Jewish Mourning and the Shiva

Leading a Shiva is not just knowing what Nusach to use, it is about holding the community of mourners. Join us to explore the topic of mourning and the Shiva from a Jewish point of view, both through the lens of tradition and how that tradition plays out in the 21st century.

We will discuss numerous themes including Comforting the Mourners, Halachic Considerations, The Kaddish, Liturgical Soundscape, Mourning as a Process, Practical Methods, Religious Practices, Setting the Mood, and Social Etiquette.

Jewish Mourning and the Shiva will be taught by Rabbi Joel Levy and Chasan Jalda Rebling along with other guest speakers who specialise in death and mourning.

This course, generously subsidised by the Jewish Joint Burial Society (JJBS), starts on Tuesday 5th March 2024 for seven weeks on Zoom, running through to Tuesday 16th April 2024 at 19:30 - 20:45 GMT*.

*All times UK, adjust to your local time zone.

Cost: £18.00 (generously subsidised by JJBS)

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Note: this course is not about learning to lead Mincha or Ma'ariv, it is about the larger questions and topics relating to death and mourning, and how to conduct yourself as a Jewish prayer leader in a Shiva house, comforting the mourners and holding the kehila (community) together.

Meet the Teachers

Rabbi Joel Levy

Rabbi Joel Levy became the rabbi of Kol Nefesh Masorti in September 2001. He lives in Jerusalem and is at Kol Nefesh roughly one Shabbat each month, as well as each year for the Yamim Nora'im and Shavuot. Joel is Rosh Yeshiva at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem, where he is active in inter-denominational and inter-faith work, and is a also a trustee and Director of Rabbinical Studies at EAJL.

Chazan Jalda Rebling

Chazan Jalda Rebling grew up with the Yiddish songs of her mother, a Shoah survivor. She started her studies in Chazanut in the ALEPH cantorial, where she gained her S'micha as Chazan in 2007. In 2010 she met Chazan Jacky Chernett and developed a very fruitful friendship. Since then, she has been a teacher for EAJL and helped to develop several EAJL programmes, leading to her current role as Director of Studies.