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Podcast: North Star with Ellin Bessner
Episode: Zoom funerals, socially distanced shivas: One rabbi's guide to coping with death during COVID and beyond
Description: Four years ago, Rabbi Avraham Plotkin was writing a book about bereavement when, in a horrible coincidence, his own 14-year-old son died. Rather than let that derail his project, he pushed forward, drawing from 35 years of working funerals and shivas, and understanding what helped people move on after the shiva period ends. He says the advice in his book actually helped him move forward on a personal level.
His book came out in Nov. 2020, months into the COVID pandemic, after traditional bereavement rules and hospital visiting hours were completely upturned. Now, as Jews worldwide approach the first...