Joanne Levy wrote a new Canadian young-adult novel set in a Jewish funeral home
Grief may not seem like an obvious topic for someone who writes for tweens. And yet, grief sparked the latest story from Joanne Levy. Sorry For Your Loss, published in October by Orca Books, is set in a family-owned-and-operated funeral home not unlike the United Hebrew Memorial Chapel—which Levy’s father Dan manages in Hamilton, Ont. […]
Press: A yahrzeit for my mother in these dark times
Special to The CJN, Viva Sarah Press writes about how she’s unable to attend her deceased mother’s unveiling ceremony in Canada because she’s currently situated in Tel Aviv.
Managing Passover and shivahs through COVID-19
With social distancing becoming a reality in our everyday lives and Passover being around the corner, I have no idea if I should host the seder as usual this year. I’m afraid for my parents to be with so many people in close quarters. I’m afraid to have my in-laws, who have just come back from Florida. I’m afraid of this whole thing. If I don’t host, what will everyone do for Pesach?
Court rules against accommodating religious beliefs about death
When Shalom Netanel Ouanounou passed away after six months on life support, the court case to determine whether he was legally dead or alive was still unresolved. Now, a judge has ruled that the Christian beliefs of Taquisha McKitty should not impact the medical decision over whether to remove her from life support.
Grieving for my father at the Seder
The year I said Kaddish for my dad, I approached Passover with a mix of trepidation and anticipation. I loved being with my dad’s extended family for the Seder, but that night, in 2009, was when I expected to feel his loss the most.
The Jewish way of mourning: How tradition helps people through the bereavement process
But the laws and customs of Jewish mourning extend far beyond funerals, shivahs and unveilings, and are observed to varying degrees across the spectrum of the Jewish community.
Baby Alfie case resonated with Shalom Ouanounou’s mother
Rivka Ouanounou admits to following the case of Baby Alfie in the U.K. closely. After all, there was more than a passing similarity to the situation she had recently experienced with her own son, Shalom Natanel Ouanounou.
Zionist Toronto Rabbi Feder dies in his beloved Israel
Rabbi Avraham Feder, cantor, educator and founding rabbi of Toronto’s Beth Tikvah Synagogue, died in Israel on Feb. 8. He was 87.
Officials announce Canada’s first ‘culturally Jewish’ hospice
In response to an urgent, even “desperate,” need, Canada’s first Jewish hospice was announced in Toronto on Feb. 12.
Court grants injunction to keep brain dead Orthodox man on life support
Shalom Nethanel Ouanounou’s family convinced a judge on Wednesday to issue an interim injunction to prevent doctors from taking him off life support.
