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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!mhuxv!segs
From: segs@mhuxv.UUCP (slusky)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: funeral costs
Message-ID: <215@mhuxv.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 31-Jan-85 15:30:11 EST
Article-I.D.: mhuxv.215
Posted: Thu Jan 31 15:30:11 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 2-Feb-85 08:33:14 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 33

I had the unfortunate experience of having to be responsible for 
putting together and paying for a funeral yesterday. For a variety of
reasons, the funeral had to be in New York . I suppose that guarantees
that the funeral home will charge top dollar, but still I was outraged 
at many of the charges. The ritual charges, chevra kadisha, shroud, etc,
were reasonable. But here are some of the ones that threw me:

     Service Fee - general use     $495
     of funeral home personnel
     Arrangements and super-
     vision.

     Transfer of body from         $165
     hospital to funeral
     home (about 10 mi.)

     Hearse for coffin from        $150
     funeral home to cemetery
     (also about 10 mi.)

     Use of room for chevra        $260
     kadisha to work in

     Plain pine coffin             $395

Has anyone else done this lately? Is it as crazy as I think?
Comparing the transportation charges to the cost of a private
limousine to an airport, for example, the coffin transport charges
seem totally out of whack. And the $495 at the top seems totally
baseless.

Susan Slusky
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