Performing tahara—the ultimate kindness

By Toshio Suzuki

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Among the lectures and luncheons occurring at the North American Jewish Cemetery and Chevra Kadisha Conference June 11-13, one meeting room featured a wooden casket, a camera crew, three people in full medical gowns and a partially wrapped inflatable doll.
The doll, of course, represented a dead Jewish person, and the living participants were local hevra kadisha members demonstrating taharah, the ritual cleansing of a Jewish body before burial, referred to in the Dictionary of Jewish Lore and Legend as "the ultimate expression of kindness."
June 12 was the second installment of three taharah demonstrations that collectively walked participants through the visual steps, complete with commentary and slideshow, from washing and dressing to placement and cleanup.
Once the body is meticulously cleaned and prepared, the ornate instructions continue as the body is wrapped in shrouds and dressings. Every precise step, including the order of dressing, the form with which to hold a shroud, and the ideal way to tie clothing together, is important to the procedure.
Of the 50 or so people in attendance, probably more than half spoke up during the brief demonstration to comment, scrutinize and even answer questions given from other audience members.

"Every community has their own system," said Anna Davis, a Neveh Shalom representative who supervised the demonstration. Open participation led to a juggling commentary that shared helpful hints on how to best refrigerate remains (dry ice) and emotional accounts that almost everyone in the room could relate to.
"When you start the taharah you are really dealing with death, but when you're done you feel like you participated in a process of sanctification," said Portlander Ivan Gold, one of the hevra kadisha demonstrators. "It's a very emotional process."
Sue Schwartz, a Neveh Shalom demonstrator with 30 years of local experience, spoke of when a young girl died as an example of rules being bent because the mother very much wanted her daughter to be buried wearing a dress. In that particular instance, the burial society chose to put the dress over the wrapped girl, satisfying all parties to an extent.
Despite the mostly light-hearted nature of the proceedings, it was obvious from the level of participation and scrutiny given over the minutest details that those in the room were not just professionals but people dedicated to Judaism.
"Although it's simple, you're following rituals, and it's very important to follow them properly—to do it right," said Gold.