Frequently Asked Questions
Please view our frequently asked questions below. If you require additional information, please contact us.
Most funeral services start with a memorial service held at the funeral home or synagogue and then proceed to the cemetery. When you arrive at the funeral home or synagogue, staff will greet you at the drive and ask if you are going to the cemetery after the service. They will then direct you to parking. Sometimes the memorial service is at the cemetery, this is known as a graveside service. There will be a few prayers and the casket will be lowered. Family members might choose to follow a custom of shoveling a portion of the dirt back into the grave – an experience that symbolizes a variety of cultural and religious significances.
Yes, however, should the grounds staff determine that they are no longer suitable, they will be removed.
The cemetery is open to the public from 8:30 to 5:00 PM 365 days a week. If you are planning to visit the mausoleum on the weekends, you need to contact the office during business hours. We welcome walkers, however animals are not permitted.
The purchase of burial spaces is available to all members in good standing of Congregation Mishkan Or formerly Anshe Chesed-Fairmount temple and The Temple Tifereth Israel (simply put, the person being buried, must be a member in good standing at the time of death).
While this can take place any time after 30 days of the burial, this process generally occurs within a year of the burial. Many families choose to have the unveiling of the headstone before the beginning of the High Holidays.
The process starts with the family choosing a local monument company to manufacture a headstone that meets the standards of the Cemetery. Those requirements are not complicated.
The standards are as follows:
Section:
1 flush to the ground
(A) Height: 4″
(B) Width (L to R): 24″
(C) Depth: 12″
Section:
2 thru 14
(A) Height: 8″
(B) Width (L to R): 24″
(C) Depth: 12″
Section:
MC Outdoor cremation site next to the mausoleum
(A) Height: 4″
(B) Width (L to R): 14″
(C) Depth: 12″
If a double stone is preferred (one headstone for two graves) the width is doubled. If a grave marker is needed for remains being buried with an existing grave a flat stone is required similar to that required in section 1.
Prior to production of the headstone the monument company will send the cemetery a drawing with the dimensions and layout for approval. The cemetery will review the request to ensure that the size is correct. It is the responsibility of the family to ensure the spelling and dates are correct. When the stone is completed, it will be delivered to the cemetery and placed at the grave by the monument company.
At that time the charge for the stone’s foundation installed by the cemetery will be collected from the monument company. However, headstones are not delivered to the cemetery during the winter months unless the stone setting is taking place in the winter months. When the family decides on the date of the stone setting, they should contact the cemetery office so we can cover the stone the day prior.
Crypt and Niche Fronts within the Mausoleum
The engraving of a crypt or niche front, is coordinated by the Cemetery. Within a few weeks of the service, the cemetery will send the designated family member a layout of the engraving. Upon approval the front will then be sent to our fabricator for engraving. This generally takes 6 to 10 weeks.