Honoring Our Animal Companions, Part Two
Our animal companions bring joy, connection, and depth to our lives. For many of us, these relationships are deeply meaningful, adding richness, comfort, and texture to our days.
What rituals might help us honor these bonds and bring a sense of holiness to our relationships with the animals in our lives?
Join us for a second Ritual Lab gathering with Rabbi Linda Holtzman, a spiritual leader who has been called upon to create rituals for welcoming animals into our lives and mourning their loss.
Together, we’ll explore the kinds of rituals that are missing and much needed in our relationships with animal companions. These might include celebrations of adoptions, birthdays and “bark mitzvahs”; prayers for animals nearing the end of life; guidance for making difficult decisions about euthanasia; and meaningful ways to honor the lives of our animal companions and observe their yahrzeits.
This gathering is part of Ritual Lab, Ritualwell’s monthly series celebrating innovation in contemporary Jewish ritual. Each session features visionary writers, artists, and spiritual leaders who are expanding Jewish ritual practice in creative, meaningful, and accessible ways.
New to this conversation? You’re warmly welcome! You do not need to have attended our first gathering to participate. We’ll share resources from Part One with everyone who registers, so you can join us wherever you are in your thinking about the sacred bonds we share with animals.
Rabbi Linda Holtzman (she, they) is the organizer of Tikkun Olam Chavurah, a community that pursues social justice. One of the first rabbis to publicly identify as lesbian/queer, she served the LGTBQ synagogue, Beth Ahava, in Philadelphia. She is the founder of the Reconstructionist Hevra Kadisha, also in Philadelphia. A leading social justice activist, she is a founding member of POWER, an interfaith organization committed to building communities of opportunity that work for all. She is also a founder of the New Sanctuary Movement, which works to end injustices against immigrants regardless of their immigration status. Rabbi Linda is a lifelong animal lover.
