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Stephen Pack

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Stephen Pack,

Stephen Pack

Opinion

Light emerging after dark past

December 16, 2011 10:58
2 min read

The day before Yom Kippur, we read in this newspaper about a number of couples who, some decades ago, had lost their children at or around the time of birth. These people had been wrongly informed at that time as to where their children's remains had been buried.

Today, it seems almost unimaginable that this could have been the case. That some of these events took place as long as 78 years ago does not diminish the pain that people have suffered; our sincerest sympathies and apologies go to all those who have been affected.

Despite the sadness of the story, a number of positive things have come about as a result. Perhaps most importantly, some dozens of people affected have come forward and been given real support.

In every case, the United Synagogue Burial Society has helped parents to identify the burial places of their lost children and to make the arrangements they wished for marking the sites. In addition, the US Chesed department has worked with leading experts to provide access to welfare and counselling support.