I have written a lot of condolence notes. It’s not because I have known a lot of people who died, or because the people who died had very large families. Rather, it is because I was on the board of my synagogue for seven years, and one of the things our board members do is we write letters to the family of members of the congregation who died. So, I have some experience writing condolence notes about people I may …
Blog Posts
I am honored to be asked to write for the Kavod v’Nichum Blog. Since this is my first entry, I wanted to introduce myself to you—at least in terms of what I believe as a rabbi and a mourner. Like you, I am involved with doing mitzvot before and after a death occurs. It is important for us to be clear about what we believe and how it affects what we do. Despite my faith in life after death, I …
[Ed. Note: This article by Makena Mezistrano is originally appeared in Jewish in Seattle Magazine on April 15, 2019. The link to the original article is https://mag.jewishinseattle.org/articles/2019/4/15/when-a-homeless-jewish-man-died-alone-a-community-stepped-up-to-help. Our thanks to Jewish In Seattle Magazine for granting us permission. — JB] When a Homeless Jewish Man Died Alone, a Community Stepped Up to Help High school students helped perform the ultimate mitzvah. By Makena Mezistrano 4/15/2019 at 2:25pm Published in the April 2019 issue of Jewish in Seattle Magazine IMAGE: KIERSTEN ESSENPREIS Rabbi Berry Farkash sighs on the other side …
[Ed. Note: This story by Marjorie Ingall originally appeared in Tablet magazine July 17th 2019,, at tabletmag.com, and is reprinted with permission. The original can be linked at https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/287796/lessons-burial-society. Our thanks to Tablet for granting us use. Holly Blue Hawkins, the person interviewed, is a Gamliel Institute student and teacher. She has submitted other blogs to Expired And Inspired. — JB] Lessons for Living From the Burial Society What a ‘death midwife’ has learned from the dead and dying By Marjorie Ingall …
An article appeared in the British press regarding the Banwell cemetery in Somerset which after a long existence is running out of space. The possible solution: Coffins to be stacked four deep just inches from the churchyard surface ; bodies would be dug up and reburied in deeper ground and the names of the newly buried person would be added to the headstone.( 1) The Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church and the Muslim Council of Britain have all …
Evening is closing in on a ....
In June, for the 17th time, Kavod v’Nichum held its’ annual conference, this time in Fort Collins, CO. This is a gathering of people from all over North Amrrica, and sometimes even more far flung. These are all people who have an interest in, or who are involved with, Jewish end-of-life practices and rituals, including providing comfort to the ill and their families, responding when there has been a death, helping families to navigate the maze around death, assisting with …
[Ed. Note: This is another in a series of blog posts by Isaac Pollak for Expired And Inspired. Each deals with matters related to the Chevrah Kadisha, Jewish burial practices, and similar topics.] I – Death in the Biblical World Early in the book of Genesis , Abraham (2000 BC, categorized as the early Bronze Age which lasted approximately 2500 BC to 800 BC), first of the biblical patriarchs buys a cave as a burial plot for his wife , …
[Ed. note: This is a reprint of a blog posting by one of our frequent contributors.— JB] Working for hospice is like following the progression of about forty different plays at once. What unexpected or surprising thing will one of my forty or so patients casually drop in her conversation with me today? What new realization will I come away with? What will I learn this week about the country the patient is from or what new Spanish expression will …
It’s 7:45 am and I am sitting in my car outside the funeral home. I’m flipping through Rick Light’s Powerpoint presentation “Taharah Training”. I’m more than a little nervous. What if I do something that is considered dishonoring to the Meitah? What if I get faint at the sight of a deceased person? As a hospice volunteer, I have been in the presence of several of my patients after death. But each one has been peacefully resting in bed with …