As a young immigrant from Cracow, Poland, Ira Kaufman learned that his faith in Judaism and community, along with his deep compassion, could provide invaluable consolation at a defining moment in the lives of his neighbors.

In 1941, after making the transition from salesman to owning a hardware store on Gratiot Avenue in Detroit, Ira Kaufman chose a career path which led him to become this area's leading Jewish funeral director. Soon, he began directing funeral arrangements for members of Detroit's Jewish community.

Ira Kaufman established his first chapel, on Dexter and Edison in Detroit and made a commitment to create a strong bond with rabbis from local synagogues, as well as working relationships with secular Jewish organizations.

By the late 1950s, Ira and his son, Herbert, decided to move from their original location to a larger facility closer to the Jewish community, which was migrating to the northwestern suburbs.

The 26,000 square-foot Ira Kaufman Chapel stands as a testament to care and concern for families who have suffered the death of a loved one. Today, a majority of family-owned funeral businesses have been acquired by multi-national conglomerates. In many cases, the results have been less attention given to personal service. These conglomerates tend to focus on burial costs rather than the significance of burial rites.

With a firm conviction, Herbert Kaufman observes the changing nature of funeral services with an unbowed sense of duty. "There's no substitute for personally knowing a family," he said.

It is an attitude and philosophy on which Ira Kaufman thrived. Later in life, Ira became concerned that many members of the community only saw him at funerals. Therefore, he started a happier tradition of tape recording Bar and Bat Mitzvahs for the celebrants. That tradition also continues to this day.

Although funeral services and the role of the funeral director has changed since Ira Kaufman began servicing the community, there is an unmistakable theme that runs through the past six decades. With a quiet compassion and an innate sense of propriety, The Ira Kaufman Chapel approach to funeral services follows Moses' declaration that "death should not be less than life."