Tahara Protocols For Dealing With COVID-19
We have been consulting with medical professionals, rabbinic authorities, and others regarding the proper protocols for dealing with the COVID-19 health crisis and tahara. As you can imagine, those discussions have evolved on almost a daily basis. Throughout these discussions, we have kept in mind that the principle mission of the Chevra Kadisha is to offer a proper tahara to each and every person who desires this service, and not to turn anyone away. Our intention is to continue to fulfill that mission. This is consistent with the decisions of Chevra Kadishas across the United States.
To date, there has been no need to perform a tahara on anyone who has been infected with or exposed to the Coronavirus. However, there is a strong possibility that we will be called upon in the coming weeks to do so. To that end, here is our current plan.
To ensure proper protection during a tahara, we have ordered extra equipment and received assurances from the funeral homes that supplies will be fully stocked. When performing taharas of infected/exposed individuals, we have purchased face shields and aprons with a thumb loop for leaders to provide to their team. The funeral homes will provide us with heavy-duty gloves, booties, and hair coverings as well as their regular universal precautionary supplies. Female volunteers should also consider wearing rain boots to cover up to the knee.
Additionally, the funeral homes are sterilizing the rooms after each tahara — regardless of whether the individual had tested positively for the Coronavirus.
Recognizing that our organization is made up of individual volunteers — each with their own individual health and family circumstances — the Chevra Kadisha understands that some volunteers may wish to refrain from or limit their performance of taharas during this crisis period.
For Men:
For Women:
We encourage you to consider your decisions in this matter carefully and speak with your family and rabbinic advisor. Rabbi Moshe Walter, our VAAD contact, has offered to speak with anyone about this matter. He can be contacted at: [email protected] or (301) 980-8953. Additionally, you may contact either Dean or Devorah Grayson at (301) 908-2645 (Dean) or (202) 438-7060 (Devorah).
Below is an important notice from the National Association of Chevra Kadisha.
We continue to appreciate all that our volunteers do for our community. We hope and pray that we all continue to remain healthy and that we have no need to call upon you.
With gratitude,
Devorah Grayson, Women's Chevra Kadisha
Dean Grayson, Men's Chevra Kadisha
To date, there has been no need to perform a tahara on anyone who has been infected with or exposed to the Coronavirus. However, there is a strong possibility that we will be called upon in the coming weeks to do so. To that end, here is our current plan.
To ensure proper protection during a tahara, we have ordered extra equipment and received assurances from the funeral homes that supplies will be fully stocked. When performing taharas of infected/exposed individuals, we have purchased face shields and aprons with a thumb loop for leaders to provide to their team. The funeral homes will provide us with heavy-duty gloves, booties, and hair coverings as well as their regular universal precautionary supplies. Female volunteers should also consider wearing rain boots to cover up to the knee.
Additionally, the funeral homes are sterilizing the rooms after each tahara — regardless of whether the individual had tested positively for the Coronavirus.
Recognizing that our organization is made up of individual volunteers — each with their own individual health and family circumstances — the Chevra Kadisha understands that some volunteers may wish to refrain from or limit their performance of taharas during this crisis period.
For Men:
- If you wish to temporarily halt performing all taharas, please contact your weeknight coordinator and ask to be removed from the roster.
- If you wish to perform only those taharas which do not involve individuals infected with or exposed to the Coronavirus, you don't need to take any action. The nightly rosters will only be called for such individuals.
- If you are willing to perform taharas on individuals who are known to have been infected with or exposed to the virus, please send an email to the following address: [email protected]. A separate roster will be created for such circumstances, and those taharas will be coordinated outside the normal scheduling process.
For Women:
- If you wish to temporarily halt performing all taharas, please contact Devorah Grayson at [email protected].
- If you wish to perform only those taharas which do not involve individuals who have been infected with or exposed to the Coronavirus, you do not need to take any action.
- If you are willing to perform taharas on individuals who are known to have been infected with or exposed to the virus, please send an email to Devorah Grayson at: [email protected].
We encourage you to consider your decisions in this matter carefully and speak with your family and rabbinic advisor. Rabbi Moshe Walter, our VAAD contact, has offered to speak with anyone about this matter. He can be contacted at: [email protected] or (301) 980-8953. Additionally, you may contact either Dean or Devorah Grayson at (301) 908-2645 (Dean) or (202) 438-7060 (Devorah).
