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Resource Category: Grieving

Jewish Responses to Traumatic Death with the Shomer Collective

What can we possibly say to a person who is grieving a traumatic death? We know too many examples of such events in our own lives, from the shock of death by suicide, to the realities of death by natural disaster, to the horror of death by terrorism, and more. And yet, too often, we are stunned into our own silence, and moreso, into our own inaction, not knowing what to say or do in response to a traumatic death in our communities.
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October 7th – The Jewish Collective Trauma Response

By Talya Gordon | I don’t have the answers for how or even if we will be okay. Right now, all we can do is sit with the pain and be honest about how we are doing. We are not okay. We need the world to do more. We need to mourn and cry and take care of ourselves. We need support from non-Jews, so we know people outside of our community care about our safety.
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Death and Sorting

By Rabbi Sandra Cohen | After the death of her father-in-law, Rabbi Sandra reflects on grief is funny. "Just when you think you have a handle on your feelings and on the physical energy around mourning, it creeps up on you from behind and nails you to the wall."
Group of older adults gathering.
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Engaging with Grief

It can be hard to know the best thing to say to someone who is grieving. While there is no perfect response, it can help to be prepared with different questions and phrases to engage with people who are suffering in the most effective and sensitive way possible.
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Guide for the Grieving: A Toolkit for Navigating Loss

Death is a natural occurrence, and it is a normal reaction to feel overwhelmed and confused when a loved one dies. This Guide for the Grieving is a resource for: reviewing descriptions of traditional Jewish ritual and mourning practices, navigating practical decisions and understanding the range of physical, mental, behavioral, and emotional responses one may experience following the death of a loved one.
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