The Jewish Collaborative and House of Ruach invite those who are navigating a path of grief to join our virtual Bereavement Support Groups led by Chaplain Fran Chalin, BCC/MSW on Zoom
If you are interested in participating in one of our weekly groups, please complete the form below.
Tuesday meetings will convene from 2:00pm - 3:30pm Pacific Time.
FIRST Tuesday of the month is for those who have lost parents, guardians, siblings and close friends.
SECOND Tuesday of the month is an open group for all losses
THIRD Tuesday of the month is for those who have lost spouses and longtime companions.
FOURTH Tuesday of the month teen and adult children.
Tuesdays at 2pm PT | 3pm ET
Thursday meetings will convene from 5:00pm - 6:30pm Pacific Time.
FIRST Thursday of the month is for those who have lost spouses and longtime companions.
SECOND Thursday of the month is for those who have lost teen and adult children.
THIRD Thursday of the month is for those who have lost parents, guardians, siblings and close friends.
FOURTH or last Thursday of the month is an open group for all losses
Thursdays at 5pm PT | 8pm ET
Circle of Hope & Healing - Special presentations led by experts in the fields of grief, mourning, chronic illness and life transition. Click here for a schedule of upcoming events and past recorded sessions.
If you are interested in participating in one of our weekly groups, please complete the form below.
Our support team includes:
Rabbi Marcia Tilchin is the founder and spiritual leader of the Jewish Collaborative of Orange County. In addition to building a collaborative, creative and compassionate Jewish community accessible to all, Rabbi Tilchin leads services and festival celebrations, presides over lifecycle events and serves in a pastoral role, offering visitations for those who are ill and in need, and bereavement support for those who’ve experienced a loss. Rabbi Tilchin knows the journey of grief on a personal level having lost both a parent and a sibling.
Chaplain Fran Chalin, BCC/MSW: Active in grief education since before the AIDS epidemic, Chaplain Fran Chalin brings a unique perspective as to how loss affects our every day life. Her work as a Chaplain is to help those in her care to truly understand that to grieve is a normal reaction to loss. Through her grief support groups she identifies the power inherent in coming together as a community to listen to stories and to empower each person to realize that their healing comes from the knowledge that we don’t get over our losses but we get through them, and the way we get through them is not in isolation, but rather in community.
Our values at the Jewish Collaborative of Orange County are rooted in empathy and compassion. We offer programs and resources to support those who have suffered the loss of a loved one on their journey through grief. Rabbi Tilchin is available for pastoral visits, emotional support, and end-of-life needs. Please mail her at RabbiMarcia@JewishCollaborativeOC.org or call (949) 402-8004.
We also offer OC Egal, a nightly egalitarian minyan, for those observing a Yahrzeit or wishing to recite Kaddish.
At the Jewish Collaborative of Orange County, our values are rooted in empathy and compassion. We offer programs and resources to support those who have suffered the loss of a loved one on their journey through grief to meet them where they are, and help them move toward renewed hope, healing and peace.
Rabbi Tilchin is available for pastoral visits, emotional support, and end-of-life needs. Please mail her at RabbiMarcia@JewishCollaborativeOC.org or call (949) 402-8004.
We also offer OC Egal, a nightly egalitarian minyan, for those observing Yahrzeit or wishing to recite Kaddish.
Recommended Readings, Videos & Websites
Books:
- Making Loss Matter by Rabbi David Wolpe
- When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold Kushner
- A Short Course in Happiness after Loss (and other dark difficult times) by Maria Sirois, Psy. D.
- A to Z Healing Toolbox: A Practical Guide for Navigating Grief and Trauma with Intention by Susan Hannifin-MacNab
- When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön
- A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis
- The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
- The Healing Hand: 5 discussions to have with the dying who are living by Sue Knight Deutsch
Articles:
A Jewish Journey Through Grief - My Jewish Learning
Finding Support at Each Stage of Grief - My Jewish Learning
Websites:
- Soaring Spirits International (Widowed)
- The Compassionate Friends (Grieving Parents)
- The Dougy Center (Grieving Children)
- Esalen Institute (has some grief workshops)
- Kripalu (has some grief workshops)
Videos:
- TED Talk "We don't move on from grief, we move forward with it" by Nora McInerny
- TED Talk "When Someone You Love Dies, There is no such thing as moving on" by Kelly Lynn
- "Happiness in Dark Times" by Maria Sirois
- "Colors of Grief and Healing" by Sue Knight Deutsch
- Speaking Grief, a YouTube video exploring the transformative experience of losing a family member in a grief-avoidant society. It validates grief as a normal, healthy part of the human experience rather than a problem that needs to be “fixed.”
