And Then The Undertaker Said: ‘It’s The Wrong Casket’

NEW YORK (VINnews) — Journalist Sivan Rahav-Meir told the story of Moshe Grunwald, a Holocaust survivor who survived Auschwitz and the death marches but passed away in Brooklyn a short while ago from the coronavirus. His family was told that the funeral would take place at ten in the morning and a few relatives came to pay their last respects to their beloved parent and grandparent.

Following tradition, but standing apart from each other, the mourners approached the casket and asked their beloved patriarch to forgive them for anything they may have done to slight him. After Psalms were said and the truncated service was about to end, a flustered undertaker approached the casket and took a good look.

“I’m sorry,” he told the shocked family. “We took out the wrong casket. Please wait while I return this casket and bring out Mr. Grunwald.”

Grunwald’s granddaughter, Chaya Maimon, described the situation as follows: “I was very upset. Grandpa deserved better. It was sad that he was being buried alone without a dignified funeral and Shiva. I was so agitated when we heard about the mistake that I began to laugh and cry at the same time. I couldn’t believe I’m living in such a period that even the undertakers are getting mixed up between the corpses.

“But then we found out the rest of the story. The second deceased was a Meis Mitzvah, a person who had not left any relatives. The obligation to bury such a person is incumbent on the entire Jewish community. He had died in his apartment and been found a few days later. Amazingly and despite his lack of relatives he was receiving a proper funeral with a minyan. Grandpa had always evaded honor and did not want the limelight or public recognition. His kindness and caring for others was boundless. I can imagine how Grandpa is getting the last laugh in heaven when he sees how his kindness really didn’t have limits. It’s as if he was telling us: Even in my death I succeeded in giving honor to others.”