Laws and Customs of the three Weeks, the Nine Days & Tisha B’Av The 17th of Tammuz, commemorating the fall of Jerusalem prior to the destruction of the Temple, marks the beginning of a 3 week national period of mourning culminating with the 9th of Av. The five events which we mourn on the 17th…
Read More »Death & Mourning
Teaching Children about the Holocaust
It can be quite difficult for some non-Jews to grasp the profound depth of feeling that many Jews have about the Holocaust. I’ve heard non-Jews says, “Why dwell on something so terrible? Just get on with your life.” Others fear that it will frighten the children or that negative thinking will bring on negative events….
Read More »Yom HaShoah
This year — 2013/5773 — Holocaust Memorial Day begins at sunset on April 7. Community observances will take place from April 7 to April 10 around the bay. Anyone is welcome to attend any of the memorials and you should expect large crowds. We still have among us the generation who lived through the Holocaust,…
Read More »Death, Mourning and especially Shiva
I think the best time to talk about death is on a summer day when dying seems preposterous and one can’t be sad because the flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping and all is right with the world. So let’s take a moment and talk about Death and Mourning while it is not at…
Read More »If Not Now, When? Making End of Life Decisions
If not now when? NOW is the time to learn and to act so that your last wishes will be fulfilled. NOW is the time to decide questions of end-of-life medical care, the disbursement of your wealth and possessions, plans and funeral arrangements, mourning rituals that will bring comfort to your survivors. Few experiences are…
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