We can help you make a simple cremation more meaningful
A lot of people seem to assume that all cremations are direct cremations without eulogies, or a gathering, or time spent with the deceased before the cremation occurs. We help families hold fuller funerals, saying goodbye indoors in Green-Wood’s crematory chapels or outdoors under a weeping beech tree in the cemetery, all prior to the casket’s final transfer to the crematory. You can decorate the simple casket however you like—with family photos, flowers, drawings and letters. If you have young children in your family, we will help you involve them in the farewell.
From legacy work prior to death to cremation arranging, we are here for you and ready to help you think it out. If the death is due to occur in a residence under the loving supervision of hospice, we will coach you through the bathing and dressing of your family member after death if you find that meaningful. We will bring a cremation casket to your home to decorate if that’s something you or your children might find engaging. You can write letters or poems that we’ll attach to the casket for you if you’d rather not meet us at Green-Wood, but you can come to witness the casket’s arrival to Green-Wood Cemetery’s crematory if you like. We’ll help you take it as far as you can. In short, much has changed since 2020-2021 and we are once again gathering with care, in larger groups for indoor chapel farewells and memorial events everyone seems to appreciate.
Click here to read answers to frequently asked cremation questions. And be sure to read Amy's blog post: "What People Don't Know or Can't Fathom About Cremation." One final note: most Jewish New Yorkers know that cremation is not the traditional choice for their family members. We will answer all your questions in a sensitive way, weigh out every option, and help you make the best decision if you feel you have no money for city grave space, or if your family is divided on what's the truest expression of Jewish values.
Peace, my heart, let the time for the parting be sweet.
Let it not be a death but completeness.
Let love melt into memory and pain into songs.
Let the flight through the sky end
in the folding of the wings over the nest.
Let the last touch of your hands be
gentle like the flower of the night.
Stand still, O Beautiful End, for a moment,
and say your last words in silence.
I bow to you and hold up my lamp to light you on your way.
-- Rabindranath Tagore
You can gather out of doors under the trees at Green-Wood Cemetery prior to accompanying your loved one to the doors of Green—Wood’s crematory.
A simple cardboard casket can look like a million bucks with our pretty quilted cover made by Park Slope artist Louise Guerin. We’ll help you think out the flowers that can go on top.
Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery operates one of the most beautiful crematories in the country.