Jewish funeral in Tbilisi - arranged hand in hand with the community, faithful to tradition

Core principles of a Jewish burial

• Speed: burial takes place as soon as possible, ideally within a day of death, except on the Sabbath and major holy days, when there are no burials.
• Respect for the body: there is no embalming and no cremation, and a post-mortem is carried out only when the law requires it.
• Simplicity: plain white garments and a modest wooden coffin, so that rich and poor are equal in death.
• Shmira: the deceased is never left alone before burial. Someone keeps watch at their side and recites psalms.
• The community's role: the ritual washing, tahara, is performed only by members of the chevra kadisha of the same sex as the deceased.

Who does what: our team and the community

The basic services, from 900 GEL, cover transport within the city, the documents, a plain wooden coffin, a prepared space for tahara and overall coordination. Preparing the grave costs extra, from 400 GEL, and any donation to the community is left to the family.

Sequence of events, from first phone call to graveside

1. The first call: the family phones and tells us a funeral according to Jewish rite is needed. The coordinator immediately asks whether the community has been told, and if not, gets in touch with them personally once the family agrees.
2. Transport: our staff move the body, fully covered, carefully and without any rush or fuss. If a community representative is on hand, they are present for this as well.
3. Shmira: until tahara and burial have taken place, a family or community member stays with the deceased. We offer a quiet room where they can sit and read psalms.
4. Tahara: the chevra kadisha performs the ritual purification and dresses the deceased in white garments. We meet them with the room, water and equipment already prepared.
5. Burial: at the cemetery the rabbi recites the prayers, the closest relatives tear their clothing as tradition requires, and after the burial the Kaddish is said. Family members and guests themselves place earth on the coffin.

White shrouds and a plain coffin

In Jewish tradition the deceased is dressed in tachrichim - simple white garments, usually linen or cotton, with no pockets and no buttons. A man is often buried with his tallit, his prayer shawl. The garments are usually prepared or supplied by the community; if that is not possible, we source the right fabric according to their instructions. The coffin is plain and untreated, with no metal handles or nails, no varnish and no decoration, because it is meant to return naturally to the earth. We always keep a coffin of this kind in stock.

If a forensic examination is required

After a sudden death, an accident or when the cause is unclear, a forensic examination is compulsory under the law. For a Jewish family this is especially painful, since tradition asks that the body remain untouched and frowns on any delay to the funeral. In this situation we keep in touch with the experts without interruption, ask on the family's behalf for the procedure to be completed as quickly as possible, and collect the body the moment it is released. We also help the family reach the community and the rabbi early, because the community has often dealt with such cases before and knows how best to proceed.

The Sabbath and holy days

There are no funerals on the Sabbath, from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday, or on major holy days. If someone dies on a Friday or on the eve of a festival, the burial is planned for the earliest permitted day, and in the meantime the body is kept refrigerated, without embalming, while the shmira continues. The coordinator sets these timings together with the family and the rabbi and prepares the paperwork so that, on the first possible day, the funeral can take place first thing in the morning.

A Jewish cemetery or a Jewish section

By tradition a Jew is buried in a Jewish cemetery or in the Jewish section of a general cemetery. Choosing the place is a matter for the family and the community; we then obtain the permit and prepare the grave. Its size and orientation follow the community's guidance. If the family has a family plot where parents or ancestors already rest, we also obtain permission to open it and plan the work so that the old stones are not damaged.

Shiva: seven days of mourning

After the burial the closest relatives mourn at home for seven days. They sit on low chairs, mirrors are covered and a memorial candle burns, while community members and friends visit, bring food and gather for prayers. For these days we can supply chairs and tables for visitors, and if a minyan, the prayer quorum of ten, meets at the house, we help prepare the space. Shiva is followed by a thirty-day period, shloshim, and for a parent mourning lasts a full year.

Yahrzeit: the yearly remembrance

Families mark the anniversary of a death, the yahrzeit, every year according to the Jewish calendar, so in the civil calendar it falls on a different date each year. On that day a memorial candle is lit at home and left to burn for twenty-four hours, relatives say Kaddish in the synagogue, and many visit the grave. For families who live far away we offer to tidy the grave before the date and send a photo report, and for a stone-setting ceremony we can provide a canopy and chairs.

The headstone

In Jewish tradition the headstone, the matzevah, is usually set a few months after the funeral, often towards the end of the first year, with a small ceremony. The stone carries the name, frequently also the Hebrew name together with the father's name, the dates, often in the Jewish calendar as well, and a short Hebrew formula. Common symbols are the Star of David, the menorah and, for a descendant of the kohanim (the priestly line), hands raised in blessing. Some communities use a portrait and others do not. Our craftsmen carve the Hebrew alphabet precisely, working from a template confirmed by the community or the family.

Stones instead of flowers

Laying flowers on a grave is not customary in Jewish tradition. Instead, visitors leave a small pebble on the headstone as a sign that they came and that they remember. For this reason we do not offer wreaths for the funeral unless the family asks for them, and by the cemetery exit we set out water for hand washing, since washing one's hands on leaving the cemetery is an accepted custom.

Mixed families

Many Jewish families in Georgia are mixed: one spouse is Jewish, the other Georgian or of another background, and the children grow up in both cultures. Such families sometimes have to settle whose rite to follow and where the burial should be. That is for the family to decide, guided by the wishes of the deceased and often by a conversation with a rabbi, and we do not interfere. When the family has decided, we arrange the ceremony in precisely the form chosen and make sure both sides of the family feel respected and at peace, for instance when Georgian relatives bring flowers even though Jewish tradition does not use them.

Burial in Israel

Many Jewish families in Georgia have relatives in Israel, and sometimes the family chooses burial there. In that case the body travels by air, and we plan the transfer so that the principle of speed is respected as far as possible: the documents are prepared on an expedited basis, and the family or the community liaises with the receiving burial society in Israel. Tahara is usually performed here in Tbilisi before the flight. The cost of the transfer is calculated at the air repatriation rate and given to the family over the phone.

Frequently asked questions