Understanding Preplanning for Death

​Join us for a webinar on the Jewish approach to preplanning for death with local experts, Holly Blue Hawkins and David Zinner. This webinar is designed for anyone who is interested in learning more about Jewish death practices: Jews and those who love them as well as professionals that might be in the role of supporting Jewish families at the end of life.

​When our loved ones, our clergy, and our doctors understand our values and what we want for ourselves near end-of-life, they and we are better equipped to make decisions that resonate with our desires. This webinar explores the Jewish approach to this important aspect of facing death.

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Holly Blue Hawkins

​Holly Blue Hawkins is a Natural Deathcare advocate, educator, community organizer, cemeterian, author and poet. In 2022 she co-created and launched two twelve-module courses on the subject of Natural Burial: in partnership with Lee Webster The Green Burial Master Class; and with David Zinner Jewish And Green: Cemetery Management For The 21st Century. As Gamliel Institute graduate and past faculty, Final Passages graduate, member of the Conservation Burial Alliance, Rosha Chevrah Kadisha (Head of Jewish Burial Society), past member of the Board of Trustees of the Funeral Consumers Alliance of California and independent consultant; with over 40 years of experience in end-of-life subjects, Holly Blue provides education and training to both Jewish and secular audiences. She has visited countless natural burial sites from England to Hawai'i, presented at international conferences, trained home funeral guides, consulted with cemetery management and mortuary personnel, taught community college extension courses and is a passionate advocate for environmentally sustainable and culturally-sensitive burial practices.

​David Zinner

​David Zinner is the founder and recently retired Executive Director of Kavod v'Nichum, (Honor and Comfort), which has worked to restore to Jewish death and bereavement practice, the traditions and values of kavod hamet (honoring the dead) and nichum avelim (comforting the bereaved) since 2000. He was also the co-founder of the Gamliel Institute, a center for leadership training and advocacy of traditional Jewish practice in the continuum of care at the end of life since 2010.

David's newest project – PRINCE – Preservation and Restoration Initiative for Neglected Cemetery Entities matches cemeteries that need labor with prisoners eligible for work release. As co-Vice-President of the Jewish Funeral Practices Committee of Greater Washington, David participates in developing citywide contracts with funeral homes. He is a consumer representative on the State of Maryland's Advisory Council on Cemetery Operations. He was the Executive Director of Tifereth Israel Congregation, a conservative synagogue in Washington, DC for 10 years.

​​​The slide deck and speaker notes from this webinar will be available to attendees. 

​See the Full JADE Webinar Schedule Here.

​If you would like to request a webinar for your community on this content presented by a JADE educator, please email david@jadeinfo.org.

​​​This event is made possible by our generous JADE donors.