How to Plan a Funeral

People turn to us everyday for help with planning a funeral. Either a loved one has recently died or they want to preplan for a future funeral. In both instances the planning process is quite similar. The AM Israel Mortuary team has a strong attention to detail and we walk you through every decision you need to make. Below we provide a general funeral planning checklist.

Our Funeral Checklist

- Contact the funeral home and arrange for removal of the body from the place of death.

- Review the deceased’s will. If you are preplanning you funeral, make sure to meet with a lawyer and complete your will.

- Choose burial or cremation

- Talk to our funeral home staff about which Jewish funeral traditions and customs you which to uphold.

- If you wish to hold a ceremony, you need to determine the type of ceremony – a synagogue service, graveside service, a memorial service, etc.

- Choose funeral products that will supplement a ceremony – a casket, tombstone, flowers, prayer cards, register books, photos, candles, etc.

- Select the music or hymns to be played during the ceremony

- Make note of any details you or your loved one want to include in the obituary.

- Arrange and organize who will be saying prayers, the eulogy, and other remarks during the ceremony.

- How will you cover the funeral expenses? Different financing options are available to you depending on if you are preplanning for a future funeral or planning for an immediate funeral. Recently, we launched “A Helping Hand” which is a crowdfunding platform that accepts donations to help families pay for funeral expenses.

- Consider the logistics around things such as where the ceremony will take place, how your loved one’s body will be cared for and transported, and where and when our valet will pick up your family members.

- If you wish, you can propose a charity that people can donate to on behalf of your loved one.

- Inform family and friends of when and where the ceremony will take place.

The links below go further into funeral planning.

Our Jewish Funeral Planning Checklist

Worried about planning a Jewish funeral? Our Jewish Funeral Planning Checklist will help you get organized.

What to Expect

The death of someone you love can leave you feeling confused, alone, and unsure where to turn for guidance. This area of our website will guide you in the right direction.

Preplanning a Funeral

Learn the benefits of a prearranged funeral and how we at AM Israel can help you with the preplanning process.

Funeral Merchandise

Our selection of products offers you the widest array of ways to honor your loved one. We invite you to view our burial and cremation caskets, urns, vaults, keepsakes and other personalized items.

Virtual Funeral Arrangement

We are trying to make things easier and more convenient by making it possible to arrange a funeral online.

A Death has Occurred

So what do you do first? Our guidelines will help you deal with the details of tending to their physical care, notify the right people, and plan a fitting and meaningful ceremony.

Are You the Responsible Family Member?

If your loved one did not express their wishes with a signed legal document, then you’ll need to be aware of the order of precedence defining who is responsible for their final care.