I. J. Morris

A convenient location

Because our funeral home is located only minutes away from the Nassau-Suffolk border, the Pinelawn area, cemeteries and 2 major highways, our service area at I. J. Morris extends far beyond Dix Hills. We sit comfortably in the midst of the towns and communities that are home to some of the largest Jewish populations and concentrations of synagogues in Suffolk County. Our reach also extends into many of the eastern Nassau County communities from the north to the south shores of Long Island.

Jewish funeral traditions

We are proud to be a member of the Dignity Memorial® network of funeral and cemetery providers. All of our services are designed to help you through one of the most personal and challenging stages of life, and we understand the customs and religious significance associated with Jewish funeral tradition. We are dedicated to working with you one-on-one to plan your loved one's memorial in accordance with the Jewish funeral customs that are important to you.

From creating a custom service that celebrates your loved one's life in a unique or different way to arranging catering for a shiva meal at our facility or your house, I. J. Morris is here to ensure all of your needs and wishes are met.

Contact us

Please contact our funeral team at I. J. Morris if you are in need of immediate assistance, wish to visit our funeral home facility or would like more information about our funeral services.

History

Established in Brooklyn, New York, in 1888 by Joseph Morris, I. J. Morris, Inc. was incorporated in 1929. Joseph was a prominent citizen in early Brooklyn who owned and operated livery stables, furnishing horse-drawn hearses and carriages for the conduct of Jewish funerals.

From the late 1880s until the outbreak of World War II, millions of European Jews immigrated to the United States with the majority settling in Brooklyn. At this time, if Brooklyn had been incorporated as a city, it would have been the fourth largest city in the world.

Building relationships with Jewish organizations

When Jewish immigrants arrived in New York, they organized synagogues and formed mutual protection societies, chevra kadisha or sacred societies to bury the dead and purchased cemetery property. In those early years, Joseph recognized the opportunity in securing an affiliation with these newly formed religious and secular Jewish organizations. He quickly set pattern of signing exclusive contracts with these groups to provide a hearse, carriage, casket and shroud for a nominal payment.

His sons, Isaac J. and Benjamin B. Morris, and their wives, Charlotte and Gertrude Morris, became New York State licensed funeral directors and followed Joseph's example by aggressively securing the exclusive right to furnish funeral goods and services to a wide range of Jewish organizations in Brooklyn, New York City and Long Island.

The first Jewish funeral home in Brooklyn

In 1928, the Morris family built the first formal, modern Jewish funeral home in Brooklyn. Prior to the opening of this funeral home, Jewish funerals were serviced and conducted at the family residence or, in some cases, at the synagogue. This modern facility enhanced the already preeminent reputation of the Morris funeral firm in New York City. From the time the new funeral home opened until the property was sold to the City of New York for public housing, I. J. Morris conducted approximately 2,500 funerals a year.

In 1946, I. J. Morris opened one of the largest establishments in the United States at Rockaway Parkway and Church Avenue in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn. Complete with 10 reposing rooms, large lobbies, 2 chapels with fixed pew seating capacities of 250 and 600, respectively, the new facility had the city’s largest funeral home parking lot and was located directly across the street from one of Brooklyn’s largest private medical centers, Brookdale Hospital Medical Center.

An enduring legacy

I. J. Morris continued to perform more than 2,000 funerals a year from its locations and through “rental agreements” at chapels throughout New York City. In 1977, I. J. Morris opened Suffolk County’s first and only Jewish funeral home in prestigious Dix Hills, located in the town of Huntington. Once again, the Morris family established affiliations with virtually all of the synagogues and Jewish organizations—both religious and secular—in Suffolk County.

Under the leadership of the Morris family and community liaisons Fred Milstein and Kenneth Kornhauser, I. J. Morris served approximately 600 families early on, and still services many families today. Our strength lies in our continued commitment to the Jewish community and clergy throughout Long Island.