Red Cross: Respect can still be shown for dead, with planning ahead
They have released a number of resources in multiple languages advising medical staff and funeral directors of the correct way to handle the dead within a range of religions.
By DONNA RACHEL EDMUNDSChevra Kadisha workers wearing protective clothes, carry the body of a patient died from complications of Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, at the Shamgar Funeral Home in Jerusalem on April 1, 2020(photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
The International Committee of the Red Cross has issued guidelines to cities who may be experiencing higher than normal death rates, reminding them of the need to treat the remains and the families of those who have passed with respect.With careful planning ahead, the committee said, authorities can ensure that the correct systems are in place to prevent facilities managing the handling of the dead from becoming overwhelmed.The committee typically works in war zones or disaster areas, where identification of bodies and their return to loved ones is of priority. But they have amended their protocols to advise on what can be done in the case of disease.According to an article on their website, a preparedness plan "should include (1) possibility for families to bid farewell to dying loved ones, (2) family liaison structure to respectfully inform of the death of a loved one; information points for families to turn to for support, (3) provision of documentation of death needed for estate matters and other financial obligations, and (4) dignified treatment of remains and (temporary) burial in a culturally-appropriate manner and according to wishes of the deceased – if expressed beforehand – and the family."They have released a number of resources in multiple languages advising medical staff and funeral directors of the correct way to handle the dead within a range of religions, including under Islamic law and Buddhist practices.In addition, they have reminded those handling the bodies of those who have passed from COVID-19 of the need to wear protective clothing to ensure that the disease is not transmitted to workers.The Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov Hospital) has already become the first hospital in the world to introduce a policy of allowing loved ones to visit dying patients before they pass in order to say goodbye. The policy was suggested by Avi Shushan, a spokesman and member of the board of Ichilov who told the Jerusalem Post that he felt it was unfair he could enter the wards where COVID-19 patients were being treated, but their relatives couldn't.“Immediately, our CEO Prof. Ronni Gamzu told me that I was right and that the main problem was providing relatives with the appropriate protective equipment, masks and so on,” he said. “We felt changing the policy was the right thing to do and we immediately approved it.”Meanwhile in New York, Jewish burial societies, or chevre kadisha, are coming up with innovative ways to perform the purification rites before burial, known as taharot. While many of the volunteers were willing to do the rites in person wearing protective equipment, the formal recommendation by Kavod v’Nichum, which provides training to chevre kadisha, has been not to. Consequently, while some chevre kadisha have adapted their rites, others have taken the ritual online, pouring water from a pitcher to a bowl to mimic the pouring of water over the body.“It’s a really interesting blend of practical and spiritual and prayer,” the executive director of Kavod v’Nichum, David Zinner, said.
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