About Us

“Zoe, thank you so much for the creative grief processing session! I am delighted by the entire experience. You nailed every moment of it – the framework allowed for lots of individual process but also made space for sharing. The combination of song, poetry, writing, and drawing seemed to guide everyone into an open, exploratory mindset. This was an excellent offering for any group and worked well in the context of a work team.”

2024 Katie Wade, Senior Director of Creative Engagement at Front Porch

“Creating a sacred, private space with others who are grieving was a way to find empowerment in ‘intentional grieving.’ Prior to this class, I was open to experience my grief, but it was much more of a passive experience, as opposed to actively engaging in grief, i.e., confronting the specifics of loss, remembering and enjoying the legacy of my loved one’s life, and finding ways to foster a continuing relationship with my mother.”

2022 Participant in Parent Loss Grief Support Group

“Dear Zoe, I can’t thank you enough for everything you did to make my husband’s service such a wonderful experience. Really, it was perfect! You struck just the right tone, kept everything flowing so smoothly, spoke so movingly about my husband, made sure everyone felt included — I could go on and on. Everyone has told me how impressed they were with how you created such a beautiful container where all that love could be expressed. I want you to know that last night’s service filled me with joy. ”

2022 Memorial service on Zoom with 80 attendees

“Thank you for encouraging me to participate in the grief group. I really was hesitant at first and went to the first session thinking “I’ll just listen and not say anything.” I didn’t realize how much I was really was wanting to share my thoughts in a safe space without any judgement.

Your questions were all thought provoking and generally brought a lot of bottled up emotions to the surface. Your questions were probing and you allowed each of us time to process our thoughts. It was helpful to me to hear fellow participants’ issues and responses.

A lot of tears were shed each week but somehow I left each session smiling and with new insights and understanding. I so appreciate how you really listened to each of us and offered helpful suggestions which were appropriate to each individual situation. I appreciated the fact that this was a small group and that we could sit in a circle facing each other.

I liked how each session began with music and a quiet time to shift gears from the busy day. Zoe’s white board lists that we could take photos of were also helpful. The story of taking the shattered pieces and filling them in with gold was a beautiful moment that especially touched me. I loved bringing in pictures of our husbands and talking about them on the last session. My only negative was that the grief group was too short!”

“SPOUSE OR PARTNER LOSS” WINTER OF 2022.
GRIEF GROUP PARTICIPANT

I’d like to thank Rabbi Dan and Zoe for the following:

1. Creating a safe space for my feelings. The warmth and understanding that you both emit allowed me to feel feelings that were once frightening;
2. Encouraging me to create a future with M. and without M.; how to bring him along but not have him in the forefront;
3. The questions at the beginning and throughout each session enabled my mind to spread, to think, to question my past actions, thoughts and feelings. .Therefore I became aware of which worked for me and which did not, which I would carry forward and which I would attempt to leave behind.
4. Sadness is becoming bearable because I realize it doesn’t usurp me… wow what a relief.
5. Lastly, thank you for bringing together a group of women whom I can trust, be comfortable with, and honest with… oh, and laugh with!

Thank you for making me think. And question. And for a lot more than that.”

“SPOUSE OR PARTNER LOSS” WINTER OF 2022.
GRIEF GROUP PARTICIPANT

“This group allowed me to understand how to work through the hurt and abandonment I felt from my loss to actually being able to appreciate my loved one and grieve him. It gave me tools to process his loss and to better understand myself, validate myself, and process feelings about the story of his loss. I am forever grateful for these tools. I absolutely plan on continuing the work on my own. I have plans to work on familial relationships and continue to utilize the tools to move forward on my grief journey.”

2022 Participant in Parent Loss Grief Support Group

“Dear Rabbi Dan and Zoe, Thank you so much for all your love and support throughout this year.  I’ve felt in some ways like I’ve had a “grief nightlight” with the guidance you both shared in our class.  The meditations and processing suggestions you shared, not to mention the bond formed with everyone in the class, has lit up this grief path and made it easier for me to walk.”

2022 Participant in Parent Loss Grief Support Group

“Group sharing was extremely helpful to foster personal perspective on my own situation. Additionally, the hearts of the group members are so open and loving, whatever pain, guilt or heaviness that exists in my own grieving heart was lightened by my fellow members’ empathy and support. The music was also really calming and centering.”

2022 Participant in Parent Loss Grief Support Group

“Keeping the group small and intimate was paramount to its success.  Each one of us, I believe, was able to feel safe and vulnerable enough to share and process our feelings.  It truly felt like a sisterhood. The support from one another was immeasurable.  The weekly topics lead by Dan and Zoe always felt valuable and were approached so delicately, safely and therapeutically.  The tools were practical and useful.”

2022 Participant in Parent Loss Grief Support Group

“The story of Moses and the broken Torah, taking the shattered pieces of our lives and filling them with gold, considering saying kaddish for our future life and dreams and plans that will never be, secondary losses, all resonated with me.”

“SPOUSE OR PARTNER LOSS” WINTER OF 2022.
GRIEF GROUP PARTICIPANT

“This class helped me build “grief muscles”.  I feel stronger in my ability to process loss and feel more equipped to guide myself through stages of grief as other losses arise.”

2022 Participant in Parent Loss Grief Support Group

“I literally recommend this group to anyone who has experienced loss.  I can’t imagine someone NOT benefiting from this group.”

2022 Participant in Parent Loss Grief Support Group