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What I learned about life from preparing the dead

JL;DR SUMMARY Austin Albanese shares his transformative experiences working with a chevra kadisha, a traditional Jewish burial society, which played a pivotal role in his journey as a convert to Judaism. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish TraditionsDeathCommunityMemoryEqualityChevra KadishaVolunteerismTaharahJewish Burial

Places mentioned

New York, United States
"Historically, American Jewish communities often began by establishing a chevra kadisha and a burial ground, as seen in New Yorks Shearith Israel, the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States, founded in 1654."
Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv District, Israel
"Their presence reminded me of my time living in Tel Aviv, where secular Jews embraced traditions like Passover or Yom Kippur as part of their identity, even if their connection to faith was tenuous."

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