To report the death of a loved one, please contact Julie Fishkin, Life Cycle & Pastoral Care Manager, 919-489-7062, ext. 227. If you are reaching out after-hours, please call our emergency answering service at 305-940-4241
Death & Mourning
The death of a loved one is so often a painful and confusing time. Judea Reform Congregation is here to support our community members through this difficult time. Judaism has developed a healthy approach to grief that allows mourners to move from the hardest moments of loss back into the world with deliberation.
Read helpful information on the centuries-old Jewish practices around death and mourning see the Union for Reform Judaism's website.
Useful Information
Funeral Home: Judea Reform Congregation works with Hudson Funeral Home of Durham (919-596-8269). They are familiar with Jewish burial practices and customs. Burial services at the time of need are arranged directly by the family of the deceased. Judea Reform Congregation will work with other funeral homes to provide funeral and memorial services, if this is the choice of the bereaved.
Judea Reform Congregation Chevra Kadisha: Judea Reform Congregation is proud to be the home of one of the first Reform Chevra Kadisha in the country. Chevrot Kadisha members are anonymous volunteers within Jewish communities that come together at the end-of-a life to care for the deceased through the Jewish ritual of Taharah. Currently, the services of Judea Reform's Chevra Kadisha can only be offered at Hudson Funeral Home. Learn more about our Chevra Kadisha.
Judea Reform Congregation Cemetery: Judea Reform Congregation has a cemetery located at 2560 Jones Ferry Rd in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Learn about our Cemetery.
Funerals: Judea Reform staff and clergy can be a source of help and support when a death occurs. We are here to assist members in local funeral arrangements, if appropriate. We are here to help you enact Jewish rituals of grief and mourning in whatever ways feel appropriate for you and your family. Most funerals are held at the gravesite. In some instances, funerals and memorial services can be held on site at Judea Reform Congregation.
Shiva: The Shiva ritual is a uniquely Jewish practice and is intended to see mourners through the first days of intense grief and disorientation. Shiva is a home-based worship service for the mourners. It is customarily scheduled in the evenings following the funeral. We can help you arrange and support this practice, if desired.
Pastoral Care: Our Rabbis are here to support our members. Care of those who are dying and of those who are bereaved is a priority.
Mourning: We know people mourn in many different ways. Judea Reform is a community partner with Growing thru Grief, a resource for those who have lost a loved one.
For information about all of this and how Judea Reform Congregation supports people during this difficult time, please contact Julie Fishkin, Life Cycle & Pastoral Care Manager, 919-489-7062, ext. 227
