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Voices

Only death and taxes

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MICHAEL SIEFF

Most people consider financial planning to be responsible adult behaviour, yet not everyone includes the costs of funerals in their arrangements, although these are all too real.

The plot, coffin, tachrichim (shrouds), staff, transport, maintenance of the grounds, official Government documentation and Council fees, must all be taken into account. Later there are the costs of the permit and tombstone to be considered too. While West Park cemetery runs on a shoestring budget, all of these expenses must somehow be met.

There are two qualities I’d like to highlight that make our Chevrah Kadisha exceptional: one is that we always cover the costs of burial for people who have no family or means. 

The second is that it is a mark of distinction that we carry out all funerals before asking for a cent. We do not demand payment upfront as is the case in other Jewish cemeteries across the globe, and is certainly the case in other religions. 

Burial costs at their basic level are pretty similar when comparing Jewish and non-Jewish funerals. The difference is that we provide only one standard coffin and every burial is exactly the same, regardless of whether the family are princes or paupers. 

We do not offer the option of more expensive coffins, fancy flowers or extended services. Jewish law is explicit in its standardisation of burial procedures. Dignity is our directive. Simplicity and equality is the Jewish way.

What is sometimes misunderstood is that donations from family and friends at the cemetery do not accumulate towards the funeral account; paying for the funeral should take precedence over buying a tombstone and while Chevrah Kadisha membership entitles the deceased to a discount, it does not cancel the charges. 

In its service to the community, and as an act of good faith, we carry out the holy work of burial before submitting an account. But that doesn’t mean that the expenses are imaginary or that the account need not be paid. 

As with everything the Chev does, those who are unable to pay, or who need to make payment plans, are accommodated. For everyone else there remains a moral imperative to cover the costs of a family member’s funeral before the responsibility to subsidise it falls upon our community.

It’s worth considering, while talking to your financial adviser about your taxes, to discuss life’s other inevitability and plan accordingly. 

May our partnership continue to thrive – feedback@jhbchev.co.za

 

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