About 50 brave souls gathered on a frigid January evening to eat cake, drink tea, and talk about
Death.
Jon Underwood, a 40-something fellow in the UK, does website development, design and engagement around end of life issues.
One of his projects focused on how people talk about death. He developed a model where people get together in a relaxed setting to talk about end of life issues, with an aim “to increase awareness of death to help people make the most of their (finite) lives.“ The events are participant-driven, with no set agenda or formal presentation.
The first Death Cafe in the UK was offered in Jon's house in Hackney, East London in September 2011. It was facilitated by pychotherapist As the Winnipeg Jewish Community Burial Society, we are always looking for ways to engage and educate people about end of life issues. After reading an article on our Facebook page, a community member contacted me. She thought that the Death Café was a great way to open the conversation in both the Jewish and general communities. We formed a small committee with one of my Board members and started planning.
Our 2 winter events hosted about 100 people in total. We broke out into small groups of 6 to 8 people, and had a volunteer at each table to facilitate the evening. We were astounded by both the range of topics and the depth of the personal sharing that took place.
So what do people want to talk about?
Elderly parents who refuse to talk about their wishes and plans.
Adult children who refuse to discuss their parents’ wishes.
Spouses who avoid the conversation.
The afterlife.
Fear of dying.
Death as ending, or a beginning?
Forgiveness.
Ritual.
Is there such a thing as a Good Death?
What does it look like?
Death Cafes are non-denominational, and are open to the whole community. Our local fall Café is being hosted by a multi-faith group at a Lutheran church.
You can join the worldwide conversation at
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 as a board member of “>Gamliel Institute.
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Kavod v'Nichum Conference!
Join us for an unforgettable time in beautiful Austin, Texas, Feb 22-24, 2015 for the 13th N. American Chevra Kadisha and Jewish Cemetery Conference. Regiser now! Visit the conference “>reserve a hotel room, and make your plans!
GAMLIEL INSTITUTE COURSES:
Starting in January: Chevrah Kadisha: Ritual Practice. Tuesdays, January 5th – March 24th 2015
Starting in January: Chevrah Kadisha: Taharah & Shmirah. Thursdays, January 5th – March 26th 2015
Beginning in March: Chevrah Kadisha: International Perspectives. Open to Gamliel Students who have successfully completed the five prior courses. This course included the Travel/Study Mission to New York, Prague, and Israel that will take place in April-May. Registration is limited.
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