Below is an important notice from the National Association of Chevra Kadisha.
We continue to appreciate all that our volunteers do for our community. We hope and pray that we all continue to remain healthy and that we have no need to call upon you.
With gratitude,
Devorah Grayson, Women's Chevra Kadisha
Dean Grayson, Men's Chevra Kadisha
Statement From National Association of Chevra Kadisha
In light of the growing COVID-19 health crisis and in response to questions from many chevros kadisha, NASCK is suggesting the following set of protocols be followed.
These protocols are based on the best available information from the CDC at this time. NASCK has also consulted with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in NYC and other infectious disease specialists.
The following are suggested guidelines and precautions necessary to protect Chevra Kadisha members as they perform a tahara:
1. Strictly follow the general list of universal precautions recommended by the CDC and OSHA. These include:
2. Prepare any supplies you might need for the tahara in advance. This includes Monsel’s Solution in a cup, toothpicks, Q-tips, cotton towels, chucks, etc.
3. Discard all unused supplies that were present at the tahara. Do not put them back with your clean supplies.
4. Use of tishah kabin is strongly recommended instead of using a mikvah.
5. To prevent the possible escape of respiratory fluids from the mouth and nose of the nifter/es, pack their mouth and nose with Webril cotton towels for the entire tahara process. These should only be removed once the nifter/es has been placed in the aron.
6. Clean and sanitize all surfaces, including countertops, doorknobs, spigots, etc, before leaving the tahara room. Clorox bleach is the preferred sanitizer.
7. Anyone who has any symptoms of illness may not attend a tahara.
8. Make sure your funeral home and chevra are well-stocked with all necessary supplies.
Your funeral director may require that additional guidelines or protocols be followed. If they affect the performance of basic tahara procedure and kavod hameis, you may want to discuss it with your rabbinic advisor or posek.
Please forward this to all Chevra Kadisha members in your community. COVID-19 has already been declared a pandemic, and while we certainly hope there will not be a significant increase in cases, r"l, we must be prepared for this eventuality.
In the zechus of our chesed shel emes and all the tefilos and zechuyos of Klal Yisroel, may we merit the rachamim of the Rofeh Ne’eman and the geulah shleimah b’karov.
With best wishes,
Rabbi Elchonon Zohn
These protocols are based on the best available information from the CDC at this time. NASCK has also consulted with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in NYC and other infectious disease specialists.
The following are suggested guidelines and precautions necessary to protect Chevra Kadisha members as they perform a tahara:
1. Strictly follow the general list of universal precautions recommended by the CDC and OSHA. These include:
- Use of gloves (Nitrile or Latex are recommended)
- Disposable gowns that cover the arms to the wrist
- Additional personal protection equipment (PPE) is optional, such as booties, headcovers, and face masks. People with glasses may find that masks fog their glasses. In those cases, a face shield might be more suitable.
2. Prepare any supplies you might need for the tahara in advance. This includes Monsel’s Solution in a cup, toothpicks, Q-tips, cotton towels, chucks, etc.
3. Discard all unused supplies that were present at the tahara. Do not put them back with your clean supplies.
4. Use of tishah kabin is strongly recommended instead of using a mikvah.
5. To prevent the possible escape of respiratory fluids from the mouth and nose of the nifter/es, pack their mouth and nose with Webril cotton towels for the entire tahara process. These should only be removed once the nifter/es has been placed in the aron.
6. Clean and sanitize all surfaces, including countertops, doorknobs, spigots, etc, before leaving the tahara room. Clorox bleach is the preferred sanitizer.
7. Anyone who has any symptoms of illness may not attend a tahara.
8. Make sure your funeral home and chevra are well-stocked with all necessary supplies.
Your funeral director may require that additional guidelines or protocols be followed. If they affect the performance of basic tahara procedure and kavod hameis, you may want to discuss it with your rabbinic advisor or posek.
Please forward this to all Chevra Kadisha members in your community. COVID-19 has already been declared a pandemic, and while we certainly hope there will not be a significant increase in cases, r"l, we must be prepared for this eventuality.
In the zechus of our chesed shel emes and all the tefilos and zechuyos of Klal Yisroel, may we merit the rachamim of the Rofeh Ne’eman and the geulah shleimah b’karov.
With best wishes,
Rabbi Elchonon Zohn