[Scott B.]

Are Jews buried in a standing position? Have they ever been buried this way? If so, why? Or is this a persistent myth?

User Detail :  

Name : Scott B., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 39, City : Bangor, State : ME, Country : United States, Occupation : custodian, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Alex29063]

I have heard this story before with the explanation that Jews are buried standing or with their legs bent so that when the Messiah comes they can spring up to greet him. However, I have never seen any evidence to support this story.

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Name : Alex29063, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 19, City : Beloit, State : WI, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[T27529]

Jews aren’t buried standing. Jewish burial customs are primarily meant to keep the process simple, dignified and equal. No matter how poor, wealthy, respected or disliked, all members of the community are supposed to receive the same funeral: a plain wooden coffin, a shroud and the same funeral prayers. There’s also a voluntary group, called the Khevrah Kadishah (‘sacred society’), that cleans the body and guards it before burial to protect it from desecration.

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Name : T27529, Religion : Jewish, Age : 37, City : L.os Angeles, State : CA, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[Matt21829]

Interesting, but from my knowledge and personal experience at Jewish funerals, it is a myth. I have never seen or heard of such a thing. There is nothing I have read in the Torah or Talmud to encourage that type of burial, either. That is not to say it might not be practiced by some small faction of Jews (there are many branches of Judiasm, so I can’t rule it out), but if it is, it is very rare indeed. The vast majority of Jews (all I have ever heard of and witnessed) are buried on their backs.

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Name : Matt21829, Gender : M, Religion : Jewish, Age : 21, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

[Mark]

When I was a kid, a Gentile asked me this very question. I could not fathom it. He answered his own question by saying that ‘Jews were buried standing up so they could squeeze more bodies in the cemetery.’ I took this to mean that horizontal burial took up too much space and more cemetery plots could be sold with a vertical burial. I was dumbfounded. I am unaware of vertical burial practice by Jews or any other religion anywhere. It is a crock. Jewish burial ritual is the model that both Christians and Muslims follow….All are buried horizontally. Incidently, in Israel, the Jewish dead are buried in a simple white cotton shroud, not in a coffin.

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Name : Mark, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 47, City : Mountain View, State : CA, Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Upper class, 

[Marian]

I’ve passed by several jewish cemeteries in my neighborhood, and I’ve noticed that their gravestones are all right next to each other. It would support the rumor that they are buried standing up, although I am not sure if that is true. All I know is that the stones are much too close to each other to allow room for horizontal burial. Maybe they cremate the bodies?

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Name : Marian, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Age : 20, City : westchester, State : NY, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Jim]

In my experience and those of others that I know, there is no custom among any Jewish group to bury the dead in a standing position. There is, however, an explicit prohibition against cremation. In Judaism, we want our bodies to be as whole and complete as possible after deathl, so that we will be complete when the Messiah comes.

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Name : Jim, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 35, City : Seattle, State : WA, Country : United States, Social class : Middle class, 

[charles-bullock]

true or false jews buried standing up

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Name : charles-bullock, City : fond du lac, State : WI, Country : United States, 

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