Bereavements
Losing a loved one is not an experience that anyone should ever have to handle alone. We are honoured to offer practical, religious and pastoral support during this difficult time.
Steps to consider
In the event of a bereavement, our Rabbinic Team is here to offer their support.
Rabbi Elchonon Feldman 07854 272 613
Rabbi Nick Kett 07789 552 320
Rabbi Moshe Chaim Lister 07552 494 558
Below is a list of steps you will need to consider:
- Notify the United Synagogue’s burial office immediately and leave a contact phone number so they can contact you – 020 8950 7767. If the Burial Offices are closed and you would like to speak to someone please call 07957 119 119 (this service is not available on Shabbat or Yom Tov).
- Obtain a death certificate from the doctor or hospital, stating the cause of death. Take the death certificate to the Registrar for Births and Deaths. Please note: it must be the Registrar in the area where the death occurred
- Phone the Burial Office (020 8950 7767) once you have been issued with the relevant documentation. The Burial Office will advise what to do next.
- Contact Esther Nelkon, PA to the Senior Rabbi who will assist with shiva chairs and prayer books and liaise with the Rabbi about the funeral and shiva. You can of course speak personally with the Rabbi about the funeral service and shiva arrangements.
- Notify family and friends of the arrangements. The Synagogue will send an email notifying the community of your bereavement, as well as any funeral and shiva details.
- If you require a burial certificate and the death occurred within Hertfordshire please phone 0300 123 4045. For the Sunday emergency service, phone between 9.00am and 11.00am on Sunday morning.
If the deceased has died at home at a time when the United Synagogue Burial Society cannot collect, and the family wish for an undertaker to take the deceased, a possibility is Macleans Funeral Services on 01923 894 116.
They will keep the deceased until the United Synagogue can collect. Any removal charges from the undertakers will be for the family to pay.
For further information, please contact Rabbi Elchonon.
For further information, please contact Rabbi Elchonon.
If you need someone to talk to following the death of a relative or friend, then Bushey Community Cares is able to offer you someone to talk to who has been specifically trained to provide you with bereavement support. If they are unable to help you, they will point you in the direction of someone who can.
Please call the 24-hour dedicated confidential helpline, on 020 8950 3344.
Please call the 24-hour dedicated confidential helpline, on 020 8950 3344.
Helpful Links
Jewish Bereavement Counselling
The United Synagogue provides a bereavement Counselling service, which can be found by following this link.
Locating a Grave
If you are trying to locate the grave of a friend or relative and that person was buried in a United Synagogue cemetery then this link may help you find where they are buried.
