Question: My father died last month.  My daughter is pregnant with her first child and I would not allow her to attend the funeral.  It was my understanding that Jewish lore forbade pregnant women in the cemetery.  I am now being criticized for my actions by many people.  They state that they never heard this before, yet my family has always observed this.  Was I wrong in not letting her attend?

Answer: Thank you for your question. I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your father . May G-d comfort you and your family among all other mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

Although there is no law that a pregnant woman may not attend a funeral service or visit a cemetery, there are various customs regarding this matter.  Unless you have a specific familial or communal custom not to go, there is no reason to refrain from doing so.  Interestingly, as a Kohen is not permitted to enter a cemetery, I have seen it stated that the wife of a Kohen should not enter a cemetery during her ninth month of pregnancy if there is a possibility that the child is a male.

Some have a custom that women do not go to a cemetery at all, but this is not too widespread

Take care,
Rabbi Aaron Tendler