Chevrah Kadisha: Showing Love Until the Very End
Judaism teaches that livayat ha’met, accompanying the dead to their final resting place, is one of the holiest of all the mitzvot because the person for whom it is performed cannot repay the favor.
Related Blog Posts on Death and Mourning
Remembering Rabbi Dow Marmur z”l
We have lost one of the G'dolay ha'dor, one of the rabbinic giants of our time. Rabbi Dow Marmur's life reflected the triumphs and tragedy of 20th Century Jewish life, beginning in Poland on the eve of the Shoah to his last days in the State of Israel. He was truly brilliant, incisive, and witty, with unshakable integrity.
The Value of Sacred Community: Sharing One Congregant’s Powerful Legacy
Two beloved public figures succumbed to pancreatic cancer in 2020: Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Alex Trebek. The congregational family at Temple Israel of Northern Westchester mourns the loss of one of our own, who was taken from us by this dreadful disease: Joseph
Mourning Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The Jewish Perspective
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death on Rosh HaShanah has triggered a tidal wave of grief. That she left us at the start of the new year has brought to mind the Jewish belief that righteous souls die on Jewish holy days.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Legacy of Feminism, Justice, and Righteousness
The shofar awakens in us the call for justice. Justice Ginsburg knew the pain of injustice. She faced antisemitism and gender discrimination and dedicated her life to stopping such discrimination against others.
7 Ways to Honor the Life and Legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, z"l
As the first Jewish woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Ginsburg was seen as an icon not only to the progressive world but to the American Jewish community, in particular.
How One Synagogue Honored Loved Ones Lost – and Found Community Anew
Throughout the course of 12 years, Temple Shalom in Succasunna, N.J., experienced a number of hardships, ranging from financial difficulties to a decline in membership. As it turned out, though, the thing that would inspire this community to thrive once again was, well, the very community itself.
Mourning the Death of Devra Freelander, z”l
The entire URJ family mourns with the Frishmans and Freelanders on the tragic and untimely death of their daughter, Devra Freelander, on Monday, July 1.
It’s Never Too Late To Begin: Remembering Rabbi Lawrence Raphael, z”l
Rabbi Larry Raphael, z”l, died on March 17, 2019 at the age of 74. Read his thoughts on the blessings of lifelong Jewish learning.
Elie Wiesel Calls Us to Pursue Justice
“If I survived, it must be for some reason.” Elie Wiesel spoke those words in a New York Times interview in 1981. Throughout his life, Wiesel lived with purpose and lent meaning to his survival. As a witness to the most extreme atrocities and in his lifetime as an activist, he changed the way we think about human rights and the way we understand our responsibility to each other.