Video series

Know Before You Need It

Short, practical answers to the questions families ask a Jewish funeral home, from costs and paperwork to traditions, so you're prepared before you need it.

Free Burial for Veterans and Spouses: What's Covered

Eligible veterans and their spouses may receive a free gravesite in a national cemetery, plus a headstone and ongoing care. Funeral services are separate.

Watch →

Why Don't Jews Have Open-Casket Funerals?

Jewish funerals keep the casket closed for two reasons: out of respect for the person who passed away, and so families remember their loved one in life.

Watch →

The Conversation Every Family Should Have

Telling your family your wishes before the time comes can bring real peace of mind. You don't need everything planned; the conversation is the start.

Watch →

What Is a Shomer?

A shomer stays with the deceased from death until burial, often reciting Tehillim (Psalms), to protect them and to comfort the soul in its transition.

Watch →

Why Don’t Jews Traditionally Choose Cremation?

Judaism calls for burial because the body is treated with dignity even after death. Cremation breaks the body down; Jewish burial lets nature take its course.

Watch →

Why Do Jews Bury So Quickly?

Jewish burial takes place as soon as reasonably possible, sometimes the same day, out of kavod hames: honor and respect for the person who passed away.

Watch →

$750 for the Rabbi? Understanding the Rabbi’s Honorarium at a Jewish Funeral

A rabbi's honorarium recognizes the time and care a rabbi gives a family. In South Florida, $750 is common, though every rabbi and situation is different.

Watch →

Why Do Jews Put Israeli Earth in a Casket?

Earth from Israel is placed with the deceased during tahara and on the casket at burial, a sign of every Jew's lasting connection to the land of Israel.

Watch →

Inside a Cadillac Escalade Hearse

This hearse started life as a Cadillac Escalade. A behind-the-scenes look at how it was rebuilt to carry a casket, and why the height mattered.

Watch →

What Is a Funeral Home's General Price List (GPL)?

Every funeral home must give you a General Price List when you discuss arrangements. Here's what it is, why it matters, and the one question to ask.

Watch →

Why Are Jewish Caskets So Simple?

It's intentional. A plain wooden casket reflects the Jewish belief that every person is equal in death, and lets the body return naturally to the earth.

Watch →

Have Burial Plots in New York? Why You Still Need a Florida Funeral Home

Yes, you still need a local funeral home. If a loved one passes away in Florida, the process starts here, even when the burial plots are in New York.

Watch →

Have a question we haven't covered?

Call us any time, day or night, or send us a message. Your question might even become a future episode.

Call (954) 744-3432 Contact us