Martha's Vineyard Hebrew Center
Funeral and Cemetery Guidelines
Funeral and Cemetery Guidelines
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WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU
The family of the deceased should consult with the Rabbi when death occurs. Call the office at 508-693-0745. If it is after hours there will be an alternate contact number on the answering machine. There is one funeral home on Martha's Vineyard, Chapman, Cole and Gleason. For those wishing a Hevra Kadisha (Jewish burial society) to prepare the body for burial according to Jewish traditions, call the Rabbi for names of Jewish funeral homes off Island or for the phone number of an off Island Hevra Kadisha that can travel to the Island and work on the premises of the Island funeral home. FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS: Rabbi led services for members may be held at the MVHC or at graveside at the Hebrew Cemetery or another cemetery on the Island. If the Rabbi is away, an on-call designee of the Rabbi will be available. JEWISH FUNERAL CUSTOMS We observe Jewish funeral customs in our sanctuary. Open caskets and/or flowers are not permitted. It is a Jewish tradition to give Tzedakah (charity) in memory of loved ones. We are encouraged to take any money that would be spent on flowers and give it to an organization that embodies the values of the person we are remembering. CREMATION Jewish law prohibits cremation and encourages a simple burial. GEN 3:19 "For dust you are and to dust you shall return." If you have concerns about burial and are considering a cremation, you are welcome to discuss these concerns with the Rabbi. If cremation is chosen, one can have a funeral service at the MVHC led by the Rabbi without the presence of the cremains in the sanctuary. If one chooses to bury the cremains, they can be buried in a special section of the Hebrew Cemetery without the presence of the Rabbi. The Rabbi may officiate at a gravesite service once the cremains are buried. MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENT Burial in the M.V. Hebrew Cemetery is a benefit of MVHC membership. Dues must be current. Family membership shall include one or two adults, married or life partners, one of whom must be of the Jewish faith, and may include minor and/or dependent children. On the death of the Jewish spouse a non-Jewish spouse may remain as a Member and be buried at the Hebrew Cemetery as a benefit of membership. If the non-Jewish spouse chooses NOT to retain membership, they may still be buried next to their spouse, but would have to pay the non-member fee. Ordinarily, one must be a member of the Hebrew Center to be buried in the Hebrew Cemetery. Exceptions are sometimes made for compelling reasons at the discretion of the Cemetery Committee. |
COSTS
Members in good standing for at least three years have the right of burial at the M.V. Hebrew Cemetery. For a member, the interment fee is currently $1,200, minus a 10% reduction for each year of membership. After ten (10) years of membership there is no fee for burial. Mandatory endowed care ("perpetual care") is a one-time fee of $1,000. Non-members may be buried in the Hebrew Cemetery at the discretion of the Cemetery Committee. The fee for burial shall be $3,000 and for mandatory perpetual care the one-time fee is $1,500. All costs and fees apply to each burial, rather than to a plot. GRAVE SITES Location of the gravesite is determined by the Cemetery Committee. A surviving spouse or family member who retains membership in the MVHC may request that a grave site adjacent to a deceased member be reserved for them, by notifying the Cemetery Committee in writing within six months of the interment of the deceased member. Plantings other than in pots may not be placed at grave sites. INTERMENT CONDITIONS These must be supervised by a licensed local funeral director. Interment must take place between sunrise and sunset, not on Shabbat or holidays, as per Jewish tradition and laws. Religious services must be within the spirit of Jewish tradition. MARKERS AND MONUMENTS Immediately following interment, a temporary marker of non-perishable material must be installed by the funeral director. A permanent grave-marker must be placed within one (1) year. The maximum height of a gravestone, including pedestal, will be three (3) feet. NOTE: All decisions and conclusions as relate to the above are to be made by the Cemetery Committee of the Martha's Vineyard Hebrew Center. For further information, call the office at 508-693-0745. Martha's Vineyard Hebrew Cemetery HISTORY In 1944, Henry Cronig, donated the land in Vineyard Haven to create the Hebrew Cemetery for the few Jews who had come to make Martha's Vineyard their home. Henry joined with Sam Cronig, Edward Cronig, Judd l Brickrnan, Harry Perlstein and Irving Kligler to create the State of Massachusetts chartered Martha's Vineyard Hebrew Cemetery. |
Martha's Vineyard Hebrew Center
Post Office Box 692
130 Center Street
Vineyard Haven, MA 02568
TEL: 508-693-0745
FAX: 508-693-1350
Email: www.mvhc.us
Post Office Box 692
130 Center Street
Vineyard Haven, MA 02568
TEL: 508-693-0745
FAX: 508-693-1350
Email: www.mvhc.us
