Good Mourning
Good Mourning
Sunday 16 April, 10:00-12:30 followed by lunch
Join us for a truly fascinating event, where we will explore the essential aspects of Jewish mourning. We look at why we carry out certain rituals, what is involved in Chevra Kadisha, why we eat certain foods at our saddest of times and much more.
10:00 – Registration & Refreshments
10:30-11:15 – Death Duties: lessons about life from the Chevra Kadisha – A talk by Sally Berkovic. Sally Berkovic was born in Australia and is the daughter of Slovakian Holocaust survivors. She lived in Jerusalem and New York before an epistolary romance brought her to London. She is the author of Under My Hat – first published in 1997 and updated in 2019 – about the impact of contemporary social trends on the lives of Jewish women. She has been a volunteer for the United Synagogue Chevra Kadisha for several years.
11:15-11:30 – Coffee Break
11:30-12:15 – Choice of sessions to attend:
Session 1: Rituals of Mourning and why we do them with Rabbi Tanya and Andie Lucas of EHRS’s Chevra Kadisha. We will also talk about some sensitive and caring ways of supporting mourners while they are going through such a difficult time. Throughout Jewish history, each Jewish community throughout the world has established a chevra kadisha – a holy society – whose sole function is to ensure dignified treatment of the deceased in accordance with Jewish law, custom, and tradition. Come and learn about those traditions and other rituals, and how they are performed today at EHRS.
Session 2: Supporting the Bereaved with Sue Casale of EHRS’s Genesis Bereavement Support Group & Sharon Rose of The Compassionate Friends, an organisation supporting bereaved parents
Session 3: Creativity and Healing with Rabbi Debbie. Judaism is blessed with incredibly powerful mourning rituals, in this session Rabbi Debbie will explore ways that stone painting, reusing yahrzeit candle jars and candle making are becoming parts of creatively enhancing our mourning rituals and making them more personal. This session will give participants an opportunity to be creative as well as to learn!
12:30 – Cafe 118 Open for Bagel Lunch and an opportunity to buy Sally Berkovic’s books
Free entry, Cafe 118 will be open to purchase your bagel lunch!
Please book below
