Jewish funerals
No flowers are given at a Jewish funeral and the service is short. Orthodox JewA Jew who lives by the Torah and rabbinic law (halakhah) and who only accepts changes that can be supported by the Torah. do not usually allow cremation but Progressive JewAnother name for a Reform Jew, ie a Jew who has adapted their laws and practices as modern life changes. sometimes cremate the dead.
After burial a blessing is said: May God comfort you among all the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.
Shiva
The family return home to sit Shiva. Shiva means 'seven', as it is a seven-day mourning ritual. For the next seven days a candle is kept burning and the mirrors in the house are covered. The mourners stay at home. They do not shave or cut their hair and they sit on low stools.
Kaddish
A prayer publically recited by mourners, known as Kaddish, is said three times a day. Shiva is broken only by the Sabbath or a Jewish festival. The 30 days after burial are called Sheloshim, when the mourners do not go out for pleasure and continue to mourn.
For the next 11 months Kaddish is said every day. From then on, the dead person is remembered each year on the anniversary of their death by the lighting of a Yahrzeit candle and by reciting Kaddish.
Just before the first anniversary a tombstone will be placed at the grave. When people visit a Jewish grave they place a small stone on the gravestone as a sign of respect.