Plan today for gentle, natural, Jewish after-life care
Kindness when it matters most
No one should be deprived of a Jewish burial for lack of time, funding, or information about the options. Dealing with death is difficult enough. That’s our driving belief here at Last Kindness. With zero commercial interests and hearts full of human interest, Last Kindness will help you plan after-life care for yourself and your loved ones.
We never would have imagined that burying our mother would be a calm and peaceful experience,
but it was.”
You’ll feel good knowing you have a plan
The best time to plan is when you’re young and healthy. The second best time is today.
Make your Wishes Known
Use this easy-to-share note to let your family know
Consider Burial
The kind choice to the body, soul, and planet
Speak to a Counselor
Get clear answers and guidance for your personal situation
Been avoiding the D word?
You’re not alone.
Everyone dies. But only 1 in 3 discuss their end-of-life wishes while there is still time.
That’s hardly surprising. You can probably think of more palatable dinner conversation topics (“The Dow is down again.”).
No one wants to upset their loved ones with morbid talk, especially during an emotional time. It can be hard to open the conversation we so badly need to have.
A full 95%
say they want to talk about their end-of-life wishes
Only 32%
report actually having the conversation
The unknowns around death make it difficult to talk about
Most people spend years studying for their careers, following the news and exploring their interests. Sports, politics, climate change. We’ll discuss just about any topic to death.
But death? Not so much.
Sure, we know it’s important to plan early. Just in case.
There are decisions to make, papers to sign, services to pay for.
And we’d rather leave a LEGACY to our loved ones than that stressful WORK.
But how can anyone articulate their wishes without having a chance to fully explore them?
Explore answers to the questions you never voiced
Jewish tradition is filled with psychologically healthy ways to respectfully take care of the body and the soul.
You don’t have to be observant, or even Jewish, to appreciate the deep wisdom it offers.
- Lastkindness Staff
- Martin Berger
- Lori Palatnik and Rabbi Yaakov Palatnik
- Lori Palatnik and Rabbi Yaakov Palatnik
Something else on your mind?
We’re here to help!
Does Arranging a Burial Seem
Too many Jews feel that way.
They choose to cremate.
If Jews are choosing cremation only because no one offered to
- Walk them through a straightforward process.
- Align funeral and burial choices to their personal values.
- Show them modern and respectful- yet affordable - options.
Then someone should offer factual information.
It’s not a blaze of glory. Not at all.
Unless they’ve researched the topic, people don’t realize that cremation is neither quick nor clean. It’s violent and harms the environment. In Jewish law, destroying a body by fire is forbidden as it destroys the person’s eternal rest. Also, ashes have no DNA, no connection to the person who lived and was loved. It is as if they did not exist.
Cremation can never be undone.
Personal Stories
Deborah’s Story
On her Mom’s first yahrzeit, Deborah recalls:
My mother lived alone, and until the last year or two of her life was okay. Or at least that’s what we thought.
Mom wasn’t easy to deal with, and not because of the onset of dementia or old age. This was who she was. But, she was still my mom, the woman who gave me life, and raised me as best she knew how.
To be clear, we weren’t nor are we now Torah observant Jews.
Teri’s Story
My aunt Francine died four months from the day she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She was a very smart, determined, progressive woman who was involved in politics.
Her husband had passed away a few years prior, and she had no children. We were close growing up, and during her illness, my husband and I helped her with whatever she needed.
Rebel’s Story
My brother, Rebel, was one-of-a-kind. His name said it all. He was a free-spirit and a self-proclaimed hippie. Though Rebel was not a practicing Jew, he was very proud of his heritage. When Rebel was diagnosed with a curable cancer, he refused treatment. He didn’t believe in modern medicine.
Rebel’s dying wish was to be buried in the most natural way possible and under a mango tree. We had a mango tree in our childhood backyard, which Rebel loved, and he did not want a casket for environmental reasons.
Holly’s Story
My dad made his preference about afterlife care very clear – he wanted to be cremated. We are not very observant, and when we asked around about cremation, we were told that cremation is now permitted in Judaism, and that my father can even be buried in a “cremation section” of a Jewish cemetery, so we were happy. When my father died, we went through with the cremation and that was that.
It all starts with one conversation
With your dad, your mom, your partner, your child, your friend.
Discuss your wishes, their wishes, and carefully consider your options.
It can be awkward to bring up uncomfortable topics, but if you frame it sensitively, it will likely go over well with your loved ones.
Here are some lines that others have used to open the conversation:
Would you like an easy way to share your end-of-life wishes with your family?
This simple form can be printed or emailed to your friends and relatives.
Kind souls can now partner with Last Kindness
Would you like the merit of caring for the deceased?
Do you share our passion for supporting others during a challenging time?
There are lots of great ways to ensure no one has to face these decisions alone.
May you and your loved ones merit long and healthy lives!
