On May 15, 2016, The New York Times published a front page story on Hart Island, also known as the potter’s field, and about what happens to poor or isolated New Yorkers when they die. The story of Congregation Rodeph Sholom reclaiming the body of our congregant Sheryl Hurst for a proper burial is the grace note at the end of the article (link).
The unfolding of events sounds like fiction. “When Sheryl, a regular chanter at Shabbat services, missed chanting at Rabbi Grushcow’s farewell service, we grew concerned,” said Cantor Rebecca Garfein. “We tried calling her several times, but Sheryl’s line was busy every time. Eventually, I went to her building and after ringing her bell and her neighbors’ bells, I left a post-it note on the door of the building asking for any information about Sheryl. The call came that afternoon that she had died, the City had taken her body the day before, and no one knew where she was.” Stunned, Cantor Garfein shared the news.
Tom Perry, our director of security, undertook trying to find out what happened. With persistence and persuasion, he eventually learned that Sheryl had been buried as a ward of the state on Hart Island.
“I knew her but not that well,” said Sally Kaplan, a longtime CRS congregant who was interviewed for The New York Times article. “But this really disturbed me. I just wanted to do something.” The logistics and legal challenges were complex, and this is where it took a village to ensure Sheryl had a proper burial with friends and clergy present.
First, Sally approached Stephanie Garry, Director of Community Relations at Plaza Jewish Community Chapel, who talked her through what would be involved in this kind of transfer and agreed to contribute Plaza’s services to perform the disinterment and to oversee the reburial at Union Field cemetery.
Though we were Sheryl’s family by choice, we lacked the natural rights of family of origin. Honorary trustee Jay Newman researched the legal issues surrounding exhumation 
by a non-relative, and then drew up the required legal documents.
Next, we needed permission from Sheryl’s next of kin, her father. They had been estranged. CRS social worker Ruth Kobrin called Sheryl’s father to broach the subject of her reburial. He wept and said, “bless you” over and over. He agreed to sign the necessary paperwork.
The Chair of the Cemetery Committee, Rob Steinman, ensured that Sheryl would have a grave and a marker in our Union Field cemetery.
On the day of the reburial, December 17, 2012, there was a fitting send-off: Cantor Garfein sang, Rabbi Sari Laufer officiated, and all those who had worked to make sure Sheryl was home at last gathered around for the gravesite service. The next evening, a group came together for a memorial service in the Schnurmacher Chapel.
All told, it took several months and the dedicated efforts of Sally, Jay, Rob, Ruth, Tom, Rabbi Robert Levine, Cantor Garfein, Rabbi Laufer and Plaza Jewish Community Chapel to at last lay Sheryl to rest where she belonged.
Long before The New York Times article was published, Sheryl’s story brought to light a worrisome truth: our congregants who live alone are vulnerable in circumstances of illness or other dire issues. Rabbi Levine, Ruth Kobrin, and clergy starting talking about what Rodeph Sholom could do to ensure that the synagogue is alerted when such a congregant is in need of support or is in crisis. To that end, CRS created refrigerator magnets and health care proxy wallet cards with the synagogue’s contact information, and sent out them to the entire congregation.
Clergy also realized that moving forward, understanding our congregants’ living situations and ensuring that no one in our community will ever be alone, in life or in death, is an essential component of what it means to be our caring Rodeph Sholom community.
