AriYael News

Counting The Omer - A Jewish End of Life Doula Perspective Counting The Omer - A Jewish End of Life Doula’s Perspective by Zoë Goldblatt (Delivered to a national group of Jewish Doulas over Zoom on behalf of Shomer Collective, May 2, 2023) We are in the period between Passover and the holiday of Shavuot where there’s a tradition called Counting the Omer. As a quick Hebrew lesson, the word Shavuot is the plural of Shavua, which means week. So “Shavuot” gives us a sense of time being parsed and measured. I’d like you to reflect on your [...]

These Haikus were born, among others, at a quiet crossroad bordering a large open field on all sides. Working with people and their families at end of life for nearly two and a half decades and sitting with my own end-of-life diagnoses, I am now leaning into writing Haikus to help me process the myriad emotions that emerge and recede in this rich and fleeting moment. –Ellen Goldblatt, Spiritual Care Provider and Chaplain, Seattle, WA Endless Love Within Reach out, reach in, take in Breath Unfold Mystery Listening Deeper Connecting to the Other Merging with the One Invite You Inside [...]

Champion of Nursing Award 2022 Honored Recipient • Susan Talon- Mazer RN, MSN • The SFBA Leadership & John Muir Palliative Care Teams Celebrated at Jack's Restaurant. The San Francisco Bay Area Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association recognizes your passionate dedication and contributions as an exceptional hospice and palliative care nurse. This legacy award is a reminder of your dedication to the nursing profession through education, role modeling and patient and family advocacy during your distinguished career. Your colleagues at John Muir Palliative Care Team wrote, "Susan is an incredible and heavily talented palliative nurse at the [...]

Kaddish Poem (For Susan Talon-Mazer) What unnumbered griefs we carry in our numbered hearts— unuttered sigh, the whispers of songless sparrows. "The deeper the sorrow the less tongue we have," the Talmud says. Tongue-tied, heart-stung, our deepest griefs bury themselves alive in the tombs of our former selves. Only the welcome lament liberates them. Let my words be to you like the green earth cherishing. Let this song sew up the tattered seams of your soul. And know, as you bathe the body of your beloved with bowls of rain water, you wash her with the very tears of God. [...]

Experiencing shiva with a sacred fire By Rabbi Dan Goldblatt In Short When I first became a congregational rabbi, I discovered that many people in my community had no experience attending a shiva minyan. We began educating people about the power of this gathering following the funeral of a close loved one. What we discovered was that every time someone had a significant loss and experienced the soul comfort of a shiva gathering, they became committed to and strong advocates for shiva gatherings for others. [The following article is offered as a partnership between eJP and the Clergy [...]