After A Death
Immediately following a death, the deceased should not, according to Tradition, be left unattended. A Shomer, or "watchman," stays with the deceased from the time of death until the funeral and burial. It is appropriate for members of the family to stay with the deceased and the custom in many communities is for the family to provide the Shomer. We have people available to serve as Shomereim and will arrange for this service, if the family wishes.
A mourner in Judiasm is one who is defined as being Kaddish related, which means they are obligated to observe the rites of mourning for the deceased. Those who are considered mourners are the spouse, parent, sibling or child of the deceased. It's important to realize that other family members, although not technically considered mourners, may choose to observe many of the rites of mourning because of the close relationship they had with the deceased. From the time of death until the burial, the mourner is considered an Onen and is relieved of many of the normal obligations incumbent upon an individual. The main obligation of an Onen is to arrange for the proper Jewish burial of the deceased.
Besides your personal Dallas or Houston Jewish Funerals funeral director, the first person to be called should be your rabbi or the deceased's rabbi. A time is not set for the funeral until the rabbi has been contacted. The rabbi will do whatever is necessary to change his or her schedule to accommodate the family's wishes, but there are times when that is not possible. We will coordinate a time for the service that allows for the family's needs, as well as the time constraints of the rabbi and cemetery.
Depending upon a congregation's policy, a service may be held in the temple or synagogue. Many people today are opting for services at the cemetery only. It is difficult to predict how many people will attend a funeral, but if the deceased is young or leaves a large family, or is active in business or social activities, it is likely that a large number of people will want the opportunity to pay their respects by coming to the funeral. Because we specialize in graveside services, we are prepared for and can accommodate any size service.