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Mortuaries

The following mortuaries maintain working relationships with the Jewish Burial Society.

Mortuary 

Address

Contact 

Estimated Cost

Price List

Turn Around Time

Recommended 

Bay Area Mortuary

San Jose 

1701 Little Orchard St

San Jose, CA 95125

$4,000

1-2 Days

Magen David

Livermore

Full Service with Cemetery $13,800

Same or Next Day

Sinai Memorial Palo Alto

$7,600

2-3 Days

Lima Family 

Santa Clara

466 N Winchester Blvd, Santa Clara, CA 95050

$8,600

2-3 Days

Darling Fischer

Los Gatos 

615 N Santa Cruz Ave,

Los Gatos, CA 95030

$10,800

1-3 Days

Oak Hill Funeral Home

San Jose

300 Curtner Ave,

San Jose, CA 95125

$9,800

2-3 Days

Sinai Memorial Lafayette 

3415 Mount Diablo Blvd, Lafayette, CA 94549

$7,600

2-3 Days

Sinai Memorial 

San Francisco

1501 Divisadero St,

San Francisco, CA 94115

$7,600

2-3 Days

When contacting a mortuary kindly tell them that you would like the Chevra Kadisha Package it will be the cheapest price with a Taharah Done by our team and a Kosher Casket.

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Practices Avoided or Prohibited in Jewish Tradition:

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  1. Cremation – Forbidden. The body must be returned to the earth whole, as it came from the earth.

  2. Embalming – Generally not allowed. Desecrates the holy body.

  3. Autopsies – Forbidden unless legally required or can directly save a specific life.

  4. Organ Donation – Only permitted under strict guidance (usually when the donor is unquestionably dead and a specific life can be saved).

  5. Delayed Burial – We bury the deceased as soon as possible (ideally within 24 hours), unless delay is needed for honor (e.g. family travel or to honor the deceased).

  6. Viewing the Body – Not practiced. 

  7. Flowers – Not a Jewish custom. Charity and Torah study are far more appropriate forms of honor.

  8. Decorations or Statues – Not our way. We keep tombstones simple, respectful, and modest.

  9. Jewelry, Makeup or Fancy Clothing on the Deceased – The decesed is dressed in simple shrouds (white shrouds) to emphasize equality in death.

  10. Tomb Inscriptions in Excessive Praise – Avoided. Simplicity and truthfulness are key.

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What is the Jewish way:

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  • Tahara Washing – Ritual purification by the Chevra Kadisha.

  • Shrouds – Plain white burial garments, signifying purity and equality.

  • Wooden Casket – A simple casket, with no metal, to allow natural return to the earth.

  • Burial in Earth – Fulfills “"For you are dust, and to dust you shall return." Genesis 3:19

  • Shmira – Watching over the body until burial with prayers.

  • Kaddish, Mishnayos, and Charity – True ways to elevate the soul.

  • Yahrtzeit, Yizkor, and Unveiling – Commemorations rooted in Jewish tradition.

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CHECKLIST

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CHECKLIST

©2025 Jewish Burial Society 

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