NEW JERSEY, U.S., June 10, 2024 (RNS): At the funeral of Nikunj Trivedi’s uncle a few years ago, the hours-long Hindu funeral rites at a cremation site in New Jersey were compressed to fit a time limit. Only around 10 family members were able to stay with the body during the service, which would have been attended by hundreds of relatives back in India. “You want to be able to do the cremation ceremony in a traditional way, and have a hall where people actually gather and pay their last rites and view,” said Trivedi, a New Jersey resident and the president of prominent Hindu advocacy organization Coalition for Hindus of North America. “The facility was not very conducive to Hindu traditional rituals and rites.” Crematories in New Jersey are currently restricted to cemetery grounds, often associated with Christian religious institutions. CoHNA and other advocacy organizations, including the Indian Business Association of New Jersey and the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, are in favor of New Jersey Assembly bill 4216, which would allow for standalone crematories in the state.

The bill, supported by a majority of the committee in a vote on June 3, is now passing on to the full Assembly. Hindu advocates hope the new bill would better fit the spiritual needs of a community that usually cremates its dead. New Jersey Hindu families have expressed their frustration with existing crematories, including the lack of adequate viewing space needed for what is sometimes hundreds of guests and the challenge of performing a cremation that matches up with Hindu auspicious days and times with the crematory’s availability. The most requested accommodations from Hindu families, those in the business say, is simply more time with their deceased loved ones. In the Hindu faith, many believe cremation is the path that sets the being’s soul free to its next destination. Hindu families with vastly different regional customs and traditions complete a set of death rites that can last hours to help the soul pass through to the other side.

More at source.
https://religionnews.com/2024/06/10/new-jersey-bill-allowing-standalone-crematories-sparks-questions-for-hindu-funeral-rituals/

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