Death is scary, and much of our culture avoids the topic altogether. By sitting with our mortality, we allow ourselves greater access to the fullness of life. As we sit together, we’ll practice being “A Wave That Knows It is Water.” We hope you’ll join us live this Erev Yom Kippur.

Join us with a nosh of your choosing in a brave, healing virtual space. We will come together for an honest talk about what matters most to us in our lives, recognizing that they are finite. This program is NOT recorded, and must be attended live.

Ethical wills — or "wisdom letters" — are a 3,500-year-old Jewish tradition of passing values, beliefs, and love across generations. But some letters do something more: they take on a life of their own, becoming torches, reunions, and living presences for the people who receive them.

In this experiential workshop, Dr. Lesley Simpson shares remarkable letters from her ongoing collection: letters that have been read at Passover seders and Chanukah gatherings, that have sparked innovation, and that have reunited families separated by war and time. Then we write. Participants will leave with raw material for their own wisdom letter, whatever form it wants to take.

Join us as the High Holidays approach, a season already given to reflection on legacy, memory, and what we leave behind.

What is palliative care, and how does it differ from hospice? How might understanding it change the way we approach end-of-life decisions — and where does Jewish wisdom fit in?

Join us as we build the knowledge and confidence to face end-of-life planning with greater clarity and less fear. Shomer Collective's Rabbi Melanie Levav will be in conversation with Dr. Michael Pottash, Professor of Clinical Medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine, whose teaching and research bridges serious illness, end-of-life communication, and medical ethics.

Join other Jewish End-of-Life Doulas for some connecting, learning, and inspiration. This one-hour session will include opportunities to meet other doulas and engage with the Jewish wisdom that grounds your work. We’ll begin by learning with the AriYael Jewish Healing Center, followed by valuable time for schmoozing!

Foreseeing death or loss can stir up complicated feelings — including grief. This phenomenon, known as "anticipatory grief," is frequently experienced after a medical diagnosis or the decline of someone we love.

How might we understand anticipatory grief as a meaningful coping mechanism, not just a painful one? What does Jewish wisdom offer us here? And what rituals might actually help?

Join us in conversation with Barri Leiner Grant of The Memory Circle, whose work centers grief as a lifelong practice — as the Jewish calendar prepares for a season traditionally devoted to mourning and collective loss.

Want to learn how to lead Death Over Dinner: Jewish Edition? Shomer Collective is offering a 60 minute virtual training to learn how to be a Death over Dinner: Jewish Edition facilitator. Created by rabbis, theologians, wellness, and palliative care experts, Death Over Virtual Dinner: Jewish Edition provides a unique lens through which to build and strengthen our personal beliefs about life and death.

Join us with a brunch of your choosing in a brave, healing virtual space. We will come together for an honest talk about what matters most to us in our lives, recognizing that they are finite. This program is NOT recorded, and must be attended live.

Join other Jewish End-of-Life Doulas for some connecting, learning, and inspiration. This one-hour session will include opportunities to meet other doulas and engage with the Jewish wisdom that grounds your work. We’ll begin by learning with the AriYael Jewish Healing Center, followed by valuable time for schmoozing!

Join the next quarterly “What Matters” program from Shomer Collective, and take those first important steps with the support and Jewish wisdom you need! We are here to navigate tough questions together, no matter where you are in the process. 

Attendees will be guided through the process of creating an advance directive.

Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD), Natural Organic Reduction (NOR), and green burial are in the news a lot lately, with an increasing number of states legalizing expanded options. How might we better understand them in light of Jewish wisdom and tradition? Join us for a community conversation facilitated by Rabbi Melanie Levav, where we will examine traditional Jewish sources on these topics and explore the tension between individual liberties and communal responsibility.

Bring your questions and leave motivated to have important conversations about life and death, Jewishly. 

This is one of three programs in a series—feel free to attend just this one or any combination that interests you.

Want to learn how to lead Death Over Dinner: Jewish Edition? Shomer Collective is offering a 60 minute virtual training to learn how to be a Death over Dinner: Jewish Edition facilitator. Created by rabbis, theologians, wellness, and palliative care experts, Death Over Virtual Dinner: Jewish Edition provides a unique lens through which to build and strengthen our personal beliefs about life and death.

Join us with a dinner or dessert of your choosing in a brave, healing virtual space. We will come together for an honest talk about what matters most to us in our lives, recognizing that they are finite. This program is NOT recorded, and must be attended live.

With a growing number of states legalizing Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD), including those with the largest Jewish populations in the United States, how might we understand the availability of this option in light of Jewish wisdom? Join us in conversation with Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody, executive director of Ematai, to explore traditional understandings of Jewish law as it relates to the increasing availability of MAiD. 

Bring your questions and leave motivated to have important conversations about life and death, Jewishly. 

This is one of three programs in a series—feel free to attend just this one or any combination that interests you.

Doulas provide essential support not just to the dying, but to their loved ones. Shiva Circle is an opportunity for doulas to provide support in the days and weeks after a death. During this interactive workshop, you will: 

- Deepen your knowledge of Jewish mourning customs 

- Practice having conversations with families about sitting shiva 

- Feel more confident providing support during shiva

- Explore the tools and resources Shiva Circle has developed to help create a world where no one has to grieve alone 

How might we learn from others’ experiences as we talk about death? Join us in conversation with Ruth Messinger and Rabbi Joy Levitt as they share the story of their recent journey walking alongside Ruth’s husband, Andrew Lachman, during his accompanied suicide in Switzerland, honoring his wishes with sensitivity and strength. 

Bring your questions and leave motivated to have important conversations about life and death, Jewishly. 

This is one of three programs in a series—feel free to attend just this one or any combination that interests you.

Join us with a dinner or dessert of your choosing in a brave, healing virtual space. We will come together for an honest talk about what matters most to us in our lives, recognizing that they are finite. This program is NOT recorded, and must be attended live.

Join the next quarterly “What Matters” program from Shomer Collective, and take those first important steps with the support and Jewish wisdom you need! We are here to navigate tough questions together, no matter where you are in the process. 

Attendees will be guided through the process of creating an advance directive.

Want to learn how to lead Death Over Dinner: Jewish Edition? Shomer Collective is offering a 60 minute virtual training to learn how to be a Death over Dinner: Jewish Edition facilitator. Created by rabbis, theologians, wellness, and palliative care experts, Death Over Virtual Dinner: Jewish Edition provides a unique lens through which to build and strengthen our personal beliefs about life and death.

Ethical Wills are for every age and stage of life and can be a powerful exercise in self-reflection of our values, beliefs, and world views. Join us for this experiential writing workshop to explore examples, unpack this Jewish tradition, and create some raw material for our own needs.

Join us with a dinner or dessert of your choosing in a brave, healing virtual space. We will come together for an honest talk about what matters most to us in our lives, recognizing that they are finite. This program is NOT recorded, and must be attended live.

Join other Jewish End-of-Life Doulas for some connecting, learning, and inspiration. This one-hour session will include opportunities to meet other doulas and engage with the Jewish wisdom that grounds your work.

Join the next quarterly “What Matters” program from Shomer Collective, and take those first important steps with the support and Jewish wisdom you need! We are here to navigate tough questions together, no matter where you are in the process. 

Attendees will be guided through the process of creating an advance directive.

Want to learn how to lead Death Over Dinner: Jewish Edition? Shomer Collective is offering a 60 minute virtual training to learn how to be a Death over Dinner: Jewish Edition facilitator. Created by rabbis, theologians, wellness, and palliative care experts, Death Over Virtual Dinner: Jewish Edition provides a unique lens through which to build and strengthen our personal beliefs about life and death.