There are different customs depending on whether one is an Orthodox or Reform Jew. The Orthodox have strict laws restricting other people from touching a dead body, and seek to have a burial within three days. They try to avoid autopsies unless required by law, as it is considered to be a desecration of the body. Reform Jews do not mind hospital staff doing an initial tidying up of the body in the usual way. They hold funerals as soon as possible but will delay it if relatives need to come from afar. They also permit cremations to take place.
