Our NFTY community is here to support us in the best of times, and in the most challenging of times. As we continue our Living NFTY Initiative, we pause to learn about how we can help one another through times of grief and mourning. Take a moment to read through our resources on grief and mourning.
"Ha-makom yinakhem et-khem betokh she-ar aveilei tziyon veyerushalayim. May God comfort you among all the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem"
- Traditional words said upon greeting a mourner
“On the death of a friend, we should consider that the fates through confidence have devolved on us the task of a double living, that we have henceforth to fulfill the promise of our friend's life also, in our own, to the world.”
- Henry David Thoreau
In modern America, you’re not supposed to cry, you have to be strong. But in traditional Jewish culture, crying is accepted and valued. It isn’t seen as a sign of pain- it’s a sign of healing and recovery.
-Phyllis Toback in Invisible Thread
Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People by Rabbi Harold S. Kushner
Living When A Loved One Has Died by Earl Grollman
Straight Talk about Death by Earl Grollman
Jewish Organizations and Resources
MyJewishLearning.com: Death and Mourning
Judaism 101: Life, Death and Mourning
Babaganewz: How to Comfort Mourners
A Time to Grieve, a Time to Teach - The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
Traditional Prayers and Meditations
JewishHealing.com: Readings and Poetry
The National Center for Jewish Healing: Jewish Spiritual Resources
Secular Organizations and Resources
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's Five Stages of Grief
The Compassionate Friends: Supporting Family After a Child Dies
The Dougy Center: Bill of Rights for Grieving Teens
The Dougy Center: Search for Local Grief Support
Griefnet.com: Online Community, Resources and Links
Griefworks BC: List of Grief Resources, Articles and Links
A collection of reflective readings and poetry from Jewish sources
A Prayer for Prayer After My Death A Tree Don't Tell Me Each Person Has a Name It is Never Too Late Mi Shebeirach There are Stars (Yeish Kochavim) Repairing the Fabric We Remember Them When Our Burden Seems to Heavy