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Shabbat Hayei Sarah

Parashat Hayei Sarah begins with the death of Sarah and ends with the death of Abraham, and it is here that for the first time the Torah tells us about burial and mourning practices.

We invite you on this Shabbat to acquaint yourself with BJ’s practice around death and mourning as well as with the support offered by our spiritual leaders, staff, and volunteers. 

Throughout history, Jewish communities around the world have placed a high value on ensuring that every Jewish person has access to a proper and dignified burial in a Jewish cemetery. BJ owns cemetery plots in the King Solomon Memorial Park in Clifton, NJ as well as in Beth Olam Cemetery on the border of Ridgewood, Queens and Cypress Hills, Brooklyn. We encourage members to purchase plots before the inevitable need arises. To discuss either location, to arrange a visit or to make a purchase, please contact cemetery@bj.org

We also ask BJ members to support the Hebrew Free Burial Society, which devotes its resources to performing hesed shel emet—the ultimate act of lovingkindness—for the deceased, who are unable to repay the kindness. It is the only agency in the greater New York metropolitan area dedicated to assuring that every Jew, regardless of financial means or affiliation, receives a dignified, traditional Jewish funeral and burial.