PROGRAMS
Workshop: Ethical Wills and Legacy
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.
Ethical Wills Workshop
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.
Put it on Paper: Ethical Will Workshop
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.
Put it on Paper: Grief Writing Workshop
Witnessing your grief through writing is a powerful tool for healing. Hear how grief writing helped two grievers as they navigated Jewish mourning rituals, and explore writing prompts to help you tell your own grief story.
Facing Mortality with Jewish Wisdom: Ethical Wills
A 3,500-year-old Jewish tradition from the time of Jacob teaches us about how we can share our legacy with future generations. Join us as we unpack the Jewish tradition of ethical wills, study examples of such documents, and explore how can we customize our approach to our unique needs in this generation. The experiential session will help people create some raw material for their own ethical wills that they can later revise. As tomorrow is never guaranteed, it is never too soon to start this process. Participants are invited to submit their own ethical wills to Lesley's anthology for consideration.
Speaker:
Dr. Lesley Simpson
Dr. Lesley Simpson is a former Canadian journalist who worked as a staff reporter for Canadian daily newspapers and CBC radio. She recently defended her PhD dissertation on Jewish ethical wills. While doing her research, she created customized writing workshops for people who wanted to write their own ethical wills. She is working on a non-academic book tentatively titled My Grandfather’s Scissors. In her other writing life, Simpson writes Jewish children’s books (lesleysimpson.ca).
Annual Review: Write Your Yom Kippur Confession
Hosted by High Holidays @Home featuring Rabbi Melanie Levav
The rituals of Yom Kippur – fasting, wearing white, refraining from acts of pleasure, reciting prayers of confession, function as an annual dress rehearsal for death.
In the field of psychology, “positive life review” is a tool used to promote reflection on one’s past in order to make peace with the present. Using our own positive life review as well as a reflection on our mortality, we will create personal Yom Kippur confessions to prepare for entering the new year.
Everyone who registers will receive the Zoom link and a recording of the webinar. Pen and paper optional.
I Remember You: Yizkor for Father's Day
Would you like to take some time on Father’s Day this year to consider your father—who he was and how his life unfolded? Father’s Day can elicit a mix of emotions, not all of them welcome amidst the customary celebrations which are focused on the living.
You are invited to join Jewish Studio Project for a virtual gathering of people who experience a measure of grief on this day. Using aspects of JSP’s unique methodology, we will draw on our inherent creativity in service of our memories, love, loss, longing and whatever else surfaces.
This hands-on session will include music, exploration of poetry, creating through art or writing and will conclude with Mourner’s Kaddish. We hope you will share this invitation with friends who might be interested in joining us.
*Materials: any paper and pen will be sufficient. Any additional materials that you have on hand are welcome*
I Remember You: Yizkor for Mother's Day
Would you like to take some time on Mother’s Day this year to consider your mother—who she was and how her life unfolded? Mother’s Day can elicit a mix of emotions, not all of them welcome amidst the customary breakfast-in-bed, cards and flowers, which are gifted to the living.
You are invited to join Jewish Studio Project for a virtual gathering of people who experience a measure of grief on this day. Using aspects of JSP’s unique methodology, we will draw on our inherent creativity in service of our memories, love, loss and longing and whatever else surfaces.
This hands-on session will include music, exploration of poetry, creating through art or writing and will conclude with Mourner’s Kaddish. We hope you will share this invitation with friends who might be interested in joining us.
Materials: any paper and pen will be sufficient. Adding any additional materials that you have on hand are welcome.
In partnership with Jewish Studio Project