Shiva
The Latest
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Fast Forward As many as 100 shiva attendees exposed to coronavirus in Maryland
One of three residents of Montgomery County, Md. who contracted the coronavirus on a cruise in Egypt attended a Jewish mourning ritual at a retirement community before before getting diagnosed with the disease and exposed between 70 and 100 attendees to it. In the ritual, known as sitting shiva, family members of the deceased receive…
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Life What to bring to a shiva call
After a Jewish funeral, families typically commemorate the deceased loved one by sitting shiva for seven days, during which they stay at home and welcome guests to mourn with them and share memories. It can be daunting to make a shiva call, or visit a family in mourning. But the most helpful thing you can…
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Life How to light a Yahrzeit Candle
Judaism provides several rituals to guide families through the difficult days and months after a loved one’s death. During shiva, the first seven days after a funeral, mourners gather in their homes with friends and family. For the next thirty days, a period known as sheloshim, they avoid parties and public entertainment. Even after these…
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Fast Forward Biden Fundraising Letter Features Rabbi’s Story About Senator Making Shiva Call
WASHINGTON (JTA) — A Delaware rabbi wrote a fundraising endorsement for Joe Biden’s presidential campaign citing his appearance at the shiva for a constituent of modest means. Rabbi Michael Beals was leading a minyan in 2006 for Sylvia Greenhouse, who lived in a senior living facility in Claymont, a town at the northern tip of…
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The Schmooze Dead On: 10 Times Movies Got Jewish Funerals And Shivas Right
From dust we came, and to dust we shall return. And in between, a little popcorn maybe? Jewish death traditions are their own kind of immersive theater — a powerful group performance that calls for a set, props, costumes, special effects, and a grueling schedule. That high drama is no doubt why filmmakers and TV…
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Life The Forward Guide To Sitting Shiva
Not to be confused with Shiva, one of main Hindu deities, Shiva in Judaism is the week of mourning following the death of a family member. It is colloquially referred to as “sitting shiva,” in reference to the low stools that mourners are required to sit on in observance of the mourning period. In Judaism,…
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Life An Etiquette Guide To Paying A Shiva Call
Death is a difficult thing to process; not just for the mourners, but the entire community. And yet, through the process of sitting shiva, Jewish tradition has prescribed ways not just for the mourner to deal with the trauma, but for the community to provide comfort. And when it comes to one’s decorum at a…
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Life Top Four Myths Around Jewish Mourning
Death is often the elephant in the room, but luckily, Judaism gives us many guidelines for how to manage it when it happens, whether it’s been coming a long time, or surprises those closest out of the blue. Following those rules and keeping to Jewish law and practice can bring many people comfort in the…
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