Category: Death & Mourning

Sharon Anstey
Sharon Anstey
August 9, 2023
A Sea of Names: Healing our Imperfect Relationships through Mourner’s Kaddish
By Donna Harel
February 15, 2018
New boats come each week as the familiar ones start to leave. You connect, once a week, to the lost soul...
Design Your Own Ritual with a Little Help from a Rabbi
By Rabbi Kami Knapp
August 2, 2017
Ritual helps us pay attention. From the joy of a recovery to the grief of a funeral, ritual helps us inhabit the breadth of human experience.
Exploring the Soul in New Podcast "Kaddish"
By Ariana Katz
September 14, 2016
Here I was ... singing about the purity of souls with a room full of Reconstructionists: queers, gender outlaws, patrilineal Jews, and so many of us who are so used to being reminded that our souls are anything but.
Interview with By Your Side
By Ritualwell
August 8, 2016
As we enter the month of Av, which includes the holiday of Tisha b'Av, a day of mourning for communal tragedy, we are reminded of the power of ritual to sustain us during times of loss. However, for grieving families, the pain of loss can often make funeral planning challenging. In that spirit, we present an interview with Sharon Litvinsky and Jennifer Ross, founders of By Your Side, a funeral and memorial planning service in Princeton, NJ.
Dead of a Broken Heart
By Alden Solovy
May 9, 2016
Here’s our message: if you suffer, get help. You’re worth it.
First Person: The Stigma of Suicide and the Redemption of Speech
By Rabbi Yosef Goldman
May 9, 2016
After more than half a century of struggle with mental illness, mired in despair, my father died by suicide.  
Leaving Egypt: Suicide Prevention and the Questions We Must Ask
By Deborah Greene
May 2, 2016
Whoever saves one life, it is as if he has saved the whole world. (Talmud)
Jewish Grieving for a Non-Jewish Relative
By Erika Davis
July 20, 2015
I continued to wonder how a Jew-by-choice goes about honoring a dead loved one in a way that doesn’t offend non-Jewish relatives and honors my adopted Jewish traditions.
Mourning Our Way: Adapting Jewish Mourning Customs for a Special Needs Family
By Rabbi Amber Powers
July 13, 2015
Four months ago I was about to get ready for bed when my cellphone rang. I ignored it because it was from an unknown caller. When I ignored it a second time, the caller left a voicemail. It was my stepmother's friend, whom I had never met, calling from a hospital in Texas.

The Reconstructionist Network

Reclaiming the Hebrew Goddess and Writing Her Anew

Dive deep into the legacy of the Hebrew goddess! Through thoughtful reflection and inspired creative writing with guided writing prompts, discover where her secrets are hidden and reclaim her for your own. Six sessions starting December 14, 2023.

Get the latest from Ritualwell

Subscribe for the latest rituals, online learning opportunities, and unique Judaica finds from our store.