“Of course!” I assured him. “We have a Jewish cemetery here in Anchorage, and it would be our honor to reserve a spot for you!”
He gave his credit card information right away to cover all the costs involved in the taharah, funeral, and burial.
“I’m very serious about this, and will do anything to ensure I will receive a proper Jewish burial,” he explained.
I was impressed with his sincerity and passion, and promised to start the arrangements right away. Jules called me every other day to get status updates, making sure I was giving his funeral arrangements top priority. Although we only spoke on the phone, I could hear the rapid deterioration of his health in his voice.
When he called me one morning, his voice had faded to a raspy whisper, and I knew his time was approaching.
Knowing that the end was near, we video chatted and I helped him say the final confessional prayer. We ended with Shema, which I began to coach him through, just as I had for the rest of Viduy. Jules didn’t need my help. He said the entire Shema fluently, and sighed deeply when he finished.
The next morning, his neighbor called to tell me that Jules had passed away.
I immediately called the funeral home and arranged for his body to be transferred to Anchorage. Jules had no family and knew not a soul in Anchorage. Who would be our minyan? I emailed our community the information for the burial of this meis mitzvah, and hoped people would come through. I made a few phone calls and texts to ensure that Jules would be properly respected on his final journey and that Kaddish would be said.
When I got to the cemetery, I was surprised to see over 100 people gathered to see him off on his final journey. The crowd included our local community members, tourists and even the students of a traveling yeshivah camp.
Jews from every walk of life had come to pay their respects to this stranger that none of them knew, from the middle of nowhere, Alaska. Just a day before, we’d commemorated the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, reminding ourselves that every Jew is a mini-mikdash. As long as the Jewish nation lives, the Beis Hamikdash can never be destroyed.
