The WEINSTEIN FUNERAL HOME was founded in 1940 on Albany Avenue in Hartford, Connecticut by Herman Weinstein, a native of New Haven whose father was associated with the Chevra Kadisha in New Haven. Herman, a graduate of the Cincinnati College of Embalming, Cincinnati, OH, was the first Jewish licensed embalmer and funeral director in the Hartford area.
In 1941 Herman’s brother, Paul H. Weinstein, who was also a graduate of the Cincinnati College of Embalming joined him in business. Paul’s association with the business was interrupted by his service in the U.S. Army during World War II, rejoining the firm in 1946.
Prior to this, Jewish funerals were either held from the home, synagogue or directly at the cemetery. The concept of the use of a Jewish funeral home and the innovation of a Jewish funeral service was accepted by the Greater Hartford Jewish Community and grew with the years.
In 1964, Michael P. Weinstein, Herman’s son, also a graduate of Cincinnati College of Embalming, joined the family business, and in 1971, Morton L. Weinstein, Paul’s son, a Magna Cum Laude graduate of American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service, Inc., New York, NY, also joined the family business.
