fbpx

The Chevrah Kadisha Conference

[additional-authors]
March 4, 2015

Once a year, we attend a gathering of individuals from a range of Jewish backgrounds, with varying perspectives and practices, who come together in a spirit of kindness and compassion, intellectually curious, eager to learn from one another, and open to supporting and being supported by one another.    

Our shared passion? Jewish tradition at the end of life.

And in our passionate sharing of ideas,   in our renewing and growing connections through our laughter and tears, we have created a culture of Chesed, of kindness and compassion , which is enriching and inspiring. We are a group of mostly ordinary folks, some Rabbis, some Chaplains, some medical professionals, some educators, some Funeral Directors.  We visit the sick, sit Shmirah with the dead, perform Taharah, and sew shrouds.  We care for and support families before and after the death of a loved one. We pray with and for people, we educate our communities in Jewish tradition, and we craft new rituals that provide meaning to a changing Jewish population.

For the Sunday evening conference program, in Death Cafe style, we shared a deeply soulful conversation about what motivates us. What poured forth were memories of parents and other loved ones, a counting and re-counting of both our blessings and our sadnesses.

We shared stories of our most challenging experiences in the Taharah room, and the subsequent ripples in our personal lives.   An exploration of what it means to be called to serve our communities, to reach out to others in exquisitely sensitive ways, as we facilitate the transition of souls. To marvel at the honor and privilege of helping others at their time of great need.

It was a shared acknowledgment of life's mysteries and our human limitations. It was profound.  

Then, Monday’s evening conference  program, titled Emotions,  called on us to remember and reflect: when did we feel most fulfilled, most supported by our community or chevrah, and when did we feel alone in our journeys. One participant shared his personal experiment of engaging with the public on a soul level, seeing the Divine in each person. While we may not see the effect of this in the heart of the other person, we can certainly feel a shift within ourselves.

Finally, on Tuesday evening, we took that soul-connecting approach into a Board of Directors meeting, as we debated and delineated the future of the organization.  How do our parts fit together into a cohesive whole? We shared pride in the organization and how far we have come in our mission to reclaim our Jewish traditions of “life at the end of life.” What does it mean to grow a movement which encompasses every Jewish person? What is our essence?

And then there is the Tachlis, the practical application of what we learn. The scope of projects in progress and completed in communities all across the continent is astonishing.  New rituals for family centered Taharah, performing Taharah outside of a traditional funeral home, translations done, liturgy examined, surveys completed and analyzed, books published, community resources developed. An amazing scope and scale of accomplishments for our small organization, with the promise of so much more to come in the future.   

This was my 11th Kavod v' Nichum conference. As always, I go home full; emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. So much more to do. So much more to learn. So much more to share.

 

Rena Boroditsky is the Executive Director of the “>Kavod v'Nichum conferences and at Limmud events in the US & Canada. She recently launched Death Cafe Wnnipeg. She has served in past as a board member of “>Gamliel Institute

 


 

A TASTE OF GAMLIEL

Free, suggested minimum donation of $36 for all five sessions. The first session (RabbiT’mimah Ickovits) was Sunday February 1st, the second (Dr. Eitan Fishbane) on March 1st.

The third session (Rabbi Burt Visotsky) will be on March 29th. All sessions will be recorded and available for (re-)viewing by those who are registered.  

 


 

UPCOMING GAMLIEL INSTITUTE COURSES

Starting in May:

Chevrah Kadisha: Educating, Organizing, & Training. Tuesdays. 12 online sessions. (Orientation session on Monday May 25th, classes start the 26th). 8-9:30 pm EST. Working with and educating the members of the Chevrah Kadisha, your congregation, the community, other organizations, and the public. Includes undertaking a project that will have practical and real world effect, and will also serve as information and a resource for others.

You can “>jewish-funerals.org/gamreg. Contact us for more information about scholarships or any other questions. info@jewish-funerals.org or call 410-733-3700.  

 


RECEIVE NOTICES WHEN THIS BLOG IS UPDATED!

Sign up on our Facebook Group page: just search for and LIKE Chevra Kadisha sponsored by Kavod vNichum, or follow our Twitter feed @chevra_kadisha

 


 

To find a list of other blogs and resources we think you, our reader, may find to be of interest, click on “About” on the right side of the page.

 


Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

Print Issue: Got College? | Mar 29, 2024

With the alarming rise in antisemitism across many college campuses, choosing where to apply has become more complicated for Jewish high school seniors. Some are even looking at Israel.

More news and opinions than at a
Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.