End of Life
The twin mitzvot of comforting the mourners and bringing honour to the deceased are our priority. Our Rabbis, Cantors, and Professional Staff are here to support you as always. As a member of Holy Blossom Temple, we are here to support you in your time of need, with guidance and counselling both before and after a loss.
If you need to contact Holy Blossom Temple regarding a death or a funeral, and the Temple office is closed, please call 416-565-7561 until 10:00 pm (This is an emergency line for funerals only, for all other inquiries about upcoming funerals please visit the funeral home websites or you may email [email protected]); after 10:00 pm please contact the funeral home of your choice listed below. To ensure we are available to you in your time of need, we do answer this emergency phone on Shabbat and on holy days.
- Benjamin’s Park Memorial Chapel:
www.benjaminsparkmemorialchapel.ca
(416) 663-9060 - Glenview Memorial Gardens – Beit Olam, A Jewish Cemetery for Interfaith Families:
www.glenviewmemorial.ca
(647) 467-7365
– Click here to learn more about Beit Olam - Hebrew Basic Burial:
www.hebrewbasicburial.ca
(416) 780-0596 - Steeles Memorial Chapel:
www.steelesmemorialchapel.com,
(905) 881-6003
Funerals and Mourning Rituals
Funerals
These rituals are as powerful as ever – if not more so. We are confident the ceremonies will be a great source of comfort.
Holy Blossom Clergy will officiate for members and their immediate family (parents, siblings, children). A Temple fee will only be applicable for a non-member immediate family.
Funeral Service
1. Call the Funeral Home first (in Toronto, Benjamin’s Park Memorial Chapel or Steeles Memorial Chapel). Then if you wish call Holy Blossom Temple’s Funeral Emergency line: 416-565-7561 (usually manned by Funeral Coordinator, Iris Spitz)
- Let the funeral home know that you are a member of Holy Blossom Temple or that your family member is a member of Holy Blossom Temple, or that the deceased has a plot in one of our cemetery sections (Pardes Shalom or Holy Blossom Memorial Park.
- The funeral home will be in contact with Iris Spitz (our Funeral Coordinator) to let us know if a member, immediate family of a member, or someone with a plot in our cemetery section has passed.
- The funeral home and Holy Blossom Temple in coordination with the family will determine the best date and time for the service, which will also determine the clergy that will be available. While you may wish to make a request for clergy, unfortunately, due to scheduling it is not always possible to grant requests.
2. Location of Funeral Service
- At Holy Blossom Temple for a member or their immediate family member.
- The service will take place in the Main Sanctuary, with interment following at the cemetery.
- Rabbi and Cantor will officiate. Only one member of the clergy team will go to the graveside.
- At the Funeral Home Chapel
- The service will take place in the funeral home chapel, with interment following at the cemetery.
- Rabbi and Cantor will officiate. Only one member of the clergy team will go to the graveside.
- Graveside
- Only one clergy member will be present to officiate unless otherwise requested.
3. Intake Meeting
- The officiating clergy will ask to have a meeting with the family either in person or via Zoom depending on the family’s comfort level and availability.
- Please feel free to invite multiple members of the family.
Shiva Services
Mourners have two options:
- You can join the daily services conducted by our Rabbis and Cantors via Zoom or in person. Service times and simple links may be found here. The name of your loved one will be remembered before Kaddish and will be part of our Shloshim list for 30 Days.
- If you’d like our volunteer Shiva Service leaders to lead just your circle of family and friends in a tailor-made service in person, this can be arranged for you. Shiva services are held at 8:00 pm, Sunday – Thursday.
- Shiva books will be arranged to be delivered to you either at the funeral service or to your home by the first day of Shiva.
- If you do not wish to use our Shiva Leaders, we can lend them to you during your period of Shiva or you can download the Shiva Book here
Visiting the Cemeteries
For more information on all our cemeteries, click here, below only pertains to Holy Blossom Memorial Park:
Holy Blossom Memorial Park, (66 Brimley Road) will be open for visits as follows:
Sundays through Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Please note that entry into the cemetery will not be permitted 15 minutes before our closing time.
We are closed for Shabbat; all religious holy days, including 1st Day of Pesach, 7th Day of Pesach, 1st Day of Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah (both days), Yom Kippur, 1st Day of Sukkot, and Shemini Atzeret; and statutory holidays (New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Civic Holiday, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day) except Family Day. We are open Family Day.
Unveilings
After the period of shloshim and within a year after the death, the bereaved customarily gather at the cemetery to unveil the monument. The dedication of a headstone marks the transition from mourning to remembering. Our Rabbis and Cantors are available to lead the service, or the mourners may compose their own personal ceremony and lead the service. Unveiling Service Booklets are available.
Consider the following checklist when you’re planning an unveiling:
- Contact a monument company – for Holy Blossom Memorial Park click here for the approved list.
- Communicate with the monument company to confirm the date your stone will be ready for installation.
- Once you know the installation date of the monument then contact Iris Spitz to determine clergy availability dates (1 Sunday per month is chosen). Please note the following:
- Clergy will officiate over an unveiling for a member or immediate family member of a member free of charge.
- If you would like a specific clergy member of Holy Blossom to officiate, you may need to exhibit flexibility in your choice of date.
- Note, it is advisable not to inform family members of a date until you have received confirmation from Iris Spitz and the cemetery.
- It is not required to have clergy officiate to hold an unveiling; we can supply you with booklets to conduct your own service.
- If you would like another clergy (besides Holy Blossom Temple’s) please inform Iris Spitz at [email protected] to receive permission.
- If you are unable to work within the Holy Blossom dates and you have flexibility, dates during the week may be easier to book clergy to officiate.
To book an unveiling date please click here to utilize our online form where you can view current unveiling date availability and you can indicate your preferred dates and times.
- Once a date is selected, if the cemetery is not Holy Blossom Memorial Park, contact the appropriate cemetery to confirm the time and date. (Look on the Cemetery website for contact information).
- If you or your family members visit the cemetery to look at the monument prior to the unveiling, please instruct visitors to ensure the monument remains covered upon leaving.
- Clergy will contact you within 2 weeks of your unveiling date to go over the service.
Memorial Plaques
Memorial Plaques which line the walls of our historic sanctuary are a lasting tribute. The names of our loved ones and the Hebrew and Gregorian dates of their deaths are illuminated with a memorial light on Yahrzeit and all Yizkor days.
- The cost to dedicate a plaque is $600. You may reserve a space for the future for $90.
- To order your memorial plaques please contact Cindy Zimmer at [email protected] or use our online order form.
- Dedication for new plaques occurs twice a year at Shemini Atzaret and the 7th day of Pesach.
Contact
If you need assistance, support, or guidance please do not hesitate to contact Iris Spitz, at [email protected].
