Plain Pine Box

A Plain Pine Box is an elegant, simple book that tells the story of a congregation's transformation. We walk with Rabbi Goodman as he and his congregation learn about traditional Jewish practices surrounding death and burial as they organize a Chevra Kadisha. We identify with the struggle between remaining true to Jewish principles and the economic and political pressures of the established Jewish community. The special gift of A Plain Pine Box is in the way it interweaves the teaching of Jewish tradition with the reality of Jewish organizing. The genius of A Plain Pine Box is that its message is even more on point today, 27 years after the congregational Chevra Kadisha was founded. A Plain Pine Box is about community building. It is about how to prepare ourselves and our synagogues for kavod hamet (honor and care for the dead) and nichum avelim (comforting the bereaved). It is about laying the groundwork for a Chevra Kadisha movement. Kavod v'Nichum (Honor and Comfort) is pleased to be the co-publisher of this important book. We believe that every synagogue should have members actively participating in a Chevra Kadisha or a bereavement committee and that every member should be trained with A Plain Pine Box as the first book on their reading list.