THE VIGIL: STANDING GUARD OVER OUR TRAUMAS
by Symeon J. Thompson Jewish burial rites include the shemira, where a guardian is appointed to remain with the body of the deceased and watch over it until burial, praying for the departed and making sure everything is OK. A man who keeps such a vigil is a shomer and can be a family member, a friend, a volunteer, or even a person paid for the purpose. In The Vigil, the shomer is Yakov (Dave Davis) an Orthodox Jew who is living outside the structures of the Hasidic community. He seems to be part of a group of young men…
