Sons Of Israel - Lakewood Part 2

Why does this "Rabbi" feel that they have to publicize anything to do with Taharas Meisim / Chevra Kaddisha in a newspaper? Like R' Gifter ZATZAL once asked "why does everything have to be in the newspapers?" APP: Death is a dignified affair to devout followers of the Judaic faith. A body is taken to a chapel, where it is cleansed in a ritual bath, known as a mikveh, that requires at least 200 gallons of water. The body is placed in the water and delicately washed by volunteers as an ultimate kindness. Then, the body is wrapped in simple linens and placed in a pine casket. The modesty of the wares shows the equality that rich and poor people share in death. Lastly, mourners gather together to offer eulogies, then bury the body simply. The grace of Jewish funeral preparation now has a simple place to call home. Congregation Sons of Israel will open Holocaust Memorial Chapel in the next few weeks, a modern-day building where Lakewood's oldestOrthodox shul can perform rituals that prepare bodies for burial. The stucco-facade building, which sits next to Mount Sinai Cemetery on East Seventh Street and just behind Lakewood High School, is a simple-looking place. With its proximity to the high school, it would be tough to decipher the structure's use if not for the lettering above the front entrance that makes its purpose clear. "This chapel is open to the entire Jewish community," Rabbi Shmuel Tendler said Thursday as he toured the building. Workers are putting the final touches on the site — all Tendler needs is a certificate of occupancy from township inspectors — and it should be ready to open by month's end. The one-story structure will replace Sons of Israel's current chapel at Fourth Street and Monmouth Avenue. That building, known as the Hebrew Institute, is under contract to a developer who will turn it into housing, Tendler said. "Fortunately and unfortunately, there is a big demand now" for traditional Jewish funerals, Tendler said. "The town is booming. We need something this size." Even the name means something here. Dedicated to the memory of the six million Jews.........The pipe, along the backside of the chapel, is part of a setup that allows rainwater to pool in a rain gutter and flow through plastic pipes that eventually feed the mikveh. While not a Biblical commandment, the use of rainwater to prepare a body is a sign that the chevra kadisha — the Hebrew term for the men and women who do the ritual washing of the body — are doing all that can be done for the deceased. "It's a sign of purification before (one) meets his creator," Tendler said. The chapel has other slight touches meant to serve people. First, the side walls are broken with several windows so kohanim — descendants of Jewish priests who are banned under Jewish law from entering buildings where funerals are held, except for immediate family members — can watch services. Second, speakers have been attached to the building so that when large numbers of the community attend the funeral of a dignitary or after a tragic incident, even those who can't fit in the 400-seat sanctuary can listen to the eulogy. But, even with the custom construction, the building offers an air of subtlety. "Purposefully, we kept it very simple, down to Earth," Tendler said. "It's not supposed to be gaudy." After all, death is a dignified affair.