Temple Akiba
5249 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Culver City, California 90230
310-398-5783
(FAX) 310-398-1637

Jewish Cremation?



If Jewish cremation is not in accord with Jewish tradition, why is Temple Akiba sponsoring a cremation plan?

During our lifetime we draw sustenance from the earth. It is only right that after death our bodies should return to the earth and replenish it. This recycling is a mitzvah. "You shall eat bread until you return to the earth from which you were taken." Gen.3:19

This is why we should use a wooden casket, not metal, and we should be buried in the earth, not in a concrete vault or box. Yet many Jews today do use vaults, and most cemeteries require concrete cases for every casket. With cremation one can return the ashes directly to the earth.

 Cremation also offers an opportunity to do a mitzvah. It is better to give money to charity than to bury it in the ground. An average funeral costs three to four times as much as cremation. The money saved should be dedicated to future life (i.e. planting trees in Israel, scholarships for Jewish Education, support of medical research.)

Temple Akiba's cremation plan offers a Jewish option to those who desire cremation. The ashes can be interred in the Sam and Annette Weiss Memorial Garden next to the Rabbi's office. A name plate can be placed in the garden or in the Temple Sanctuary. The cremation itself can be arranged by one of several mortuaries. A Memorial Service may be held in the Temple Sanctuary, and the Shivah meal of consolation can be served in the Social Hall.

 For more information about Jewish cremation, including costs, or other Temple programs, contact the Temple Office at (310) 398-5783.

Links for more information on death, dying, funerals, burial and cremation

National Funeral Directors Assn.  This site, from the world's largest funeral service organization, offers important resources to both the consumer and the funeral service professional.  Read about current trends, issues and career opportunities as well as find helpful publications on planning a funeral and dealing with grief.
http://www.nfda.org/

Forecast, April 1997. The information on cremation: Find out why cremation is increasingly being chosen and what creative ways baby boomers have come up with to dispose of their ashes.
http://www.demographics.com/publications/fc/97_fc/9704_fc/fc97044.htm

Funerals - Death and Dying Netlinks. This useful collection of sites explains embalming, cremations and memorial services and gives tips on how to save money on funerals.
http://dying.miningco.com/msub8.htm

Find a Grave. View the grave sites of many notable people through this searchable database.
http://www.findagrave.com/

Los Angeles Funeral Society. Information includes low-cost funeral options, how to donate your body to science, how to help people grieve and alternatives to traditional funerals.  Fee requested.  P.O. Box 92313, Pasadena, CA 911109; (626) 683-3545
http://vbiweb.champlain.edu/famsa/lafs.htm

Funeral and Memorial Societies of America. Information on funerals, funeral options and funeral industry trends.  Also includes online bookstore, ombudsman and funeral humor. PO Box 10, Hinesburg, VT 05461; (800) 765-0107
http://www.funerals.org/famsa

California Department of Consumer Affairs, Cemetery & Funeral Programs. Guidelines for making decisions about funeral and cemetery arrangements, how to file a complaint and how to find out if a cemetery is licensed.  400 R St., Sacramento, CA 95814 (800) 952-5210.
http://www.dca.ca.gov/cemetery

Other sources:
Cremation Assn. of North America. 401 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611; (312) 644-6610
Tri-County Memorial Funeral Society (Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino): PO Box 114, Midway City, CA 92655; (714) 962-1917

 

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