Page 4 - jr122122

Chaplain's Corner

We Are All Going to Die

BY RABBI BARRY COHEN commonly held beliefs just to ruin them;
A significant portion of my time and en- he breaks them down to replace them with
ergy as Community Chaplain is devoted to something that is more constructive and
interacting with people who are dying and healthier.
with their loved ones who are witnessing One of my favorite episodes was “Adam
this process. After they die, I then interact Ruins Death.” Here is an excerpt of his
Published biweekly by with family and friends who are processing opening monologue:
Jewish Federation of Greater Portland their traumatic experience. Here’s a challenge. I want you to believe
9900 SW Greenburg Road, Suite 220 These interactions have been emotionally what I am about to tell you. Not just hear
Tigard, OR 97223 charged, draining and humbling. One les- it. Not just understand it. But believe it. It’s
503-245-6219 son I have learned is that the majority of a fact that you know to be true but have
JewishPortland.org us are not prepared to confront death and never been willing to accept. And it’s this.
lack the knowledge and skills to navigate You are going to die. It’s difficult to be able
its aftermath. to imagine, isn’t it? Take a moment and try
Editor I want to relate this phenomenon to the to picture what it is to not exist. You can’t
Deborah Moon TV series Adam Conover created, “Adam do it. You’re imagining darkness, black.
editor@jewishportland.org Ruins Everything.” With this series, Con- But there would be no black. There will be
over addresses common misconceptions no color because there will be no “you” to
Circulation through in-depth explorations of various perceive it. And your mind recoils from that
topics. He tackled charitable giving, vot-
idea. It’s simply unable to conceive of its
To receive the Jewish Review in your ing, weight loss, college and the suburbs, own nonexistence.
email inbox, fill out the form at among other subjects. Along the way, he How many of us have stopped what we
jewishportland.org/subscribe presents historical background, interviews are doing, sat down and contemplated our
with real-life experts and peer-reviewed deaths? After I watched this episode, I did
studies. At the end of each episode, there
OPINIONS printed in the Jewish Review is a positive takeaway. He doesn’t ruin See CHAPLAIN: DEATH, page 5
do not necessarily reflect those of the
Jewish Review or the Jewish Federation
of Greater Portland, its governing board RESOURCES FOR DEATH, DYING & MOURNING
or the staffs of either the newspaper or Burial Societies
the Federation. Portland has two holy societies of volunteers who prepare the deceased for
burial according to Jewish tradition: Chevra Kavod haMet and the Portland
Jewish Federation Hevra Kaddisha.
of Greater Portland online For questions about preparing for end of life, dying, death and mourning,
visit ChevraKavodHaMet.org or email chevrakavodhamet@gmail.com,
Website: jewishportland.org or contact Michael Rosenberg at the Portland Hevra Kaddisha at

Instagram: instagram.com/jewishfederationpdx/ michael@cashcoloan.com or 503-519-2454.
Facebook: facebook.com/JewishPDX Hesed Shel Emet
Hesed’s mission is to provide a Jewish burial in keeping with the traditions
Jewish Review: jewishportland.org/jewishreview and practices of Judaism for individuals who could not afford it.
jewishportland.org/ourcommunity/hesed-shel-emet
NEXT ISSUES A Jewish Ending: Dying, death, mourning and beyond
Chevra Kavod haMet hosted a Zoom program about how to be prepared
Issue date Deadline to make practical and personal decisions about the time before death, the
moment of passing, preparations for burial, internment options, stages of
JAN. 4 DEC. 28 (Wed.) mourning and the afterlife. See a recording at tinyurl.com/2s3zb8r5.
Those topics were covered in more depth during a spring series that can be
JAN. 18 JAN. 12 viewed at chevrakavodhamet.org/questions/continued-learning/.
JFCS Grief Connection
FEB. 1 JAN. 26 Jewish Family & Child Service hosts a monthly grief-processing group for
adults the first Friday of every month at 10 am on Zoom. For details, visit
FEB. 15 FEB. 9 jfcs-portland.org/grief-connection/.
National Jewish Death & Dying Resources
Submit photos, news Shomer Collective (shomercollective.org) serves as a concierge, curator,
and obituaries to convener and change agent for end-of-life conversations and experiences,
editor@jewishportland.org guided by Jewish values. See partners: shomercollective.org/our-partners.

4 Jewish Review Dec. 21, 2022