The Unveiling
The unveiling is a graveside ceremony that formalizes and dedicates a monument erected for someone as an honor and remembrance to them and their memory. The ceremony is usually officiated by the Rabbi or Cantor of the deceased’s Shul.
While there are no strict customs as to when this is to occur it is usually scheduled within a year of the person’s passing. The service provides mourners the opportunity for emotional and psychological healing. The ceremony itself consists of the reading of a few Psalms, some words about the departed and the reciting of the Mourner’s Kaddish.
The service is called an “unveiling” because of a tradition of covering the tombstone with a cloth which is removed by the family during the ceremony. While there is no religious obligation to hold an unveiling ceremony, the ritual became popular toward the end of the 19th century in America and Western Europe and has become an accepted and meaningful practice. In addition to dedicating the grave monument, the unveiling gives those in mourning an opportunity to commemorate the deceased.
We work directly with your Synagogue to make sure that the unveiling of your loved one’s monument is done correctly with the least possible inconvenience to you during a very difficult period.
