Bereavement

What to do in the event of bereavement

1. Notify the United Synagogue burial office IMMEDIATELY and leave your name, the name of the deceased and a contact phone number.
   United Synagogue Burial Office: 020 8950 7767
   If the Burial Offices are closed and you would like to speak to someone, please call: 07957 119 119 (this service is not available on Shabbat or Yomtov)
2. Notify the Hampstead Synagogue office: 0207 435 1518 or 07939 049103 (open during office hours only)
3. Obtain a death certificate from the doctor or hospital, stating the cause of death.
4. Take the death certificate to the Registrar for Births and Deaths. It must be the Registrar in the vicinity where the death occurred
5. Phone the Burial Office once you have been issued with the relevant documentation. The burial office will advise what to do next.
6. Once funeral arrangements have been made the burial office will contact the Synagogue Administrator who will assist with shiva chairs and prayer books and liaise with the Rabbi about the funeral and shiva.
7. Speak personally with the Rabbi about the funeral service and shiva arrangements.
8. Notify family and friends of the arrangements.

We also have available a booklet containing more information on what to do, and some notes on the various laws, customs and traditions concerning death, burial, shiva and mourning.

For more general information, please visit the Bereavement section of the United Synagogue website. You may also find the Basic Guide For The Bereaved helpful.

Kaddish
On the US website you will find a transliteration of the Mourner’s Kaddish. We also have a video on our website showing how to say Kaddish.