Unveiling Death: Eternity in About 24 Minutes

The Funeral Director Profession: A Conversation with David Jacobson

David Jacobson founded Chicago Jewish Funerals in 1997 to provide a service to the community that was as attentive to the needs of the bereaved as it was to the traditions of the Jewish people.
David is a leading expert on Kavod Hamet, the Jewish commandment to honor the dead. He speaks frequently to community groups, schools, and synagogues. David lives in Evanston, Illinois.
Also check out the podcast Groundbreaking on which David was recently a guest.

October 7 – Death and Tragedy in the Jewish Mind: A Conversation with Rabbi Matt Reimer and Rabbi Josh Rose

Rabbi Matt Reimer is associate director of Congregational Consulting and Transition Services for the Union of Reform Judaism. He has served congregations of all sizes. His goal is to help synagogues find relevance and meaning in Jewish tradition. He lives in New York City.
Rabbi Josh Rose is the founding director of Co/Lab: Reimagine Jewish, which opens doors to Jewish connection through arts, ideas, and culture. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
Rabbis Matt, Josh, and I put out another podcast, Weird Being Jewish. Check it out.

Hinduism and Death: A Conversation with Dr. Vijay Satnarine

Vijay Satnarine is the director of education for the Hindu American Foundation, at which he prepares educational materials for Hindu Americans and for the broader American public. Dr. Satnarine strives to bring compassionate ancestral techniques to difficult conversations and to transmit the teachings of his ancestors with integrity and relevance for our times. He is also an acharya, a priest and senior scholar highly versed in Hindu scripture. Dr. Satnarine lives in Orlando, Florida.

Obituary Writing as Ministry: A Conversation with Chicago Tribune Reporter Bob Goldsborough

Bob Goldsborough is a freelance journalist for the Chicago Tribune. He writes obituaries of local luminaries and reports on celebrity real estate transactions. Bob is also a local historian, particularly of Wheaton, Illinois, where he was raised and lives.  He offers presentations on Wheaton's notable citizens and architecture.

The Death of a Friend: My Daughter Betsy Weill Interviews Me

In this episode, my daughter Betsy interviews me about the loss of my dear friend, Michael Petriano, who died 22 years ago. Betsy was a toddler when Mike died, but she and her sister and brother, Ruthie and Sammy, grew up understanding what a mammoth loss this was. We discuss Mike’s and my premonitions, if that’s what they were, that he would die, and we talk about my dreams, if that’s what they were, about Mike for the year after his death. And a lot more. 
 

The Door That’s Open: From AIDS Clinic to Skydiving with Michelle Fiordaliso

The Door That’s Open: From AIDS Clinic to Skydiving with Michelle Fiordaliso
Michelle Fiordaliso is an award-winning writer and filmmaker with a degree in clinical social work and psychotherapy. She is also a birth and death doula, ushering people through the major transitions of life, while also coaching executives through the smaller transitions of life, like starting companies, mergers and acquisitions, and successful exits. Her writing has been featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Ms., and elsewhere. 
Michelle is the co-author of “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Ex,” a self-help book on how to deal with past relationships. She’s also the author of the forthcoming book “Rejected: Essays on Belonging,” featuring photographs by Lindsay Morris. It’s available wherever you get your books. 

Loved Ones in Hospice: Time in Slow Motion with Anne McKernan

Loved Ones in Hospice: Time in Slow Motion with Anne McKernan
 
In this episode, I speak with Anne McKernan, an assistant superintendent of schools in West Hartford, Connecticut. We discuss her sensation of how time slowed down as her loved ones neared death. Anne also talks about her mom’s “dreams” shortly before she died of her own grandmother, wearing black and standing by a window.
 
Anne enjoys studying mythology, cultural narratives, and religions, which enrich her understanding of humanity's diversity and inform her perspective on education and personal growth.
 
Podcast Email: unveilingdeath@gmail.com

"The Hospice Social Worker" A conversation with Jules Pelican.

"The Hospice Social Worker" A conversation with Jules Pelican. My guest is Jules Pelican, a social worker at Providence Hospice in Sonoma and Napa Counties in California. Jules discusses why this work brings her joy, the “right to folly,” and whether constant proximity to death takes an emotional toll.

Death & Marriage, Meditation, Sex, and Psychedelics with Gary Spruch

Gary Spruch and I discuss how death, meditation, sex, and psychedelics offer oblivion. We explore the Jewish attitude toward death, which may not be oblivion at all. Gary is a student of Judaism, Emmanuel Levinas, and religion.

Death Café: Talking About Death Won’t Kill You w/ Donna Stein Harris

In this episode I speak with Death Café facilitator, Donna Stein-Harris. Donna spent most of her career in the community safety and health field, including working with the National Safety Council to develop Safe Communities America.
 
The Death Café concept was first conceived in Europe a couple of decades ago. It was then formally organized in England. Today, Death Café meetings take place in more than 80 countries. According to its website, “At a Death Cafe people…gather to eat cake, drink tea and discuss death. Our objective is to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.”
 
Editor/Creative Director: Sammy Weill
Music: The Night Owls of Chicago