They can also be delayed to accommodate the needs and considerations of close relatives traveling in from afar. Funerals can be delayed when the death falls on the Sabbath – a day of rest in the Jewish faith when no burials are performed – or on a Jewish holiday. To honor the dead, Orthodox Jews perform burials as quickly as possible, sometimes within just a few hours. “Jewish custom insists on prompt burial…a consideration of particular relevance in hot climates,” the authoritative Encyclopaedia Judaica explains. In death, as in life, American Jews looked to see how Justice Ginsburg balanced being an American and being a Jew. Or, in accordance with longstanding American tradition, would her burial be delayed so that mourners might pay her respects? This article is republished from The Conversation.Īs news of the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg spread on the eve of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, a common question heard in discussions among American Jews was: “ When will she be buried?”Īs a longtime scholar of American Jewish life, I understood that the question behind that question was whether, in death, Justice Ginsburg’s family would comply with longstanding Jewish tradition that mandates prompt burial. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis. Jonathan Sarna is University Professor, Joseph H.

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