Faiths in Mourning
Recorded on May 5, 2021
Resources Shared During the Program:
You can experience in the absence of a proper mourning online here: https://jewishmuseummd.org/events/dwelling-in-a-time-of-plagues-a-binding/
You can view the recording of the virtual opening for the exhibit here: https://jewishmuseummd.org/events/virtual-opening-in-the-absence-of-a-proper-mourning/
You can learn more about the Covid Grief Network here: www.covidgriefnetwork.org
You can learn more about B’nai Israel here: https://www.jewishdowntown.org/
You can learn more about Liberty Grace Church of God here: https://www.libertygracechurch.org/copy-of-church-history
You can learn more about LABA: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture here: https://labajournal.com/
Traditional expressions of grief and loss have been severely restricted during covid. Our panel of speakers will discuss how different faiths are facing these challenges and are adapting their traditions in these troubled times.
About Our Speakers:
Rabbi Etan Mintz studied for two years at Yeshivat Sha’alvim in Israel, and received rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. He also holds a Masters Degree in Jewish Philosophy and Mysticism from the Bernard Revel Graduate School, and an M.P.A. from the Kennedy School at Harvard University.
He received his pastoral counseling training through a year-long chaplain residency program at the University of Virginia Health System, where he counseled individuals of all faiths in times of crisis.
Rav Etan served for five years as Associate Rabbi at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale. He also taught Jewish thought, text and practice at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, Maryland. Today he leads B’nai Israel Synagogue, located in downtown Baltimore. Rav Etan is married to Dr. Tammy Mintz, a clinical and school psychologist, and they are proud parents of Ilana, Shlomo, Noam and Abby.
Dr. Terris King is a visionary committed to transforming healthcare companies through his company the King Enterprise Group; an initiative focused on consulting the fastest growing small businesses in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Healthcare IT with revenue exceeding $100M.
He previously served the federal government in progressively expanding roles including the Deputy Chief Information Officer at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Director of the Office of Minority Health.
For six years, Dr. King served as Deputy Director of the Office of Clinical Standards and Quality (OCSQ). In his role, he was the CMS executive lead for value-based purchasing or the new payment model innovation. He was also the lead executive responsible for reducing health disparities.
Terris completed both his Scientific Doctorate in Occupational Science and his undergraduate degree in Mass Communications from Towson University. He also completed his Masters in Behavioral Science from Johns Hopkins University and completed a Harvard University Executive Fellow.
Imam Yaseen Shaikh was born in 1982 to parents of Indian origin in Hackney, London, UK where he lived for much of his life. He obtained all of his religious education including memorisation of the entire Quranic text, Alimiyyah Studies (Rigorous Islamic Theology Program), and certification in issuing Fatwa (religious verdicts), from traditional seminaries in London.
Imam Yaseen has served as an Imam since 2002 in Stoke Newington, London, where he was also Head of Islamic Studies at a private school, Tawhid Secondary School. In 2006, Imam Yaseen moved to the USA to serve at a Mosque in Dallas, Texas. Later he joined the Muslim Community in Baltimore, Maryland as Resident Scholar. In 2016, Imam Yaseen had the pleasure of hosting then President, Barack Obama at his Islamic Centre in what was his only visit to a Mosque during his presidency.
In 2018, Imam Yaseen returned to the UK to be closer to his family. He served as an Imam and bereavement counselor at the largest and only dedicated Muslim Cemetery in the UK, Gardens of Peace. Here he performed the end of life rituals, offered bereavement counselling and support, and provided training on Muslim end of life matters to a variety of institutions. Imam Yaseen very recently moved back to the Baltimore area with his wife and three daughters. He is an avid soccer fan and enjoys time with family and friends.
About Our Moderator:
Chloe Zelkha is the co-founder of the COVID Grief Network, a mutual aid organization offering free group and one-on-one grief support to folks in their 20s and 30s grieving the loss of someone to COVID-19. Previously, she worked as a community organizer at secular and faith-based justice organizations, and as a hospital chaplain at UCSF Medical Center. She is currently studying towards rabbinic ordination at Hebrew Union College, where she is a Wexner Graduate Fellow.
“in the absence of proper mourning” is a collaboration of LABA: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture and the Jewish Museum of Maryland, made possible with the generous support of CANVAS. The work is part of the national project – Dwelling in a Time of Plagues – which makes new art possible at outdoor sites.
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