Fonds - Ottawa Chevra Kadisha fonds

The Ottawa Chevra Kadisha (meaning Holy / Sacred Society) consists of a volunteer group of devoted men and women who carry out the Jewish laws and rituals governing death and burial. In Ottawa, each synagogue had its own burial society until 1918, when all the burial societies amalgamated. For many years. the tahara, or purification, was performed at the home of the deceased. In 1954, Gauthier Funeral Home provided a room for preparation of the body. On January 27, l957, the Jewish Community Memorial Chapel was dedicated. “The new facilities culminate ten years of planning to provide dignified surroundings in a Jewish environment wherein the Chevra Kadisha can perform its holy work.” The Chapel formerly housed the Adath Jeshurun Congregation. The Ottawa Chevra Kadisha is unique, not only for Canada but probably in the United States, as it is the only Jewish organization providing burial services in the National Capital Region. It is also unique for being reminiscent of the authentic shtetls of Eastern Europe. Early officials included Moses Shore, Bernard Lieff, M. Goldsmith and E. Slonemsky. Rev. Abraham Baker acted as secretary-treasurer from the 1920s until his death in 1945. The Petigorsky family has long been associated with the Ottawa Chevra Kadisha. Oscar Petigorsky served for a long time, initially at the request of A. J. Freiman. Rev. Joseph Rabin served as gabbi, starting in 1936, and became a “motivating force”, particularly with the establishment of the Jewish Community Memorial Chapel. By 1955, the Gabayim consisted of Oscar Petigorsky, Rev. J. Rabin and Rev. Samuel Schreiber with Rev. Rabin as Gabbi Rishon. Leon Petegrosky was chairman of a Special Committee in 1959 to raise “sufficient money to liquidate all the outstanding obligations of the Chevra Kadisha”. Jack Landau replaced Oscar Petigorsky and continued as Gabbi Rishon until he died in 1980. One of Oscar Petigorsky’s sons, Sam, succeeded him. He ended “fifty years of service to Chevra Kadisha” in l997. Sam Ages followed Sam Petigorsky.