Jews Who Want to Be Cremated

Jews are increasingly choosing to be cremated, funeral professionals say, despite Jewish law and thousands of years of tradition.

The numbers are still small, relative to the non-Jewish community. But they bring with them considerable angst. According to Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky, a prominent Conservative rabbi in New York City, family members increasingly struggle with the wrenching question of whether to go against the wishes of dead Jews who have asked to be cremated.