A community of educators talking about death, Jewishly.

by Betzy Lynch

This workshop is a three-hour session for gathering in a small group, gently opening up to some thoughts and feelings about loss and grief, engaging in a simple art project (no experience necessary), and then optional sharing of reflections/stories about what emerges for you and the group through the process.

The workshop is designed for people over the age of 16.

by Wilhelmina Gottschalk

Shiva cards give information about what a visitor might see, hear, do, say, and wonder when they visit a shiva house - a house of mourning. Use shiva cards to talk about an what might happen, similar to a social story. Social stories use plain language to demystify a new situation and reduce anxiety. Shiva cards give an idea of the sad parts of a shiva house, but also some of the unexpectedly happy or everyday things that a visitor might encounter.

These cards are for anyone who feels nervous about visiting a friend or relative who is mourning the death of someone close to them, or nervous about encountering Jewish rituals around death and mourning for the first time.

by Chava Vidal

We use our GPS to plot out our course when embarking on a road trip. What if we could navigate the end of life with the same confidence and certainty?

Introducing an interactive series on the Jewish how-to of death, dying, and living.

by Shira Becher

This resource provides question prompts and guidance to help educators normalize conversations about death, dying, and mourning in the Jewish school setting. Through guided discussion, students will be exposed to Jewish rituals, values, and stories related to death in an age appropriate manner. 

by Rabbi Matthew Nover

This is a lesson primarily designed to start a conversation between high School students and their families around death, specifically in this case Ethical Wills. The goal is to have families begin to process what messages parents want to give their children, and what children want to hear from their parents.  

by Noah Strauss

Students will learn about the concept of legacy, exploring how Biblical and modern Jewish leaders pass on their legacies.

by Mara Bragg

Programs about end-of-life planning aren’t often designed for parents with young children, whether out of fear of talking about death, superstitions, or perceived lack of relevance or interest to this demographic. Offering a program tailored for this “unlikely” audience normalizes the process of talking about death, for all ages and stages in life.

This program can be adapted for a mix of program settings, from preschools to Hebrew schools and JCCs or any cohort of parents, and tailored to a range of formats, from a single session to a workshop series.

by Heather Erez

These graphics were created to spark interest in learning more about the Jewish customs around death and mourning. They may provide an answer to the question provided or possibly lead to learning more about a topic by following links to websites or articles that can be tagged to the graphics when posted. The idea is to reach people when they are not in crisis or in mourning, enabling them to better prepare themselves and their family members by asking questions ahead of time, encouraging proactive conversations and planning.

by Lonnie Kleinman

This resource approaches the end-of-life planning process from a queer lens. It will both help queer folks think through important questions and help death workers think through ways in which EOL planning impacts queer folks differently.

by Melinda Mersack

This is a brief outline to help you plan a discussion on end of life issues for interfaith couples. This outline relies upon a clergyperson or educator’s knowledge of Jewish end of life issues and Jewish values, as well as strong pastoral skills.