What you should know about arranging a funeral

The Family or friends of the deceased normally take the lead in making arrangements.

Call Benjamin’s immediately, day or night, when a death has occurred. Do not wait, due to the need to organize the funeral promptly. From the moment you call, you and your loved one are within the protective embrace of Jewish tradition. The tradition is to care for the body and the survivors in that order, with respect for the body first and then support for the survivors.

Some find pre-planning the arrangement takes the burden off those remaining at the time of passing.

WHEN YOU COME TO THE CHAPEL TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS

When you are arranging the funeral, have the deceased's Social Insurance Number for identification. For a man, bring his tallit (prayer shawl) if possible. If it is not available, the Chapel can provide one.

Let us know if the deceased has pre-arranged his or her funeral with Benjamin's so that we are able to access the information before you arrive.

A licensed Funeral Director will meet with you privately in one of our Family arrangement rooms. He or she will provide counsel and help you with everything that needs to be done through the process, step by step.

We can help organize the many decisions to be made, starting with service information: where, when, which cemetery, whether there is a desired clergy, etc.

• A funeral plot will need to be selected, an obituary prepared. Your Benjamin’s Funeral Director will assist in these decisions and arrange for clergy.
• There are vital statistics needed to register the death and apply for burial permit: the deceased person’s name, occupation, birthdate, parents’ names, marital status and Social Insurance Number.
• Please bring the  Hebrew name of the deceased. Ask relatives if you are unsure.
• For the obituary on the web and/or in newspapers bring family information: names and relationships to be used.
• Your Benjamin’s Funeral Director will help you go over: pallbearers, limos/transportation, streaming the service, casket selection, police for traffic control, and any other traditional requirements such as consideration of a memorial monument.
• Your Benjamin’s Funeral Director will discuss Jewish rites and rituals.
• Your Benjamin’s Funeral Director can also provide an orientation tour of the Chapel to explain what will happen in which location, if you desire it.
• This is also when to consider the Shiva - location, duration, times, and items that might be needed.

Note that funerals cannot take place on the Sabbath or on Holy Days.

GOVERNMENT FORMS

The funeral director will help you complete a required Statement of Death form. To see one, to ensure you bring the correct information with you, you can download one. Those eligible can also apply for CPP death benefits.

BEYOND THE FUNERAL

Your Benjamin’s Funeral Director can help organize many other post-funeral details that you will have to deal with in the wake of your loss – such as organizing the shiva.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT CARDS

Thanking friends and family for their support may not seem possible when arranging the funeral, but it will after the next few emotionally difficult days. Benjamin's will help create the framework for mourning, while your friends and family will fill that framework with their comfort and support. Families often order Acknowledgement Cards right after a death, so they are printed and ready shortly after the shiva.

BENJAMIN'S STANDARD OF OBSERVANCE

Benjamin’s upholds the highest standard of care as licensed under Canadian law while respecting an even higher power as a Chevra Kadisha.

Chevra Kadisha

The Benjamin’s Chevra Kadisha is a Holy Society under the leadership of Rabbi Uri Gelman and operates in our Chapel. Benjamin’s has been tending to Toronto's Jewish deceased since 1922. It is the longest continuous Chevra Kadisha in Toronto and includes members who speak the languages of most of the nations who comprise Toronto's Jewish community.

As a measure of our continuing respect of tradition, once a year, on the yahrzeit the anniversary of the death) of Moshe Rabbenu (the Biblical Moses) on Zion Adar, (the seventh day of the month of Adar), Chevra Kadishas all over the world honour their members at a special meal.

Every year since 1922, the Benjamin family has commissioned a commemorative plate for the Zion Adar gathering of our Chevra Kadisha. Each member is given a keepsake plate, and one is proudly displayed in the china cabinet in the foyer of the Chapel. This is tangible evidence of an unbroken sacred tradition that has been built plate by plate, year by year, since our very beginnings.

Shomers

The Jewish tradition is that no body should ever be left unattended. Shomers (guardians of the dead) constantly attend a body. Your loved one will always be accompanied and surrounded by the poetry and protection of psalms from the arrival of the deceased into our care at Benjamin’s.

Kavod Ha-Met

The principle of kavod ha-met, respect for the dead, is strictly honoured – in the presence of the body there is no radio, no eating. For more information on the principle of kavod, visit the Benjamin Institute.

Jewish Pluralism

Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel operates on the principal of Jewish Pluralism. We recognize that the Toronto Jewish Community is diverse in its beliefs and practices; we are dedicated to providing the service appropriate for everyone.

Funeral and Burial Rituals for Intermarried Couples

Increasingly, in our modern world, the topic of intermarriage is one that cannot be ignored by community leaders. Today's reality is that many Jews have fallen in love with non-Jews, entering into an inter-religious marriage. Yet this fact does not necessarily imply a rejection of Jewish tradition. Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel upholds the principles of respect for the dead (kavod ha-met) and peace in the house (shalom bayit) so it follows that we will do everything possible to help those families when a death occurs, by providing sensitive and caring service to both partners at their times of need.

Chapel Facilities

Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel can accommodate funerals as intimate as 10 to 15 people and as large as 1,100. We have comfortable Family Rooms where the immediate family can wait in private until the service starts.

Wheelchair Accessibility

Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel facilities are fully wheelchair accessible.

Cohanim Room

Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel offers a private room for Cohanim, built as an independent structure. Windows look into the chapel while a speaker system bring the sound. Cohanim can feel part of the service, while respecting their obligations. The Cohanim room is reached through an entrance at the west side of the parking lot.

Financial Needs

In keeping with the traditions of kavod ha-met and Chesed Shel Emes, Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel offers funeral services at no charge to those in our community who are in financial need. Explain your situation to the Funeral Director working with you and they will help you.

 

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