A real estate professional in the New York City area, Shalom Lamm has carried out a large number of residential rehabilitation projects. When not at work, Shalom Lamm remains very involved with his Jewish community and is part of his local Chevra Kadisha, which means “sacred society.” The Chevra Kadisha is responsible for the proper burial of deceased bodies in the Jewish community.

Members of the Chevra Kadisha perform a ritual cleaning of bodies following death and keep them pure until the time for burial comes. The purification process is known as Tahara. The charge of members of the society is to treat the corpse with honor, gentleness, and reverence while recognizing the gravity of the situation. The society takes its role very seriously and will often ask for forgiveness from the deceased individual in the case that any task was not done properly.

According to traditional, members of the Chevra Kadisha fast on the seventh day of the Jewish month of Adar each year, which is the anniversary of the death of Moses. This fasting atones for any disrespect that might have been shown to the dead in the former years and is broken by a large feast.