Mourning: Estranged Brother
Question
my sister in law passed away. she has 3 brothers, one of which she did not have a good relationship with. (although he tried) Her daughter does not want him (the brother) to be part of the kriah. Is this right?
Answer
Shalom!
Thank you for your question.
As a general rule, all the mourning practices are to be observed even if the relatives had a bitter relationship or even no relationship at all. For example, a child must sit shiva and mourn for a parent even if they did not speak for decades.
As such, all the brothers are obligated to do kriah and sit shiva, and the like. The estranged brother is permitted to sit shiva in a different place than where the daughter of the deceased is sitting shiva if that is needed to keep the peace.