A Jewish community’s Chevra Kaddisha (literally “holy friends”) ensures a proper Jewish burial for members of the community, and supports the family of the deceased in their time of mourning.
We attend to the removal of the body from the place of death, sit with the body at every moment until the burial, and perform the traditional cleansing and dressing of the body (tahara). We also help arrange a time and place for the burial and act as pallbearers. Working closely with the rabbi, other Beth El committees, and the funeral home, we make sure that the Beth El community supports the family of the deceased by arranging minyanim and coordinating meals.
Beth El members are welcome to join any of the three groups that help carry out the Chevra Kaddisha’s work: those who perform tahara, the sitters (shomrim) who stay with the body until burial, and the pallbearers. We are always looking for volunteers to help with one of those three roles.
The Beth El Chevra Kaddisha is headed up by David Klapper, who is also chair of the men’s tahara group. To find out more about the Chevra Kaddisha, you can call David at (919) 967-3937, or email him at dgk501@med.unc.edu.
Other members of the Chevra Kaddisha include:
- Shula Bernard, head of the women’s tahara group
- Sally Laliberte, Secretary
- David Rubin, Treasurer
- Gladys Siegel, Cemetery Beautification and Upkeep Chair
Please feel free to contact any one of us regarding your participation in the Beth El Chevra Kaddisha. For more information about our cemetery, please visit the website here.
