Im writing a story about a Jewish family and I they own a funeral home (well at least they do now, i could always change it) but I was hoping that those of you who are Jewish could tell me about how Jews have funerals, or if i should just give up them owning a funeral home and choose something else
What elements of care for the dead were you intending on incorporating? I'm not the right person to answer most questions because I've never been to a funeral. But burial is traditionally in a closed casket, pine box, wrapped in a shroud (the person not the box), also maybe a tallis on the person with the tztittzit (fringes) cut to render it invalid, preferably within 24 hours without embalming. There is a special group of people within the community who volunteer as the chevra kaddisha, the holy society. They clean the body and prepare it for burial, which is considered a huge mitzvah since the dead can't return the favor. And this way it can be done with love and care instead of by someone for whom it is their job. I'm pretty sure there are some other specifics for the chevra like lighting candles. And the person is never supposed to be left alone. If you plan on doing that, you should also probably know a little about Jewish mourning rituals and the passage of the soul after death according to a very traditional view, because they're a bit elaborate. I'll point you here: http://www.myjewishlearning.com:80/lifecycle/Death.htm That will give you the most info. But you can also check here for briefer info: http://www.jewfaq.org/death.htm Dauer
