It’s not customary. This seems as good an explanation as anyof the background reasons, but really, more than anything, it’s not done because it’s just not done.
That said, I doubt anybody would be offended if you sent flowers because you didn’t know of the customs. Any gesture is appreciated.
Jews will often send things like fruit baskets or make charitable donations instead. Donating to plant a tree in Israel is common, and a good “safe” thing to do in honor of a Jewish person.
Well, if someone ever makes it known that a charitable contribution is preferred, i always go with that as a first option.
I would hope that if I sent flowers to one of my jewish friend’s homes when a relative died, they wouldn’t take offense. But now that I am aware, I would certainly do a bit more research. I will ask some of the jews I know personally and see what they have to say. I would hope that they would not be offended by the gesture.
And chiroptera, I heard the same story regarding flowers at a funeral. And that certainly makes sense. But now, it is just tradition. I don’t think anyone thinks flowers are being used for odor reduction. (At least I hope not!)
After my dad’s funeral, mom picked the ones she wanted to keep and we took them home. I’d send to the funeral home/church etc or as requested in the announcement.