No Jew Should Face Death Alone.
Every day, members of our community are cremated simply because of a lack of awareness of the importance of Jewish burial. Together, we can ensure every Jew is buried with dignity and according to our sacred tradition. Born as a Jew Buried as a Jew!

Our campaign goal has increased from $30K to $60K — that’s from $30,000 to $60,000. Thank you all for your cooperation and tireless efforts in giving and sharing!

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Who We Are

The St. Louis Jewish Burial Foundation is devoted to ensuring that every Jewish person in our community receives a traditional Jewish burial (halachic) with dignity, regardless of background. Educating the St. Louis Jewish community through advertising, speaking at assisted living facilities and various venues, and our informative website, we encourage our fellow Jews to choose traditional Jewish burial, not cremation. We are a nonprofit, volunteer-led initiative.

Board Members
President: Rabbi Ze’ev Smason
Vice President: Rabbi Yonasan Goldson
Secretary: Lazer Muller
Treasurer: Rabbi Chaim Edelstein
Member-at-Large: Dr. Yochanan Silverman

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St. Louis Jewish Burial Foundation – Last Act of Compassion Matching Campaign

True Kindness When It Matters Most – חֶסֶד שֶׁל אֱמֶת

“Chesed shel emes is the purest act of giving. It cannot be repaid — and that is what makes it eternal.” — Rashi, Bereishis 47:29

This is not just a campaign — it’s a matching campaign from start to finish. Every dollar you give to help ensure a Jew is buried according to tradition will be doubled, making your kindness twice as powerful.

We are dedicated to helping every Jew, regardless of background, discover the beauty and significance of traditional Jewish burial and to choose it over cremation. In this matching campaign, each act of support has double the reach, restoring kavod (honor) to twice as many Jewish souls and strengthening the unbroken chain of tradition stretching back over 3,000 years.

Today, more than half of American Jews choose cremation — often due to confusion, misinformation, or financial pressure. The Torah teaches, “For dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (Bereishis 3:19). Cremation destroys the body created b’tzelem Elokim (in the image of God) and causes the soul to grieve (Zohar I:121b). Traditional burial brings holiness, dignity, peace, and continuity with Jewish history — and through this matching campaign, your gift brings that peace and holiness to twice as many neshamot.

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Real Lives Touched by Your Support
•    A middle-aged Jewish man, alone but connected to the Jewish community, was laid to rest in the traditional way thanks to generous support from donors like you.
   •    A Holocaust survivor with no family was at risk of cremation until the community stepped in to give him a proper Jewish burial.
   •    A young man in his thirties, far from home, was laid to rest in the traditional way thanks to generous donors like you.
    •    A St. Louis Jewish family was prepared to cremate a recently-departed loved one — until a rabbi discussed with them the importance of traditional Jewish burial.

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Our work includes guiding families through emotional decisions, providing halachic and green burial options, and educating the community to stand against cremation. Right now, because of the match, every burial you help make possible counts for two — two victories for holiness, two final acts of love.

One local man, with no synagogue and no funds, was headed for cremation. The community stepped in — a casket, plot, and headstone were all donated. In this matching campaign, your gift can make not just one story like this possible, but two — your impact is doubled in real lives and real moments of final dignity.

We have set a $30,000 matching goal — and when we reach it, every single dollar you give will be matched dollar for dollar. Your gift makes you a true chaver and friend of our rich Jewish tradition. A contribution of $180 — Chai × 10 — becomes $360 of impact in this campaign. You preserve dignity in life and ensure no Jew is ever buried alone or left unprepared — and now you can do it for twice as many Jews.

As a shomer, you are a double guardian of precious Jewish neshamot, fulfilling an invaluable role in keeping alive the sacredness of Jewish burial. As a tomech, you sustain our 3,000‑year‑old traditions and laws, allowing every Jew to be buried in dignity — and in this matching campaign, your role is multiplied. As a partner in chesed shel emes — the truest kindness — you join with the Almighty in the kindness on which the world is built (Tehillim 89:3), and now you do it twice over.

Born a Jew. Buried as a Jew. In this matching campaign, your kindness is instantly doubled. Give kindness now — and double it.