After 120 Years
Page 5-THE NEWS-April, 1986
Harry Golden told about the
early experiences of non-
Jewish insurance agents in
trying to sell life insurance to
the new immigrants on the
lower East Side of New York.
They found it impossible to
even talk about death, because
this was considered an evil
omen in the Eastern European
heritage which the Jews
brought with them. Finally, a
young, Jewish agent was hired
by the big Christian life in
surance company and he start
ed selling insurance like
wildfire. When they asked him
‘‘how come?” he said that he
introduced the subject by say
ing, “After 120 years, when
the Good Lord took Moses,
and when your time too will
come —
What was true on the lower
East Side 75 years ago is still
true here in Charlotte. After
120 years, everyone who reads
this article will inevitably
“sleep with their fathers.” The
point of departure, if one may
call it that, is what this article
is about.
Some years ago, my first
brush with the Malach Ha-
Mavos, (the Angel of Death),
occurred when my mother died
from a cerebral hemorrhage.
While the body was still in the
house, a committee from the
local Jewish cemetery called
on us. A few unctuous re
marks of how sad it was that
she died at such an early age,
what a wonderful woman she
• • • • By Morris Speizman
was, etc., came the demand.
‘Before we can go forward
with the internment, it will be
necessfu-y for you to give us a
check for $500.” (In those
days, $500 would be the
equivalent of perhaps $2,500
today.)
After the first shock, my
resentment mounted into ut
ter anger and furious hostility.
After all, my father was vice
president of Temple Israel in
Wilkes-Barre, PA., and we had
been good, hard working,
devoted and active members
of the congregation for some
years. Nevertheless, before
anything could happen, I had
to sign a check for $500 to the
Cemetery Association.
Many years later, my sister
passed away in Orlando,
Florida. The routine was even
more commercial. I went to
the funeral parlor, signed some
long, legal documents and ac
companied the signatures with
a check in full payment for all
services rendered. The total
amount was $1,800. This in
cluded not only the funeral ex
penses but also the grave
opening, the honorarium for
the rabbi, and all the other
necessary formalities atten
dant upon the demise of one of
our loved ones. Payment
pieceded internment.
By now, my reaction was en
tirely different. As an active
member of the board of the
Charlotte Hebrew Cemetery
Association, I realized some of
the tragic truths that accom
pany the loss of a loved one,
and what necessitates the
loo^
^iv-on
seemingly heartless behavior.
First and foremost, there
seems to be something in the
Jewish psyche, that prevents
any further financial contact
with the cemetery after the
body has been lowered into the
ground. This applies not only
to people whose finances are a
problem, but in more than a
few cases, it applies to more af
fluent members of our own
community.
During the years I served as
treasurer of the Charlotte
Hebrew Cemetery Associa
tion, we wrote off hundreds,
and once or twice, even
thousands of dollars from our
accounts receivable. In most
cases, it wasn’t a matter of un-
coUectible accounts, but rather
unenforceable collections. It
has never been the policy of
the Cemetery Association to
go to court or to try to obtjiin
judgments from delinquent
families. We bend every effort
to obtain payment through
dignified and restrained
methods. After which, we
regretfully write off the
account.
For that reason, we have ar
rived at a policy of insisting
upon completion of all finan
cial arrangements before inter
ment can take place. This
means that some terribly in
sensitive demands on people
must be made at a most inop
portune time, but this happens
to be one of the facts of com
munity life.
The Charlotte Hebrew
Cemetery Assoc, is a non
profit organization dating
Manisc^^*^
back to 1873. We. maintain a
cemetery for members of the
Jewish faith and charge a very
nominal sum per yeeu* for
membership. Members are en
titled to reduced rates on
graves, etc. This data can be
readily ascertained by contact
ing the Director, Richard
Melenson.
Our cemetery is not a profit
making organization. As a
matter of fact, we have run in
to an annual deficit during the
past years, and we see no op
portunities for reversing this
trend in the years ahead, for a
very fortuitous reason — we
are experiencmg less than a
dozen funerals per year. Our
community is relatively young
(although it is rapidly graying)
and we are blessed with a
relatively healthy group of
Jewish citizens.
However, the mevitability of
death and taxes is known to all
of us. It is hoped that this ar
ticle will have some effect on
the reader so that a more sym
pathetic cooperation will exist
between those of us who run
the cemetery affairs and those
of whom are forced to use the
facilities. After all, none of us
will leave this world alive.
1
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Have A Happy Pesacli
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