Judaism Cremation has also experienced an increase among the city’s Jewish population, who make up 8 percent of the New York City area’s population. The Jewish faith initially forbade cremation, but the practice has been on the rise among New York’s Reform Jews, said...
Catholicism When Manhattan resident Joseph Nuzzi’s father passed away in 2012, his expressed wish was to be cremated, despite having grown up Catholic at a time when burial was a requirement of the faith. His son, a Catholic official, carried out his request....
Hinduism Hindus, who make up an estimated 3 percent of city residents, have long cremated their dead but have been forced to adapt their death rituals to a New York City context. Once an individual passes away, the body must be cremated as soon as possible, said Ravi...
Islam Muslims, who make up an estimated 2 to 4 percent of the city’s population, follow death rituals that closely resemble those of other Judeo-Christian faiths, said Hussein Rashid, a member of the city’s Ismaili Muslim community and professor of Islamic studies at...
Microbial Digestion Microbes, tiny one-celled organisms, eat dead things all the time, including human bodies. Kartik Chandran, a Columbia professor and 2015 MacArthur Fellow, is trying to harness that appetite to not only dispose of human corpses, but turn...
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