Dear Rabbi Fletcher,

You were a great support to me and no words can come close to describing my gratitude to you. You gave me much more than just organising the funeral.

Thank you again

Elzbieta Maddock and family, Norfolk, Virginia, USA

Dear Rabbi Fletcher,

On behalf of my family, I would just like to say that my father's funeral went as well as anyone could expect.

My mother had been worrying for months about how the logistics of an overseas funeral would work. In the event, everything went very smoothly and with no problems at all.

Eretz Hachaim is set in beautiful and peaceful surroundings.
The ceremony was carried out with dignity and respect, making a difficult day that little bit easier.

Thank you again for all your help,

Rabbi Fletcher helped my family accomplish what just several years ago would have been practically impossible - move my father's remains from Russia to Israel. Everything was done with dignity, according to Jewish tradition, and with respect to the family. Rabbi Fletcher was patient and persistent throughout the 4-months process; every time we ran into yet another bureaucratic obstacle, his only reaction was "every country is different...". In the end, this complex move was coordinated to perfection and completed without a glitch.

Thank you Rabbi Fletcher!

Igor Shersher
New York

Dear Rabbi Fletcher,

I am writing this letter because I wanted to express my gratitude to you for your guidance in a very sensitive and delicate matter.

My father, zichrono le'brachah, who passed away this past spring, had been sick for the past three years with kidney failure. During those years, we had many near misses. Yet it wasn't until I attended your talk at Har Menuchos, and in our subsequent private consultation, that I understood that I should take advantage of this time to discuss with my father his wishes, and to plan accordingly.

I was surprised to learn that my father had a very clear idea of what he wanted. He asked us to purchase a plot adjacent to his parents and grandparents. Had I not spoken with him directly, I would not have realized that this location would be his first choice, and therefore I would not have been able to fill his request.

I understand that there are financial advantages to taking care of these matters well in advance, as we did. Yet for me, any financial consideration pales in comparison to the emotional benefits of having everything arranged in advance.

The experience of being an onain - a mourner before the burial - was one of the most harrowing and unsettling experiences of my life. There is simply no way to describe the turmoil and confusion one is suddenly plunged into when the time comes.

In a family such as ours, where arrangements had to be made immediately for both interstate and international travel, the travel arrangements alone can be overwhelming. There were so many people to notify with details of the funeral.

Yet there was tremendous comfort in knowing that my father was taken care of, and would be taken care of in the most mechubad and kosher way possible.

I have no doubt that as a result of your guidance, much conflict, tension, and strife was avoided in my family among the mourners.

The night before my father passed away, I spoke with my Rav on the phone. "Tzippora", he told me, "it is almost time. It is time to start learning the halochos of aveilus. People think it's morbid. It's not morbid. It is for the sake of your father's honor."

I believe his advice applies not only to the learning of halochah, but also to the logistical instruction you gave me to choose and purchase a plot. As a result of our following your advice, no decision that concerned my father's eternal welfare was made in last minute haste.

Yours In Gratitude,