An old Jewish lady had died in Ocala, Florida and her daughter consigned her body to a gentile funeral home for cremation. Help a shliach bring her to a Jewish burial.
Rescuing a Jew who is no longer alive gives new meaning to ‘chesed shel emes’
Dear Friends,
Doing a favor for the deceased is called “chesed shel emes” – true lovingkindness. Why? Because there is no way they can thank us or repay the favor.
Yesterday I said “Yes”, no matter what it costs. “YES!”
I was informed that an old Jewish lady had died in Ocala, Florida and her daughter consigned her body to a gentile funeral home for cremation.
I had to stop this from happening, whatever it might take. No Jew should ever be cremated, and their ashes cast to the wind.
Convincing the daughter to stop this horror was a nightmare. With the help of the local shliach Rabbi Yossi Hecht, she finally relented under one condition, that we take responsibility for covering ALL the expenses – paying off the funeral home in Ocala, flying the remains back to New York, purchasing a plot in the Jewish cemetery where her father is buried and, of course, arranging a proper taharah and levayah.
I felt like I had just received the greatest gift – the gift of rescuing a Jew literally from a fate worse than death. I did not look into how much it might cost. In a situation like this, cost is NOT an issue.
And now I am reaching out to you, because I know you would want to have a share in this priceless and very,very,very rare mitzvah.
The total cost is $8,500. Please do the best you can. We – all of us – are this woman’s only living Jewish family.
The link to donate is chabadbronx.org/donate please write in the memo for Jewish burial.
I am sure that once she is resting in peace she will be our eternal advocate in the next world.
May this Mitzvah tip the scale and bring Moshiach Tzidkenu Now!
Thank you,
Rabbi Levi Shemtov – Chabad of Riverdale
The link to donate is chabadbronx.org/donate please write in the memo for Jewish burial.
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