When Death Occurs

Planning for the Arrangement Conference

The arrangement conference is the first meeting you’ll have with Sinai’s funeral directors, and it’s the time when you’ll begin to decide how you want to honor the memory of your loved one. You will have many choices to consider in making these plans, and Sinai’s funeral directors will help you understand your options.

At Sinai, we are committed to making a difficult time easier for you. One of the ways we do this is by handling all the logistics so that you don’t have to. To begin this process, we need you to provide us with some specific information about your loved one.

Below is a list of the materials we’d like you to bring to the arrangement conference. These will help our directors have a better understanding of your situation so they can help you make the best choices for you and your family.

What to Bring to the Conference

• Documents expressing your loved one’s funeral preferences:
  
  • These could include a living trust, health care directive, will or an advance plan made with another funeral home or with Sinai. If your loved one made plans with Sinai, we will have the plan on file.
  • Deeds to cemetery property, such as a cemetery plot or space in a mausoleum
  • Legal documents—e.g., Power of Attorney
• Personal information about your loved one:
  
  • Social Security number
  • Date of birth
  • Hebrew name
  • Name and birthplace of his or her parents
• Cemetery documents:
  
  • If you know the name of the cemetery you’d like to use, please bring that information. If a plot has already been chosen, please bring any paperwork you have and plot location (if already chosen).
• Veterans’ documents:
  
  • If the person who died was a veteran, please bring a copy of his or her discharge papers (Form DD-214). We need this document to secure a flag for burial and to make plans to include military honors as part of the funeral and/or burial. Many veterans are entitled to cemetery plots at no charge, which our directors can explain to you in further detail.
• Obituary-related documents:
  
  • If you would like us to write, edit, and distribute an obituary—or if you would like assistance in doing this yourself—please complete the Newspaper Notice/Obituary Information Form.
  • You may wish to bring several photos for use in the obituary.
• Information on suggested memorial donations:
  
  • Name of organization(s)
  • Relevant donation details, such as the name of a particular fund or cause within the organization
• Clothing:
  
  • If you wish to bury your loved one in his or her own clothing, jewelry, or specific cosmetics—or if you want to include any personal items in the casket—please bring these items with you (including a tallit, undergarments, shoes, glasses, dentures, etc.).