| After Abraham Rogarshevsky
passed away in July 1918, the Congregation Sons of Telsh, which was the
family's landsmanshaft or mutual aid society provided his family
with both practical and spiritual support. Members of the society's chevra
kaddisha, or "holy society" prepared Abraham's body for
burial and arranged for it to be transported by the undertaker, Abraham
Gutterman to a plot in Mount Zion Cemetery, located in Maspeth, Queens. |
"One tradition we still keep even though
we are Catholic, Chinese Catholics, is the funeral procession always
stops at the house. Before they go to the cemetery, the tradition is
to, the whole casket and the whole procession, stops at the person's
resident and they will take out the casket to bow and pay respect there.
It's the last time they're going by their house. It's very touching. It's really
touching and I really like that part in a way. It's sometimes very inconvenient
for the funeral home because people, they come to here a lot because we have
a Chinese service, and the Chinese language, even though it is a Christian burial.
It's in Chinese language, and then they have all the way to go Brooklyn, Staten
Island, but it's very beautiful tradition."
|