Ching traditions

A cemetery is both a sacred and an unclean place, sacred and profane.

In the Jewish tradition, cemeteries were often divided into male and female parts, there are no family graves or marriages are not kept together. Only for people who rendered outstanding services to the community, such as rabbis and important personalities, were buried in a special alley. There was also no reservation of the places of the dead. They were buried in the order they died. After death, they were all equal. The place in the cemetery was paid, but the community could exempt the poor from this fee. The dead were not buried in coffins. This custom was introduced only in the nineteenth century, and even then it differed from those used by other communities. The caretaker at the cemetery could not be a Jew. Most often they were Poles living nearby. Jews could not live within 25 meters of the necropolis and it had to be fenced. It is also forbidden to shorten one's way through the cemetery.

The cemetery is both a sacred and unclean place, a sacred and a profane. No benefits could be obtained from the cemetery, for example mowed grass could not be sold or given to animals. An important custom for Jews is for men wearing headgear in the cemetery. It is a sign of respect for the dead and their families lying here.

The Mosaic Law is clear: the dead must be buried immediately. Preferably on the day of his death. When a person died in the evening or on the Sabbath, he was buried the next day. The Jews also had to take into account the laws of the country in which they lived. However, sometimes they tried to get around them through conductions or outright bribes.

In pre-war Poland, the deceased were buried 3 days after their death. Before putting the body to the ground, the Jews performed appropriate rituals. If there was a separate room in the house of the deceased, the corpse was placed there. If, however, there was no such room in the house, all the rituals would take place at the funeral home in the cemetery. The deceased was undressed and washed with 6 liters of water.

Nails, hair and beard had to be trimmed, but not necessarily the latter. What is cut off cannot be thrown away because it is part of the human body. It is imperative to incinerate the remains. In this ritual when the deceased was a man, both Men and Women participated; in the case of a woman, it could only be them.

The deceased did not have a special death dress, the so-called for the coffin. The Jews believe that everyone is equal to God, so no one should be distinguished. The deceased was dressed in a simple linen robe with a long hood that is pulled over his face. It was sewn with basting, which could not have any loops. It symbolized passing and impermanence. The man was also put on his tales prayer shawl.

After the washing ritual was completed, the deceased was taken out of the house as soon as possible. When the deceased could not be buried on the day of death, the body was placed on the floor, most often on straw, and 2 candles were placed by the head and all mirrors and windows were covered.

Then the funeral ceremony followed. The procession starts from the house of the deceased. Families often hired mourners, women who followed the convoy and cried loudly and wailed. This showed that the deceased person was very important. Her death is a terrible event.

The corpses were laid on bays from simple boards, although from the 19th century a hearse was also used. If the route ran through the city, you would go to the synagogue where the deceased prayed and knock on its door 3 times. It was a kind of farewell to the house of prayer. Then the conductor went straight to the cemetery.

The funeral itself went very quickly. From the exit, the participants formed a lane leading to the burial place and only then the deceased was brought into the cemetery. His immediate family was right behind him. A clay pot was broken on the spot and the shells were placed over the eyes and mouth of the deceased. Jews believe that the last things he saw on earth are written in the eyes of the deceased. This is done so that the deceased does not show in the afterlife what is happening now on earth. Same with the mouth. In some regions, including Kalisz, a padlock was put to the grave. It was a symbol of the closing of the tomb for all time and the destiny of this part of the earth for this one particular person. Then appropriate prayers were said, and the immediate family of the deceased tears his robes as a sign of mourning and regret.

The rabbi did not have to attend the funeral, but if he did, it was a great honor for the family. The prayer was said over the grave, there was a Kaddish, and it takes 10 men. It is a prayer that praises God. One of them must be the deceased's firstborn son. Kaddish It is then recited by him throughout the year.

If the deceased does not have a male heir, Kaddish is said by brothers, friends or extended family.

It is pronounced in Hebrew, although most Jews before the war, including Kalisz, used the Yiddish language on a daily basis.

After the funeral, the family returns home, where traditionally a hard-boiled egg in ashes and a herring bell are eaten, and mourning begins. First, there are 7 days of strict mourning, during which the immediate family of the deceased sits on the floor or on cushions or low stools and remembers the deceased. They are not allowed to do anything during this time. Food brings extended family and friends. It is also forbidden to wash, paint, use perfumes. It is time entirely devoted to the deceased. After these 7 days, another 40 begin, during which people go to the synagogue and say the Kaddish. The mourning ends exactly one year after the death of the deceased. Attending a funeral is very well perceived by God, even if we do not know the deceased, it is a remembrance for all who have passed away. Attending funeral ceremonies is called a great mitzvah. So a good deed, one of the greatest that will count in the world to come.

Entries on tombstones.