RESOURCE GUIDE
Organization Index
Click on any logo to go straight to their resource page.
Initiatives and Offerings
The Shiva Project
CONTENTS
01. About the Convening
02. The Three-Part Space
03. Prepare - Before Death
04. Transition - At the End of Life
05. Mourn - Following Death
06. Other Resources
07. About Shomer Collective
INTRODUCTION
A THREE-PART SPACE It takes a wide variety of hands to do the sacred work needed at the end of life. At the reConvening, we are focused on the three stages surrounding death - the “before, middle, and after” that inform our field.
This space encompasses the work done while we are alive when we are conscious of our mortality. It includes advance care planning, conversations about our Jewish values, and other legal steps.
This space is where we tend to the end of life, and care for our dead. It includes work and rituals done by rabbis, doulas, chevrei kadisha, chaplains, and funeral-cemetery professionals.
This is a space for loss and grief, and the many different forms it can take. Jewish mourning rituals and other communal or mental health resources can support during this time.
Featured organizations:
Who they are:
What Matters: Caring Conversations About End of Life is a signature program of Shomer Collective, focused on Advance Care Planning through a lens of Jewish values.
Resources: Sage Voices: A diverse group of rabbis and religious leaders speak about end-of-life issues and how they integrate Jewish tradition into their own teaching and care for others. Wallet Card: Individuals can fill this out and put it in their wallet in case of emergencies so responders know who their healthcare agent is and/or where to find their living will. ACP as a Jewish Process: A short document to share when placing Advance Care Planning within a Jewish lens.
Offerings:
Attend/recommend online group sessions for individuals and professionals Bring a What Matters presentation to your organization or conference Train to be a What Matters facilitator in your community
Where to find them:
shomercollective.org/whatmatters
Who they are:
Ematai works to enable Jewish families to navigate an increasingly complex healthcare journey, particularly in the dilemmas of aging, end-of-life treatment, and organ donation.
Resources:
Netivot: Advance healthcare directive with a full set of resources, including a living will and conversation primer.
Offerings:
Educational resources: Informative and thoughtprovoking essays, articles, videos, webinars, and lectures. Realtime counseling: A hotline for patients, rabbis, and healthcare professionals
Where to find them:
ematai.org
Featured organizations:
Who they are:
Kavod v'Nichum recruits, trains, and empowers Chevra Kadisha – sacred communities that come together at the end of life to care for the deceased and comfort the living through Jewish rituals and traditions.
Resources: Learn more about the Chevra Kadisha Kavod v'Nichum's Resource Library Recommended reading
Offerings:
Sign up for our newsletter Learn about and register for upcoming workshops
Where to find them:
kavodvnichum.org
Who they are:
Recustom is a platform designed to help people make Jewish rituals their own–no matter what life brings. We offer abundant tools and resources to help people mix the old with the new, and remake Jewish rituals in a way that works for them and their authentic selves. We offer high quality, curated content for individuals of any background to mix and match for their own Jewish practices.
Resources:
End of Life rituals on Recustom
Offerings:
Share your end of life practices & resources with us; we'd love to feature your voice on our site and on social media. Contact info@recustom.com for more information
Where to find them:
recustom.com
Who they are:
Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains is an international professional association of Jewish spiritual care specialists providing ongoing education, training, certification and sacred community. NAJC advocates for Jewish chaplains and chaplaincy.
Resources:
NeshamaCast podcast Follow NAJC on Facebook or LinkedIn Check out the Journal of Jewish Spiritual Care
Offerings:
Non-Chaplains: Reach out to info@najc.org for chaplain referrals. Chaplains: Join the association.
Where to find them:
NAJC.org
Who they are:
An End-of-Life Doula assists a dying person and their loved ones before, during, and after death. They provide emotional, spiritual, and physical support both to the dying person and their loved ones. A Jewish End-of-Life Doula is informed by Jewish wisdom, rich tradition, and rituals that a Jewish person may be inspired to incorporate into their end-of-life journey.
Resources:
A Doula’s Guide to Jewish Rituals at the End of Life Shomer Collective’s Jewish End-of-Life Doula Directory
Offerings:
Non-Doulas: Email us to request a doula referral. Doulas: Shomer Collective convenes Jewish End-oflife doulas via a directory, a Facebook page, and quarterly meet-ups. Visit the website for more.
Where to find them:
shomercollective.org/jewish-eol-doulas
Featured organizations:
The Shiva Project
Who they are:
The Blue Dove Foundation was created to address mental illness and addiction in the Jewish community and beyond.
Resources:
A Jewish Guide to Supporting Individuals Through Traumatic Death : A resource to help those in mourning find a way to support themselves and others after a traumatic death — or a death out of time Every Life Counts : A suicide prevention program #QuietingTheSilence : A platform to help create programs and events focusing on mental health and substance use
Offerings:
Resource Library: Articles, downloadable activity sheets, videos, podcasts and more about Jewish holidays and concepts, and the ways Judaism addresses mental illness. Workshop Offerings: Host a virtual or in-person workshops on mental wellness custom-tailored to your needs. Partnering with Blue Dove: We are always looking for likeminded organizations to partner with to amplify our message and create meaningful resources or programs.
Where to find them:
thebluedovefoundation.org
The Shiva Project Who they are:
The Shiva Project, an initiative of Shomer Collective, is an exploration of Jewish grief and mourning practices in our communities and beyond.
Resources: Shiva Guidance, Prayers and Reflections, created together with Recustom Grief & Mourning Resources for individuals
Offerings:
Stay tuned for the launch of a new project as Shomer Collective works to reinvigorate shiva to empower Jews and their families to benefit from the wisdom of Jewish tradition and ritual following the death of a loved one.
Where to find them:
shomercollective.org/shiva
Other Resources From
Concierge: Individuals and Families can contact us through our “Need Help Now” page to set up direct concierge services (limited pastoral counseling, resource connection, and more) through email and zoom.
Curation:
Shomer Collective has an extensive resource library with a variety of Jewish perspectives on many end-oflife topics.
Programming and Education:
Register for upcoming programs or watch past recordings on a wide range of topics by visiting our program page.
Field-wide Directory:
Registrants of Shomer Collective Convenings are a part of our Jewish End-of-Life Directory. This is for professional use and is secured with a password shared upon registration.
We envision a world where end-of-life matters are spoken about openly, thoughtfully, and frequently, creating opportunities for many more people to engage with Jewish wisdom, values, and practices. These conversations and experiences can be transformational, having an impact not only on the person who is dying but on whole family and community systems.
ABOUT
The mission of Shomer Collective is to improve end-of-life experiences for individuals and their families— inspired by Jewish wisdom, values, and practices—by curating content and resources and building a diverse network of organizational partners.