How has the coronavirus pandemic changed our experiences of burial and mourning rituals? Following the deaths of loved ones, how do we keep a sense of tradition and togetherness at these peak moments of challenge in our lives?
Brought together from different communities specially for the House of Life, Rabbi Daniel Epstein, bereavement specialist Linda Magistris and photographer of the African Caribbean community Charlie Phillips share their thoughts on practices lost and gained through social distancing.
They discuss what might have changed forever in the customs of different religions and communities around funerals, Nine Nights, Shiva and dealing with grief, and venture their ideas on what we can expect when the global health crisis is over.
This event is part of a digital series focusing on different aspects of death hosted by the House of Life at Willesden Jewish Cemetery, encouraging more people to talk about death, as part of life.
Participants:
Daniel Epstein, Rabbi of Cockfosters and N. Southgate synagogue
Linda Magistris, Chief Executive and Founder of the Good Grief Trust
Charlie Phillips, Photographer
Chaired by Hester Abrams, Project Leader, House of Life
Biographies
Rabbi Daniel Epstein
Rabbi Daniel Epstein has been serving the Cockfosters & N. Southgate United Synagogue – a North London community with over 1,000 members – together with his wife Ilana, since June 2014.
Rabbi Epstein is involved in interfaith dialogue, runs a successful adult education programme in Torah, political, social and economic thought; and works to raise awareness of mental health challenges in the Jewish community.
He initiated the idea of a Mental Health Awareness Shabbat, in conjunction with community mental health charity “Jami”, which has since become an annual event in the Jewish communal calendar.
Rabbi Epstein has been a foundation governor of the JFS School since 2016 and is also an educator on the Holocaust Educational Trust’s “Lessons from Auschwitz” programme that takes over 3,500 high school students to Poland on one-day trips.
Rabbi Epstein studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion in Israel and, subsequently, at the Straus-Amiel post-ordination Rabbinic School. Rabbi Epstein holds a BSc (Hons) ARCS in Chemistry and Management Science from Imperial College.
Charlie Phillips
Born in Kingston Jamaica, Charlie Phillips arrived in London in 1953. In the early 1960s he was given a camera by a Black American GI stationed in Notting Hill, and Phillips quickly set about photographing the lives of the African Caribbean community around him.
A lifetime project documenting the changing cultural rituals surrounding death in his community began when he attended his Aunt Susie’s funeral in 1962. For him his work is a loving celebration of the traditions and cultures of the African diaspora in London.
Phillips has witnessed significant changes and emerging traditions in burial and mourning practices. From the disappearance of bodies lying on dining room tables and the rituals of Nine Night to the establishment of specialist black funeral directors and the booming business of burying and celebrating the dead.
Linda Magistris and The Good Grief Trust
The UK's umbrella charity bringing over 800 support services together under one database. Run by the bereaved for the bereaved, offering early signposting to a choice of tailored help. A national network of support for those grieving and the professionals working with them.
Rabbi Daniel Epstein
Charlie Phillips
Linda Magistris
