Jewish Funeral Traditions Explained

Heart shaped flower wreath

Why Don’t Jews Have Flowers at Funerals?   Tradition When Jews point to tradition to explain a religious or cultural practice, this usually indicates, as confirmed by Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, that no one knows “why” Jews do what they do.  I have been a Jew for 62 years (which is a long time),…

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Yes, Jews With Tattoos Can Be Buried In A Jewish Cemetery

Leisure in summer - Rear of beautiful women tan relax on beach with tattoo on foot.

When I was 16 years old, I decided it would be fun to convince my parents that I wanted to get a tattoo. I bought magazines featuring tattoo artists and started cutting out feature articles and leaving them around the house where my mother would notice.  At first, my mother ignored me.  But it was too…

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Why Do Jews Put Stones On Graves?

Pic jewish headstone with rocks on top

Walking through a traditional Jewish cemetery reveals scores of stones that have been placed upon the headstones and graves of the deceased. But why are these stones on Jewish graves and who put them there? The stones found on Jewish grave markers signify that someone came to visit the grave and is intended as a…

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