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February 6, 2004
Support group moves on
Schara Tzedeck cemetery board apologizes for errors.
KYLE BERGER REPORTER
In September 2001, Sim Simon's mother was buried in the Schara
Tzedeck cemetery. This past December, more than two years later,
Simon was finally able to put her loss, and the trauma that followed
it, behind her.
Simon was one of several community members who were shocked to find
out that an unidentified body had been buried in the plot they thought
had been purchased for their loved one. Upset with how the board
of the cemetery handled the situation in the days that followed,
and unable to move on from what she called an "outrageous experience,"
she eventually joined four other families in forming a support group.
The goal of the group was not to be financially compensated for
their stress, but simply to get an explanation from the cemetery
board for what had happened.
In an interview with the Bulletin last January, Simon said
that the group wanted to see some kind of a correction made, as
well as an apology for the way they were treated. After holding
several meetings with the cemetery board and with the help of a
hired arbitrator, Simon and the other members of the support group
got exactly that for which they had hoped. Each family affected
by the cemetery's mistakes received a letter in December signed
by cemetery co-chair Charles Diamond and newly appointed board member
Rabbi Yosef Wosk, who also called himself a friend of the support
group.
In the letter written to Isaac and Bea Goslin, whose story is similar
to Simon's, the cemetery board apologized for the "unfortunate
series of events and circumstances that surrounded the burial of
your mother and mother-in-law, Clara Toft."
The three-page letter went on to clarify the board's acknowledgment
of the discrepancies that the Goslin family came upon during Toft's
burial – discrepancies, it said, that had been initiated in
the past and were beyond the current board's control. There was
also an admission that the cemetery board's and staff's response
to the Goslin's concerns was insufficient and that the situation
was eventually resolved only "after tremendous heartache to
the family."
The second part of the letter satisfied the support group's desire
to know that the cemetery board and staff would do everything in
their power to ensure that such problems would never happen again.
"Both the volunteer board and professional staff have undergone
many changes in personnel and training," the letter stated.
"In addition, we have accelerated our operational policy review
and are constantly striving to provide the most compassionate, traditional
service to the bereaved members of our community."
Among the list of initiated or upcoming reforms were an expansion
and re-organization of the cemetery board, appointing an audit committee
to handle cemetery finances (specifically in dealing with those
who have trouble or are unable to cover the funeral fees), a more
in-depth check of the current status of all graves and plots, and
improving communications on all levels.
The letter finishes by thanking the support group members for "speaking
up and taking a difficult initiative that will, in the long run,
benefit the entire community.
"You have certainly acted in the spirit of our ancient prophetic
tradition," it concluded.
Simon said she has spoken to each member of the support group, which
included her sisters Fran and Ellen, the Goslins, Helen and Bob
Coleman and Reva and Jacob Bichin, who lost his life to cancer before
receiving the letter. She said they are all very satisfied and relieved
to be able to put this experience behind them.
"I was so distraught that my mother couldn't rest in peace
and now I feel that I can put all of that behind me," she said.
"I think our little group started a chain of change and I really
do think that things will change. I'm really proud of all of us.
"I credit the whole group," she continued. "Each
of us gave each other support because we knew we were in it together."
Simon also offered praise for Diamond and Wosk.
When the support group met with the board, "Charles Diamond
apologized from the pit of his heart," she said. "He was
totally sincere.
"I also think that Yosef [Wosk] was the one who kept us together
and he defused any possible flare-ups," she continued. "He
has such a warm heart and he is a banner in our community."
Wosk, who played a key role in liaising with the support group,
said the letters represent a new beginning for the cemetery.
"We're moving into the next chapter," he said. "We're
working with the government and the international standards of records-keeping."
The Schara Tzedeck cemetery is Vancouver's oldest and largest Jewish
community cemetery. The cemetery has often offered discounts or
completely waived the fees for those who cannot afford the burial
costs. The cemetery is also unique in that all of the caskets are
exactly the same, ensuring that everyone is buried with the same
respect.
Kyle Berger is a freelance journalist and graphic designer
living in Richmond.
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