning practices, in advance, can help make a painful time less confusing.
This 8-part course will help you through it all.
Check out the trailer to learn more:
Welcome to Jewish Funeral Practices: Your Helping Hand Through a Challenging Time. In this course, our expert teachers will take you on an in-depth, behind-the-scenes journey through Jewish funeral planning and the mourning process.
You will learn the history of Jewish funerals and look at the development of modern-day Jewish funeral practices. We will take a step-by-step look at Jewish practices from the moment of death through burial, and explore the Jewish wisdom behind Judaism’s approach to grief and mourning.
Taught by two seasoned Jewish funeral directors and a congregational Rabbi with deep roots in the funeral industry, this course will teach you the questions you need to ask and important things to consider when faced with the death or impending death of a loved one. You will also learn why you might want to consider planning your own funeral.
These classes are brought to you through the generous support of Dignity Memorial® Jewish Funeral Providers of New York
Sample Lessons
About Your Instructors
Sherry V. Bensimon
Sherry V. Bensimon is a New York and New Jersey Licensed Funeral Director with Riverside Memorial Chapel and a Chevra Kadisha member. To help mitigate the devastating rise of deaths in the Jewish community due to mental illness, she has created educational seminars with Yeshiva University's Wurzweiler School of Social Work and The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Sherry is President of The Metropolitan Funeral Directors Association and a board member of the New York State Funeral Directors Association.
Jennifer Martin
Jennifer Martin has been a Funeral Director since 1994 working in Queens, NY where she lives with her family. Jennifer has an excellent reputation for the work she does both at the funeral home as well as within the community. Jennifer is an active member in her synagogue, she sits on the Board of Directors of the Queens Jewish Community Council and Queens Jewish Alliance, and has been a member of the Vaad of Queens Chevra Kadisha her entire career. She enjoys speaking to groups of all ages about everything from traditional Jewish funeral customs to preparing funeral arrangements in advance.
Rabbi Michael Perice
Rabbi Michael Perice is currently serving as the Rabbi at Temple Sinai of Cinnaminson, located in Cinnaminson, New Jersey. He is the incoming Rabbi at Beit T’shuvah in Los Angeles, one of the only Jewish residential addiction treatment centers combined with a congregation. He was ordained from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College with a Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters and the title of Rabbi in 2020. Prior to Temple Sinai, Rabbi Perice completed a unit of clinical pastoral education at Einstein Medical Center, where he served as chaplain during the Covid-19 pandemic. From a young age, he worked at his family’s funeral home, Goldsteins’ Rosenberg’s Raphael-Sacks in Philadelphia.
These classes are brought to you through the generous support of Dignity Memorial® Jewish Funeral Providers of New York