Craig,

Jewish law specifically forbids embalming as it delays the natural
processes that return the body to the earth, unless it is required by civil
law. Therefore Jewish funerals and burials usually take place within a day
or, at most, 2 days, after death. In some cases burial takes place the same
day! Since Jewish law is quite specific in this matter, in cities with
large Jewish communities, funerals are handled by funeral homes experienced
in this area, usually Jewish-owned. In smaller communities, like Newport
News, the Jewish community arranges with one or more funeral homes to do
Jewish burials, instructing them on the laws and rituals required.

There are lots of sources that explain Jewish law and customs regarding
death, burial and mourning. Here are three of those links:
http://www.jewishfederations.org/funeral-customs.aspx
http://www.uscj.org/JewishLivingandLearning/Lifecycle/JewishFuneralPractice/GuidetoJewishFuneralPractice.aspx
http://www.jewish-funeral-guide.com/tradition/funeral-customs.htm

Hope this helps.

Martha Katz-Hyman
Curator
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
Williamsburg, VA

On Tue, Sep 9, 2014 at 4:26 PM, Craig Kilby <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Martha,
>
> MOST interesting. I was under the impression that embalmment was required
> by law, regardless. Please expound on this.
>
> A good non-Jewish friend of mine (now dead) once said she was going to
> specify that she NOT be embalmed (for her own reasons), but I never asked
> if that was really an option. Is there a religious exemption to this law?
> If so, we've all been had by the funeral directors lobby!
>
> Craig
>
> On Sep 9, 2014, at 4:16 PM, Martha Katz-Hyman wrote:
>
> > Just a note on this from the Jewish perspective, since that seems not to
> > have come up yet in this discussion.
> >
> > Traditional Jewish burial in this country is usually in a plain pine/wood
> > coffin with no embalming except in relatively rare cases, and the same
> with
> > vaults, except where the water table requires. Bodies are wrapped in
> > shrouds within the coffin. In Israel, bodies are laid to rest directly in
> > the ground, wrapped in shrouds.
> >
> > These two websites might be useful to those interested in learning more.
> > https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/death.html
> > http://myjewishlearning.com/life/Life_Events/Death_and_Mourning.shtml
> >
> > Martha Katz-Hyman
> > Curator
> > Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
> > Williamsburg, VA
> >
>
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