One should contact the local Jewish burial society [hevra kadisha] to coordinate a time for the funeral. In most cities and communities in Israel there is only one burial society, which operates on behalf of the local Religious Council. In certain large cities in Israel (Jerusalem, Haifa, B’nei Brak, and a few more), one can choose between different burial societies, which follow the customs of the various segments of the community. These societies take care of the purification and preparation of the body for burial in accordance with their respective custom. Outside of Israel, the burial society is often connected to the synagogue, and is sometimes an independent communal organization.

In determining the time of the funeral, the following considerations should be taken into account:

It is prohibited to leave the dead body overnight without burial when there is no justifiable reason to do so. Yet, it is permitted to delay the burial out of respect for the dead. Examples of this include if there was not enough time to get word of the death and funeral to relatives and acquaintances, if no suitable place has been found yet for the burial, or if one wishes to wait for the arrival of a family member who is abroad.

The hevra kadisha might have its own constraints in determining the time of the funeral. For example, if another funeral is already scheduled for a particular time and they do not have enough manpower to conduct a second funeral at the same time, they might adjust the time accordingly. The same applies if there is a fear of overcrowding in the cemetery. Therefore, it is their job to schedule the funerals in a manner that is most comfortable for all.

In Jerusalem, it is prohibited to leave the dead overnight even if it is for the honor of the deceased, although this technically applies only within the Old City walls and a little beyond. Consequently, if a person passes away in other parts of Jerusalem in the evening and the family wants to wait and hold his funeral the next day so that there is time for people to find out about the funeral, this is permitted in principle. Nevertheless, the custom has been established throughout Jerusalem to try to avoid this situation, and therefore in this city, funerals are conducted even late at night.

When a funeral ends before sunset, the time remaining until sunset, even if it is only a few minutes, is considered the first day of the seven days of mourning; only six days of mourning would then remain. This can also be a relevant consideration when deciding whether to hold the funeral in the afternoon or to postpone it to the next day.

A kohen is prohibited from being in close proximity to graves. Consequently, if the deceased and his family are kohanim, the hevra kadisha should be informed of this so that they can arrange a burial place that provides access to kohanim. There are also other customs that apply specifically to the burial of kohanim.

If a burial plot was purchased in advance by the deceased or on his behalf, the hevra kadisha should be informed of this as well.

It is considered an honor to the deceased for as many people as possible to attend his funeral. Therefore, it is important to inform the general public of the death and to publicize the time and location of the funeral. In Israel this is often accomplished by means of obituary notices posted in public places, but the use of any kind of media can be equally suitable for this purpose.