Rabbi Moshe Tom Heyn

Jewish Sacred Conversations  is a public engagement initiative sponsored by the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. Its goal is both simple and transformative: to have every person’s wishes for end-of-life care expressed and respected.

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Too many people die in a manner they would not choose, and too many of their loved ones are left feeling bereaved, guilty, and uncertain.

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It’s time to transform our culture so we shift from not talking about dying to talking about it. It’s time to share the way we want to live at the end of our lives. And it’s time to communicate about the kind of care we want and don’t want for ourselves.

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We believe that the place for this to begin is at home or in a synagogue—not in the intensive care unit—with family and friends, before it’s too late.

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Together we can make these difficult conversations easier. We can make sure that our own wishes, and those of our loved ones, are both expressed and respected. Jewish Sacred Conversations offers tools, guidance, and resources to begin talking with loved ones about your and their wishes.

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These conversations are not simply about the end of life; they are existential conversations about the things that make a life meaningful, and have the potential to clarify the living goals of those we love and care for.

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As Jews, we want to teach people basic Jewish medical ethics, but we also want to provide them with Jewish resources, which can help them frame their goals.

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