Liberal Judaism has introduced emergency coronavirus regulations for burials at its cemeteries, including restricting the number of mourners and shortening services.

Regulations include discouraging the elderly and vulnerable from attending services, and only providing the officiating Rabbi with a prayer book.  

Liberal Judaism operates its own cemeteries in Cheshunt and Edgewarebury.

It also has land at the Jewish Joint Burial Society (JJBS) Woodland Cemetery in Cheshunt.

JJBS, which also provides funeral services for Orthodox, Masorti and Reform communities, are limiting attendees to ten and saying that “nobody who has been in contact within the previous 14 days with someone who has died of Covid-19 will be allowed to attend the funeral”.  

JJBS is also recommending those who are over 70 and/or have "vulnerable health" do not attend and said that there will be “no tahara for anyone who has died of coronavirus” as bodies will be “placed at the hospital in a sealed coffin”.

The UK Board of Healthcare Chaplaincy (UKBHC), which oversees hospital chaplains – including Rabbis and Jewish volunteers - issued “emergency” advice.

The UKBHC said that it was preparing for a “significant increase in demand for acute and end of life care” and recognised that a “disproportionately high percentage of healthcare Chaplains may fall into the higher-risk categories” for infection.

The UKBHC’s new advice includes the ending of “going bed to bed in any role” and hospital chaplains’ shift to a “major incident footing for a sustained period”.

Hospital chaplains will not be permitted to visit “Red Zones” and coronavirus patients and will instead provide support to patients and their families “via phone or other remote means”.  

With families not permitted to be at the bedsides of coronavirus patients, it could mean people dying without loved ones by their side.

“Ordinarily, all of us would be close to our patients, but we have to be apart from them at this moment,” said Rabbi Danny Rich, who is also a Jewish chaplain at Kingston General Hospital.

“Judaism teaches, as all strands of Judaism would agree – pikuach nefesh – that the saving of life is the top priority. It therefore means that we will all have to make compromises to save life,” he told the JC.

“The restrictions that are being placed can clearly be distressing for surviving relatives. They may be necessary to make sure that we do not have even more mourners."