Members of the Support and Bereavement Committee are available to support families who experience a death or illness. Help can consist of providing transportation to medical appointments; cooking meals; finding a rabbi to officiate over a funeral; planning a memorial service; notifying friends and family; organizing and conducting shiva services; paying shiva calls; arranging for tahara, shomrim, a cemetery plot, or cremation services, investigating long-term care facilities or home care providers; calming agitated relatives; lending an ear; sorting through papers; supplying tissues; comforting children, and generally helping with any logistical or emotional needs.
The Cheder is a member of the Jewish Funeral Practices Committee of Greater Washington (JFPCGW). JFPCGW has a contract with Rinaldi Funeral Home in Silver Spring, MD and Jefferson Funeral Chapel in Alexandria, VA that includes a plain pine casket (in the Jewish tradition) and services at a synagogue, graveside, or the funeral home chapel. Contract prices are available at the JFPCGW Web page.