The North American Chevra Kadisha and Jewish Cemetery Conference were held on Skokie in June. The conference was held jointly by two organizations: Kavod v’Nichum—Honor and Comfort, and The Jewish Cemetery Association of North America (JCANA). The term chevra kadisha means “sacred society” and refers to a Jewish society which tends to the deceased.
Kavod v’Nichum provides assistance, training and resources regarding Jewish death and bereavement practice for chevra kadisha groups and bereavement committees in synagogues and communities throughout the U.S. and Canada. Since 2003, the Maryland-based Kavod v’Nichum has held annual meetings for chevra kadishagroups, clergy, Jewish chaplains, and others involved in Jewish communal work around issues of illness, death, burial, and mourning. This was the conference’s first meeting in the Chicago area.
JCANA has been a co-host of the conference since 2009. JCANA’s mission is to preserve Jewish cemeteries by organizing and sharing information, to sustain community awareness relating to end-of-life issues, and to maintain Jewish burial practices.
Some 150 attendees heard from rabbis and chaplains, professors and other educators, funeral directors and community professionals, and experts in fundraising, marketing, and website design.
Several agencies and programs supported by JUF/JF participated in this year’s conference. Leaders of the Jewish Healing Network of Chicago spoke on “Chaplaincy and Comfort— Prayer and Healing.” Rabbi Michael Balinsky, executive vice president of the Chicago Board of Rabbis, discussed the Jewish concept of ritual purity. There was a talk on collaborations between Jewish cemeteries and Jewish Federations. And the Jewish Community Emergency Resiliency Team (J-CERT) explained how the Chicago Jewish community prepares for, responds to, and recovers from critical incidents while providing crisis intervention and trauma assistance.
Other topics ranged from the history of the chevra kadisha movement in Chicago to the use of Talmud parables in chaplaincy work. Still other talks revolved around Jewish cemeteries themselves, from utilizing their information for genealogical studies to ensuring their financial viability… to promoting them through online social networks.
“Our organization is the only one of its kind in North America,” said David Zinner, Executive Director of Kavod v’Nichum, explaining that it educates the public on issues from autopsies and organ donation to the security of cemeteries.
We love Chicago,” Zinner added, noting that he had lived here before moving to the East Coast.
The Jewish Healing Network of Chicago is a collaborative project of Jewish Child and Family Services, Council for Jewish Elderly, the Chicago Board of Rabbis, and Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.
