Illness, Mourning and Cemetery

Illness

When a member becomes ill, Rabbi Elkin will visit with the person and, if desired, with family members. Please contact the shul office if you or a family member would appreciate a visit from the Rabbi. The Hesed chair and committee volunteers can offer other support to members suffering an injury, prolonged illness, or other challenge. We encourage you to reach out to the shul office or to the Hesed chair at hesed@narayever.ca to see how the Narayever community can assist in your or your family member's time of need.

Mourning and Cemetery

When a death has occurred, Rabbi Elkin is available to provide advice about mourning customs, to provide grief counseling, to officiate at the funeral service, to perform the eulogy (hesped) or to help you in any other way that you require. Please contact the shul so that we can notify the community about the passing of your loved one and coordinate the necessary support.

The Hesed Committee oversees the Narayever cemeteries, which are housed at Bathurst Lawn Memorial Park and at Dawes Road Cemetery. For inquiries about Narayever cemeteries, please contact the Hesed chair at Hesed@narayever.ca.

Shiva prayer services are brought to the house so the mourners can say kaddish in the presence of a minyan. The Hesed chair will assist with arranging the logistics of shiva minyanim including coordinating leaders. Members can volunteer to become shiva minyan leaders. If you are interested, please contact the Hesed chair.

The shul also provides reminders about yahrzeit and the many ways in which members can commemorate a loved one, including a plaque on our commemorative board, giving a dvar torah, or tzedakah opportunities.

Finally, we have written a Brief Guide to Mourning, a concise description of Jewish law and practice as it pertains to death and mourning that we hope you will find helpful.