Though rooted in Jewish Tradition, we believe Kimah’s reach extends to a wider community of people looking for an approach to death (and life!) that is not in denial; a community that wants to reclaim ownership of the life cycle. Among the members of this community are those involved in (or just curious about) the green burial, death positive and maker/DIY (or “do it yourself”) cultures.
Green burial.
Kimah is an advocate of the Green Burial and Death Positive movements. But traditional Jewish death practices have always been green:
No embalming, so no release of chemicals into the environment.
All non-biodegradable materials, such as medical devices, are removed prior to burial.
No cremation. But isn’t cremation green? Not when you consider the intense energy consumption necessary for the process, not to mention the emissions.
Traditionally, Jewish burial was shroud only, and this practice continues today, notably in Israel. This is also the practice in many green cemeteries, and Kimah supports this practice by offering the option of purchasing the casket base separately, to be used as a transportation bier.
If caskets are used, they are the traditional “plain pine box.” They are made without metal or plastic and are fully biodegradable. Kimah caskets are kosher as well and use no animal products. Jewish caskets are also typically permeable, with holes to facilitate natural decomposition.
Do it yourself.
In Jewish tradition, the preparation of bodies for burial was done at home, or in a community-owned facility attended to by the local Chevrah Kadisha, the “holy society” tasked with attending to the dead. It wasn’t until the late Nineteenth Century that death began to be outsourced to the burgeoning funeral industry, often under intense economic and political pressure.
But this is changing. Since the 1950’s there has been a growing movement, both religious and secular, to return the ownership of mortality to the community, often with the assistance of forward-thinking funeral homes and cemeteries. Though this movement transcends religious and cultural boundaries, for Jews it has been primarily manifested through the revival of the traditions of the Chevrah Kadisha. Kimah’s roots are in this movement.
Finally, as a one-man operation, Kimah is certainly DIY. Our appeal is to anyone who wants to develop a hand-made, personal, approach to death. We build this philosophy into our products: by functioning as bookshelves until otherwise needed, our caskets allow Kimah to promote the integration of an acceptance of death into the way we lead our lives. Kimah believes that this reclamation of individual and community agency regarding death fits in well with the DIY and Maker movements.
