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TRADITIONS
FOR TRANSITION
The Jewish Way in Death and Mouring
A Seminar covering Shiva, Bereavement Support,
Making Sacred Decisions, Outreach Issues and Planning a Funeral
HOW TO PLAN A FUNERAL
Presented by
Steven C. Dranow
Services Provided
by the Funeral Director and Staff
It
is your right that you have as complete an understanding as possible
regarding the cost of a funeral.
Funeral
service is never-ending; that is, it must be available 24 hours
every day of the year. It, therefore, is a 168 hour week, and not
the 40 hour week which is today the accepted standard.
The
number of details which need to be attended to is largely the result
of one outstanding fact. The fact that no two funerals are exactly
alike. Traditions, customs, social position, really a multitude
of influences come into play until each funeral becomes an individual
and distinct pattern.
These differing service patterns produce correspondingly different
patterns in funeral cost.
Directors must be prepared to be completely flexible to meet any
one of a families requests.
What
does the Funeral Director Do?
The following
list, which is by no means all inclusive, is expressed to amplify
PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL SERVICE charges.
- Receiving
of the decease from anywhere in the world.
- Care
of decendent's remains.
- Arrangement
confernece with responsible party to determine service desired.
- Co-ordination
and direction of the funeral service and participants.
- Advice
and counsel on all funeral matters.
- Counsel
on funeral merchandise and artifacts.
- Securing
Physician's or Medical Examiner's statement.
- Completing
and filing Death Certificate.
- Arranging
for Certified Copies of Death Certificate and Burial/Removal
Permit.
- Arrangement
for Shomar and Tahara.
- Arrangements
for Clergy Person or officiant.
- Arrangements
with Burial Societies for grave location, permits and benefits,
if applicable.
- Arranging
for grave preparation or other form of disposition.
- Arrangements
with pallbearers.
- For
Veteran's, securing an American Flag, and arranging for
Military Honors, if requested.
- Preparing
death notice and obituary, and placement in desired newspapers.
- Organizing
funeral cortege according to family listing.
- Procession
to cemetery and supervision of interment.
- Receiving
calls from friends and family.
- Telephone
information. Disseminating funeral time, date and directions.
- Assistance
with government forms (Social Security, Veterans' Administration,
etc.)
- Assistance
with insurance claims.
- Permanent
recording of funeral for legal reference.
- Full
staff service - 24 hours a day.
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Also included
in the service charge are the overhead expenses relative to the
overall operation, such as insurance, maintenance and utility expenses,
secretarial and administrative costs, and equipment and inventory
expenses.
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