$18 for members | $25 for non-members

No matter your age, grief and loss are an inextricable part of our collective lives. Death Over Dinner: Jewish Edition brings this difficult subject to the table.

Death Over Dinner is a global initiative and movement that encourages friends, family members, or strangers to gather over a meal to openly discuss death, dying, and end-of-life planning. Leaning into the Jewish meaning of life and death, our program will offer a structured, facilitated space for reflection and discussion in small groups. Over a buffet of comfort food (because we should eat!) we’ll explore accessible Jewish texts to prompt questions and discussions about quality of life, decision making, communicating wishes with loved ones, and how to live well in the face of mortality.

Open to people of any faith (or no faith at all), the event will be led by Rabbi Melanie Levav from Shomer Collective who believes that talking about death not only better prepares us to approach life’s most challenging moments, but also helps us articulate and affirm who we are and what we ultimately care about.

Schedule:

6:00 pm: Vegetarian buffet dinner (GF and DF options available)
6:30 pm: Program begins (dessert and coffee will be served during the program)

About the facilitator: Melanie Levav is the Executive Director of the Shomer Collective. She is a second career rabbi who pivoted to focus on end-of-life care and conversations, bringing more than two decades of non-profit management, social work, Jewish education, and fundraising experience to her work. Melanie was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary. She is board certified as a chaplain by Neshama: Association for Jewish Chaplains, received her graduate degree in social work from Columbia University, is an end-of-life doula through the University of Vermont, and is a certified Respecting Choices Instructor.

NOTE: Don’t want to drive? Use our subsidized taxi service! Call 914-366-7898 for details.