Sorry if this was brought up before but I was confused at the end when it showed Rachel in an urn and there was talk about spreading her ashes in the park.
I thought cremation was forbidden for Jewish people? Did it mention it at all or was it overlooked or am I over analyzing it too much?
I enjoyed the film for the most part, way more depressing than expected, though.
maybe she had a tattoo?
Women, can't live with em; So stuff your mother and live with that.(Bullet Tooth 504)
maybe she had a tattoo? also they are against embalming I read up on cancer patients my dad died from cancer when I was six, chemo Therapy can make a corpse decompose a lot quicker or even explode, so maybe they wanted her to rest in peace, instead of being buried w/ all that chemo in her, she stopped chemo but not long before her death.
Women, can't live with em; So stuff your mother and live with that.(Bullet Tooth 504)
Judaism isn't a monolithic faith. Your beliefs and lifestyle depends on lots of things like whether you're Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, etc. The fact that Rachel even went to Hebrew school suggests that her family is on the more progressive side. While the Talmud does explain the rules, in real life there is a wide spectrum of interpretations.
shareshe didn't go to Hebrew school in the movie or is it the books you mean?
Women, can't live with em; So stuff your mother and live with that.(Bullet Tooth 504)
I'm guessing that, in the prior post, the word "even" (in "the fact Rachel even went to Hebrew school") was meant to be "never."
A guess.
You are absolutely correct. I was DISGUSTED and TERRIBLY DISAPPOINTED in the ending. In fact, the poignancy of the entire movie was lost as soon as I saw the urn and then heard them talking about spreading her ashes (which confirmed the cremation as I thought I had missed the reason for the urn).
The Jewish religion expressly forbids cremation. Jews believe that our bodies are (basically) loaned to us by G-d and it is our responsibility to not defile them. While it is true that a tatoo will deny Rachel a burial location in many Jewish cemeteries, this does not mean that she cannot be buried.
Since they were reciting the Kaddish prayer at what was supposed to be a funeral, it implies that the Jewish laws were (for the most part) being followed.
I am shocked that the writer did not do his research on this point, and I will definitely NOT recommend this film to any of my colleagues.
FWIW, I was brought up (and still practice) as a conservative Jew. I also have been a President of two congregations and on the Board of Directors of a few more. Any Rabbi who even officiated at a cremation would have been chastised by the Board of any of the synagogues I was associated with. (And, in fact, this happened many years ago when the Rabbi Emeritus led a memorial service for a congregant who had been cremated a few months before).
In addition, I am an adult cancer survivor, and the few tatoos I received in order to get my radiation therapy will not prevent me from being buried in a Jewish cemetery.
I was taken aback by the cremation references, too. Definitely shoddy research.
shareVery informative! A friend of mine did cremate her son when he passed (his wishes) and she did honor that. They are Jewish, but not practicing. She did explain it is not common practice for her faith to do cremations.
Maybe this would explain Rachel's cremation; that it was her wish. Just adding food for thought.
Sure that is a possibility. Does anyone know if this was addressed in the book? It still doesn't explain why she had a Jewish funeral ceremony (which most Rabbi's would not officiate at) and it is so so unusual that it detracts from her passing. It seems to me there is no reason to put in a cremation when a standard burial would be expected.
shareGood factual information but it is sad and a bit intolerant don't you think to not recommend a very good film based on one factual inaccuracy, even if related to your religious views? Inquiring, not attacking.
shareYou say shoddy research yet in the very same post you admit that it does happen. Of course there will be some Jews, if only a tiny minority, who will wish for cremation and there will always be a rabbi somewhere willing to ignore the rules and assist them. Life is like that, and death too.
shareI agree with what you say. However, it seems to me that portraying practices which are clearly against Jewish ideology in a movie which is attempting to relate to common feelings (grief, living with pending demise, etc) does the entire movie a disservice. Not to mention that it alienates anyone with a deep Jewish identity (imho). I think it would be akin to portraying a typical Moslem family as multigenerational terrorists, or an Amish family which searches for the latest technology to bring into their home.
shareMost Jews are not cremated as it is forbidden. I was a bit surprised by that too though as they seemed to be somewhat observant (menorah in the home, girl identifies as Jewish, men wearing yamukas at the end, etc.)
I mean there are Jews who do get cremated. Chances are the religion played no role in their life. There are though reform rabbis who will still do a service for those that are cremated.
Traditional Jewish funerals are extremely different from Christian ones. We are not supposed to be embalmed to look "nice". We aren't supposed to be open casket, and we don't do flowers. This website gives you a better idea http://www.shamash.org/lists/scj-faq/HTML/faq/11-06-05.html
I would easily want a traditional Jewish funeral when I die except I do want my dead pets buried with me! Makes me not as scared as death as I would normally be.
Since Rachel's cremation doesn't make sense, dare I suggest that perhaps something symbolic was intended?
Celebrating 100 Years of DADA * Feb. 5, 1916 * Zurich
By weird serendipity, I read this thread earlier today, then happened to pick up an issue of the New Yorker from a few weeks ago, in which one of Roz Chast's two page cartoon narratives appeared.
Observation:
- Roz Chast is apparently Jewish enough that she's aware of (and observed) a Jewish custom of not placing flowers on a grave.
- Her parents were cremated.
So not that outlandish, I guess.