CCAR RESPONSA
Contemporary American Reform Responsa
96. Burial of a Teenager of Doubtful
Descent
QUESTION: A couple has recently joined a congregation. The
man is Jewish; the wife is Christian. They had two children, one sixteen and one eleven. Both
have been raised in “a vaguely religious small town atmosphere” with attendance at various
Protestant Sunday schools. Neither child has been baptized or formally entered into a Christian
church. Now, as the parents live in a large city with a Jewish community, they wished to raise
their children as Jews. Unfortunately, the older daughter was killed in an automobile accident.
May she be buried in the congregation’s cemetery? (D. M., Los Angeles,
CA)ANSWER: Most of our congregations have been lenient about the burial of an
unconverted spouse of a Jew. They have done so by considering each individual plot in the
cemetery as a separate family section, akin to the caves or small plots of land which were
originally used for burial in the land of Israel (B. B. 102a). This meant that although the entire
cemetery is considered as holy, sanctity actually lies with each section of graves. A non-Jewish
burial in one section would, therefore, not impinge on the sanctity of any other grave. It is also
clear that occasionally non-Jews have been buried in Jewish cemeteries throughout our history
beginning with the Mishnaic period (M. Git. 5.8, 61a). For both of these reasons, most Reform
Congregations have granted permission for the burial of a non-Jewish spouse or any other non-
Jewish family member. On these grounds alone, we may readily grant permission for
burial in the sad case of this young woman. The specific rules of the local cemetery should, of
course, be consulted.March 1984
If needed, please consult Abbreviations used in CCAR Responsa.