10/7/12:
Annual dinner celebration of our Chevra Kadisha

On Yom Kippur, Beth El’s Chevra Kadisha is honored as the centerpiece of the ‘closing-of-the-gates’ ceremony signaling the conclusion of Yom Kippur. The hakafah and gathering on the bima are both acknowledgement and reminder that our Chevra Kadisha is such an important and historic part of the Beth El fabric.

Our Chevra Kadisha is said to be the oldest organized Jewish society in the Durham/Chapel Hill area and can pretty much be traced back to the late 1800’s when Jewish merchants began to settle in this area. We are responsible for ensuring that a traditional Jewish burial is available to any Jewish person. This includes performing the ritual T’hara (cleansing and purification of the deceased), dressing in white linen shrouds (tachrichim), acting as guardians (shomrim) of the deceased, providing a plain, pine, kosher casket for burial, and arranging for pall bearers when burial will take place in our Hebrew cemetery. Over the years, our Chevra Kadisha in conjunction with other Beth El committees has accepted additional responsibilities related to providing a meal of condolence for the family of the deceased, arranging for minyanim, and a variety of cemetery matters.

One can appreciate that many congregants are needed to help with everything that must be done for both the deceased as well as the family of the deceased to help ease them through their period of grieving. Chevra Kadisha members volunteer for whatever is comfortable for them - some feel strongly about being part of our T’hara groups and others are more comfortable acting as shomrim or pallbearers - or helping with other aspects of our work. We are always looking for men and women who would like to be part of our organization. For more information, please feel free to contact either me (David Klapper, dgk501@med.unc.edu) or Shula Bernard, shulabernard@gmail.com)

Beth El will have a celebration of our Chevra Kadisha with a dinner and brief program Sunday evening, October 7 . We'll start by gathering at 6:15pm for candle lighting. An annual dinner in celebration of Chevrei Kadisha is a tradition all around the world - attendance at such dinners speaks volumes about your support of this very special group of volunteers and all they do for our community. Please plan to attend this celebration.

David Klapper,
Chevra Kadisha Chair

RSVP to Miriam by 3pm on Wednesday, October 3
at 682-1238 or miriam@betheldurham.org.

Cost for dinner is $18 per person 13 and older / $9 per child 7-12 / no charge for children under 7. Family maximum charge for dinner is $45.00.

Please mail payment to Beth El Synagogue with “CK dinner” noted in the memo line.

Any cancellations made after 10/3 will still need to be paid for in full. Thank you for your understanding.