Good article in NYT on Chevra Kadisha

Saw this article online (and resposted by some friends, like Mayyim Chayim in Boston and Menachem Creditor--see blogroll). It's an article that comes up with some regularity (and has for the last 20 years or so, I'd guess) as boomers (and younger) start losing their parents and loved ones and turn to Burial Societies for help and for meaningful ritual, either along with or in place of funeral homes. I like that these traditions are less and less being considered "Orthodox" and increasingly are understood to be another tool to help the bereaved (and the community) engender meaning and find support. And for participants, it's a way to confront their fear and anxiety over death, as in the case with this person:

“I have to admit, the first time, I wasn’t quite ready for what a dead body looks like,” Ms. Rubenstein said.

“But you get over that quickly,” she added, receiving nods of assent from the others. “And for myself, knowing that I will be in the hands of people who care about me,” she continued, glancing around her, “that’s what I want when it’s my turn.”