Southend and Westcliff Hebrew Congregation’s Rabbi Geoffrey Hyman has described his emotions at conducting the funeral of his sister, who died after contracting Covid-19 — the second family member to succumb to the virus.
He returned to his native Belfast for the burial of Rena, 71, who was an interior designer.
“To officiate at your own sister’s levoyah is, of course, a very sad thing,” he told the JC. “It’s not something you necessarily expect to do. You expect to lose a parent but you never really think about losing a sibling.”
He said his sister, who died on September 11, was energetic and “very artistic. She did incredible paintings.”
