Ask the Rabbis | Is Cremation Still Off Limits For Jews?
“The idea that people should own up to the finality of death is one that rejects the eternity of the soul.”
Poem | The Mysteries
How to explain the poem that writes itself after the final poem, after the book has closed?
The Mensch in the Bench
As a septuagenarian, I now find myself contemplating the disposition of my mortal remains. Pondering this weighty issue prompted me to remember the especially fractious...
Jewish Geography—Six Feet Under
Cemeteries are historical markers, links to the past. Jewish communities move on or move out, but the history of American Jewry is carved in granite.
A Funeral Farce (Shiva Baby)
Shiva Baby
Released April 2, 2021 (USA)
1 hour 17 minutes
Directed by Emma Seligman
Neon Heart Productions
Comedy, English
When Danielle’s overbearing mother presses her into attending a shiva, a...
The Tradition of Respecting the Dead
Through plagues, pandemics and wars, Jewish communities have found ways to adapt their traditional practices to the events of the time. Today, with the spread of COVID-19, many Jewish traditions have had to change.
Death in the Jewish Tradition
Throughout the ages, the Jewish people have developed customs, rituals and observances to guide us and provide comfort when a loved one dies. Moment Senior Editor Francie Weinman Schwartz, coauthor of The Jewish Moral Virtues with Eugene B. Borowitz, has prepared this compendium to help you make decisions in advance and know what to do when the time comes. Due to safety concerns brought about by the current public health crisis, we’ve also included new traditions to consider.
Closing the Book of Life: A Jewish Forensic Expert on Death’s Mysteries
For many Jews, the Day of Atonement marks a time for solemn reflection. After all is said and done—sins tallied, forgiveness asked, the Book of Life...
Kosher for Halloween
By Daniel Kieval
It's Halloween in the suburbs. For a couple of weeks, already, the neighborhood decorations have been out in full force: pumpkins, black cats,...