If you are accessing this part of our website because of a recent bereavement, we offer our condolences and, as a community, we will support you at this difficult time in every way.
There are several immediate actions to take when a person has passed away.
- Phone the United Synagogue Burial Society (020 8950 7767) and inform them of the death. Leave a voicemail with a return number if after hours.
If the deceased is a paid-up member of the United Synagogue and also the Funeral Expenses Scheme (FES), there will be no costs associated with the collection of the body, preparation for burial and the burial itself. If not please email or speak to Tamara Eisner in the Synagogue office (tamara@southhampstead.org) – 020 7722 1807
If the deceased passed away abroad and needs to be repatriated, or the deceased will be buried in Israel, the United Synagogue Burial Society will advise on the procedures.
For out of hours collection when required, the United Synagogue Burial Society has an arrangement with Kavod Funeral Services, a Jewish 24/7 service.
Their number is 020 3191 9100
- Phone the South Hampstead Synagogue office (020 7722 1807) and leave a voicemail message with return number if after hours. One of the rabbis will contact the person who has reported the death.
- Obtain a Certificate of Death from the hospital or care home (or GP if the person passed away at home).
- Take the Certificate of Death to the Registrar of Births and Deaths for the borough in which the person passed away and receive in return a Certificate of Burial. In many boroughs this process is now available on-line.
Every death, by law, is reported to the coroner who has complete discretion in authorising immediate burial or further investigation into the cause of death. Usually if the deceased had been ill for some time and seen by a doctor authorisation is immediate.
- Advise the Burial Society that you have received the Certificate of Burial. The Burial Society is not permitted to bury a person without this document.
The Burial Society will liaise with the person who reported the death on all matters relating to collection of the body and arrangements for burial and will be in touch with the officiating rabbi to confirm times and place.
If you encounter difficulty with any of these steps or have queries of any kind, please contact Rabbi Eli Levin 07540 461568
Further details relating to burial are available under the Burial tab on the United Synagogue Home Page www.theus.org.uk
The officiating rabbi will discuss the shiva arrangements with the family and outline the various options that, in addition to prayers at home, include a Zoom shiva and prayers at the synagogue services in the morning and evening during the week of shiva.
Kaddish is available in transliterated form. South Hampstead synagogue welcomes women saying kaddish and attending the daily services for this purpose. On Shabbat our gabbaim and gabbayot will assist mourners who are less familiar with the service.
There are numerous guides on the laws, practices and ethos of Jewish mourning and a Google search of ‘Books on Jewish Mourning’ will list many of them.
‘The Jewish Way in Death and Mourning’ by Maurice Lamm is a useful guide that includes ethos as well as halacha.
‘Mourning in Halacha’ published by Artscroll is a comprehensive guide to all aspects of mourning.
Both are available from Amazon and from bookshops such as Jerusalem the Golden in North-West London.
