Course 1: Chevrah Kadisha: Origins and Evolution
This course traces the evolution of Chevrah Kadisha practice and the chevrah’s role in the community from early times, through the standard of practice in Medieval Europe, and into the changes that took place in the transition to the Western Hemisphere and modern times. Each topic in this course is enhanced by text study related to the specific time period being discussed.
The stages in the development of the Chevrah Kadisha are based upon texts and writing that include elements of stories, history, ideology and culture (which includes traditions and customs). This “written record” is significant for what it says and what it does not say. Each major stage adds elements to the actual development and building of the traditional Chevrah Kadisha and its practices, to its continually evolving structures today.
Topic areas include:
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- Introduction to Chevrah Kadisha
- Textual foundations and developments
- Historical evolution of this work
- Biblical and Talmudic to Europe
- Europe to North America
- North America pre-1960
- North America post-1960
- North America pre-1975 Models
- North America post-1975 Models
- Recent decades
- Meit mitzvah historically and today
- The larger community today
- Disasters and the Chevrah Kadisha
- Future directions, challenges and opportunities
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Upcoming Course 1 Schedule
Course 1 Class Schedule – Tuesdays, January 4th through March 22nd, 2022, 8:00pm – 9:30pm EST, 5:00pm – 6:30pm PST