Conservative Judaism/Funeral Practices

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Expert: - 10/23/2003


Question
Religious Affiliation: Unaffiliated congregation, tending toward Conservative:

If a grave is opened and a body is buried in the grave by error, is it permitted to rebury the body in the correct grave, and reuse the gravesite? Or is the first grave now unuseable?
Does it matter if the error occurs in plots owned by the same family, rather than a stranger? Is this law or "minhag?  

Answer
Dear Avrom,

Thanks for writing.

The opinion of the Conservative Committee of Jewish Law and Standards is that to exhume and then rebury a body in its correct appointed place improving its location is permitted. One may also re-use the first grave but not by a relative of the person originally interred in that grave.

There are a variety of legal opinions about removing a body, but these are the most current Conservative opinions, as of 1996, as you requested.

Best Wishes

Rabbi Dov  

Conservative Judaism

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Rabbi Barry Dov Lerner

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Write to me with questions about Jewish customs and law, history, philosophy and tradition for answers from a Conservative perspective or conversion. I am a graduate of The Jewish Theological Seminary and a member of the Conservative Rabbinical Assembly. Having served in congregational pulpits since 1970, I now am President of the Foundation For Family Education, Inc. a non-profit educational endeavor. I established it to create new formats of hands-on programs and provide free educational downloads at www.jewishfreeware.org. In addition to general informational questions I welcome your questions about programs for social action, outreach to dual-faith families, inter-faith clergy projects, healing services, education for conversion, adult education for the congregation and the community. If you have questions about Informal and Formal Education I am ready to share my extensive experience with Youth Activities, Camping and Religious School/Hebrew High School on a congregational, community and national/international level.

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I have served on the National Youth Commission for more than 25 years and serve on the Boards of the Conservative Zionist movement MERCAZ and the World Council of Synagogues. I have always dual-families and taught candidates for conversion with a great sense of fulfillment. I am very proud of 25 years on the Jewish camping staff of Camps Ramah. My greatest source of pride is my family! Ask me about them, please!:-)

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