Shomer Collective’s mission is to improve end-of-life experiences for individuals and their families by using the depths of Jewish wisdom and values that our tradition has to offer us.
As many of us may be joining with family virtually or in person this Thanksgiving and Hanukkah season, we invite you to join us for an in-depth exploration of how to approach end-of-life conversations with loved ones.
We’ll explore:
How might we transform potentially challenging conversations into an opportunity to deepen relationships and understanding across generations?
How can we approach differences of opinion and varieties of Jewish traditions with empathy and clarity?
And, how can planning for the end of life now, lead us to Live WELL in face of mortality, knowing that tomorrow isn't guaranteed for anyone?
A conversation for anyone who wants to talk to their loved ones about values and wishes related to the end of life for themselves or their loved ones.
Taught by: Rabbi Melanie Levav in Conversation with Arielle Friedtanzer, End-of-Life Consultant
Arielle Friedtanzer received an individualized Master’s degree at NYU in May 2018, concentrating in Judaic Studies, Bioethics, and Social Work, and has completed 800 clinical hours with the goal of becoming an interfaith chaplain. She traveled the country with her husband for almost 20 months, engaging communities in conversations about advanced care planning, death, and grief, before taking a pause due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. At that point, she turned the in-person workshops and presentations she had been doing on the road into virtual events, including her weekly Facebook Live series, Millennials and Mortality Mondays. Arielle believes that some of the stigma around aging and the fear of death can be mitigated through early and frequent dialogue, and strives to help individuals draft the endings to their own stories by starting the conversation now.
Rabbi Melanie Levav is the founding Executive Director of the Shomer Collective. In Jewish practice, a shomer (Hebrew: guard) sits with the body of the deceased from the time of death until the time of burial, accompanying the soul on the beginning of its journey in separating from the body. Shomer Collective seeks to accompany individuals and families on their journey to plan for the end of life, by curating resources that elevate Jewish wisdom, values, and practices. Melanie was ordained as a rabbi ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary, is a board-certified chaplain, and a licensed social worker.