Saratoga Jewish Community Arts presents a Shabbaton weekend on the theme Ancestral Journeys: End-of-Life Wisdom in Torah and Midrash with Scholar-in-Residence Rabbi Dr. Simcha Raphael, February 10–11, 2024. The programs will be held in four locations over the weekend.

Rabbi Raphael is Founding Director of the DA’AT Institue for Death Awareness, Advocacy and Training. He is the author of numerous publications on death and Judaism, including the groundbreaking Jewish Views of the Afterlife.

With Rabbi Raphael, we will explore the unique texts and Jewish legends of our Biblical ancestors in the sacred writings of the Torah and Midrash. Through study and reflection, we will investigate stories revealing to us how our ancestors dealt with love and loss, grief, and bereavement, so that we may discover for ourselves guidelines for responding to end-of-life transitions and encounters with the unknown in our times.

To register, click below on the program(s) you'd like to attend. You may register for multiple programs, but you must register separately for each one.

• February 10, 9:30 am, at Congregation Shaara TFille, Saratoga Springs (program follows Shabbat services)
• NOTE LOCATION CHANGE!! February 10, 5:30 pm, Temple Sinai. Saratoga Springs (includes light dinner)
• February 11, 10 am, Congregation Beth El, Bennington, Vermont

• February 11, 2 pm, Congregation Beth Shalom, Clifton Park.

For more information about the program, click below:

Ancestral Journeys Program (PDF-recommended)

Ancestral Journeys Program (Word document)

This program is presented with the support of a generous grant from the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York, underwriting from Burke Funeral Home, and sponsorship of Temple Sinai of Saratoga Springs.