Richard A. Light, Honoring K'rovei Yisrael: Guidelines for Burial Preparation of Non-Jews Who Are Part of the Jewish Community
In today’s modern Jewish society we are faced with an increasing number of interfaith families in which one spouse is Jewish and the other is not. When the Jewish spouse requests that their non-Jewish loved-one be buried as a Jew, a dilemma arises. How does one prepare a non-Jew for burial using Jewish traditions? Many chevrot and synagogues simply deny the request, stating that Jewish practices are for Jews only. Yet with so many families now expressing interest in this, it is time to create such a ritual. This work extends the scope of the current Jewish umbrella under which our dead are respectfully prepared for burial. Every Chevra Kadisha needs to be ready to handle the changing times of today's world. Thus, every community in which there are mixed-religion marriages needs this manual.