30 People Show Up To Funeral Of Woman They Didn't Know

Story out of Rockland county, New York:

About 30 people attended Francine Stein’s funeral Wednesday, none of whom she had ever met.

Her pallbearers were strangers — men and women who carried her simple casket and then lowered it, shoveling warm earth into the grave.

Rabbi Elchanan Weinbach who officiated the graveside service, said he was sad to learn Tuesday that nobody would be attending Stein’s funeral. Hellman Memorial Chapels had called on Weinbach's services; the rabbi at congregation Shaaray Israel in Montebello is on a short list of people the funeral home calls when there’s no clergy designated to handle someone's affairs.

Weinbach was told that only he and the funeral director would be attending Stein’s service.

“The funeral director said, ‘This is the easiest funeral you’re ever going to do,’” Weinbach said. But, “The idea of a woman dying alone, as I thought about it, it went from being the easiest funeral to a very difficult one. It just seemed so sad.

Weinbach told his daughter, Ora Weinbach, about it. Like her father, she was unhappy to learn that “literally nobody” would be at Stein’s funeral.

So she posted something on Facebook asking if anyone was available to attend the service.

People shared her Facebook post again and again, and again. Ultimately, as many as 30 strangers were present Wednesday to pay their respects to Stein.

Stein died at the age of 83. She had been a musician and a teacher at the Juilliard School. Cont. (Video)

Story from - lohud The Journal News