I know this is an old post, but I never responded. And my DH was just talking about this with his friends, which reminded me that I hadn't responded
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I thought it would be important for me to respond, because I think that only the Christian/Catholic side of the discussion is represented here.
So, here's some thoughts from one of the token Jews on this site
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Since I was having trouble articulating my thoughts, I decided to see if I could find a website to explain it better. I found this:
http://www.jewfaq.org/olamhaba.htm* Traditional Judaism firmly believes that death is not the end of human existence. However, because Judaism is primarily focused on life here and now rather than on the afterlife, Judaism does not have much dogma about the afterlife, and leaves a great deal of room for personal opinion.
* It is true that the Torah emphasizes immediate, concrete, physical rewards and punishments rather than abstract future ones. However, there is clear evidence in the Torah of belief in existence after death. The Torah indicates in several places that the righteous will be reunited with their loved ones after death, while the wicked will be excluded from this reunion.
* The resurrection of the dead will occur in the messianic age, a time referred to in Hebrew as the Olam Ha-Ba, the World to Come, but that term is also used to refer to the spiritual afterlife. When the messiah comes to initiate the perfect world of peace and prosperity, the righteous dead will be brought back to life and given the opportunity to experience the perfected world that their righteousness helped to create. The wicked dead will not be resurrected.
* According to one mystical view, every sin we commit creates an angel of destruction (a demon), and after we die we are punished by the very demons that we created. Some views see Gehinnom as one of severe punishment, a bit like the Christian Hell of fire and brimstone. Other sources merely see it as a time when we can see the actions of our lives objectively, see the harm that we have done and the opportunities we missed, and experience remorse for our actions. The period of time in Gehinnom does not exceed 12 months, and then ascends to take his place on Olam Ha-Ba.
I'll also add that two of my Aunts strongly believe that their parents come to visit them in the form of birds outside their window. Mom also thought that our dog, Valentine, used to come visit her in the form of a bird outside the bathroom window ... it was the same bird that appeared every morning for a very long time right after we had to put her to sleep. I think that idea helped her get through the mourning stage a bit easier.
And growing up I think I was taught that when people die they go to 'be with G-d' ... that 'G-d needed their help, and that's why he took them' ... and that they go to 'a better place.' I don't know if its really the same as the Christian/Catholic/Commercialized version of Heaven though. But at the same time, I also think our belief in Hell is a little different than the Christian/Catholic/Commercialized version.
