These funerals homes often provide pitifully little guidance about real Jewish tradition and custom. The problem extends to our Jewish cemeteries which are valiantly trying to keep up the commercial aspects of the death industry. The ostensible reason for the vault is to reduce maintenance costs. When the casket deteriorates, the ground will sink. Of course this contradicts the reason we bury our dead in the first place.
Decomposition is the point - from ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
Jewish cemeteries could eliminate concrete vaults, bury caskets in the earth and use the cost of the vault to level the grave after the ground has settled. There are other paths open to us. Here are five principles that can direct the examination of our Jewish funeral practices. For the Columbia Jewish Congregation, the other five reconstructionist synagogues in the Greater Washington area and for numerous other Reform, Conservative and even Orthodox synagogues, these principles mean helping develop and utilizing the contract of the Greater Washington Jewish Funeral Practices Committee. The Committee has negotiated a simple, traditional, low cost funeral available to any CJC member.