When Breath Becomes Air: A Conversation with Dr. Lucy Kalanithi

  Be part of another highly anticipated evening with Dr. Lucy Kalanithi, widow of Dr. Paul Kalanithi, New York Times best-selling author of “When Breathe Becomes Air”. Like that profoundly moving evening in April, when the JCC hosted a conversation between Dr. Lucy Kalanithi, and Rabbi Mychal Springer, Director of The Center for Pastoral Education […].... READ STORY

New Video about: “What Matters Caring Conversations about End of Life”

.... READ STORY

“What Matters” Keeps Mattering as Steering Committee Members Chart Course…

“What matters: caring conversations about end-of-life” which was originally funded by Plaza, continues to break barriers and resonate with various communities around New York. We are honored to do such sacred work.   Pictured above, among the distinguished group of Steering Committee members attending a recent meeting, are Plaza board members Rachel Neumark Herlands, Rabbi […].... READ STORY

“What Matters” Year End Update (2016)

  This past year has seen What Matters’ numbers grow in terms of sites, trained facilitators, individuals engaged in advance care planning conversations, and organizations–both local and national–reaching out to learn more about our unique community-based program.   To our original group of sites: JCC Manhattan, The New Jewish Home, Central Synagogue, B’nai Jeshurun, and […].... READ STORY

Podcast Featuring Plaza’s Grant: “WHAT MATTERS” Caring Conversations About End of Life

  Click below to  listen to a Podcast  with “What Matters” Program Director Sally Kaplan from the JCC Manhattan, Center for Jewish Living, and Mychal Springer, Director of the Center Center for Pastoral Education at Jewish Theological Seminary. Your browser does not support the audio element. For more news about “What Matters” click here. Podcast […].... READ STORY

UPDATE: “Can We Talk?”

  The “Can We Talk? About Your Health Care Wishes” program was introduced in the spring. The program, a two part workshop, guides people in thinking about and discussing their health care wishes based on their personal and Jewish values, rather than based on specific medical interventions (as is so often the case). Nearly all 97% of […].... READ STORY

UPDATE: “What Matters: Caring Conversations About End of Life”

  As “What Matters: Caring Conversations About End of  Life” completes its first year, it is a moment to step back and reflect about how far we have come and where we are heading. On September 13th, we hosted an important event “Share the Experience,” to mark the completion of the pilot phase, to elevate the […].... READ STORY

From Grant to Workshop, Plaza’s ‘Can we Talk?’ starts Talking…

The Collaborative for Palliative Care (A group of over 50 public and private organizations collaborating on palliative care and end of life issues), is holding its 7th Interdisciplinary and Interfaith Conference about Palliative and End of Life Care, on June 6th and 7th. This year’s Conference is titled: ‘Changing the Conversation about Serious Illness: The […].... READ STORY

‘End of life’ takes the national stage. See what Plaza is doing to support this conversation

The ‘End of life’ conversation reached a whole new level when Medicare began covering end of life conversations between health professionals and their patients, starting in January of this year (2016).   Now, one month later, in front of a national audience, at a recent town hall meeting, an 81 year old terminally ill man […].... READ STORY

What Matters: Caring Conversations about End of Life (Reprinted from the JCC Manhattan Newsletter)

In his best-selling book Being Mortal, Atul Gawande writes, “Our reluctance to honestly examine the experience of aging and dying has increased the harm we inflict on people and denied them the basic comforts they most need.” He urges us “to refashion our conversations in ways that transform the possibilities for the last chapters of […].... READ STORY