Lishmor לשמור: The Jewish Guide for Being There for Life & Loss

When a friend is facing illness, grief, or the impending loss of a loved one, many teens want to help but simply don’t know what to say or do. Lishmor לשמור: A Jewish Guide for Being There Through Life & Loss is a curriculum that equips teens with the confidence, practical skills, and Jewish values to support friends experiencing illness, grief, and loss. Through Jewish text study, meaningful discussion, and engaging activities, participants discover that they don’t need to have the perfect words–they simply need to know how to show up with empathy, compassion, and presence.

Developed as Jennifer Saber‘s capstone project for the Shomer Collective Educator Fellowship in partnership with Chai Mitzvah, this curriculum was inspired by a deeply personal experience. After Jennifer’s close friend, Wendy, died following a long battle with cancer, she watched her daughter and her daughter’s friends struggle to support Wendy’s teenage children. They wanted to help, but they didn’t know how. Lishmor addresses that need by giving teens the language, confidence, and Jewish wisdom to become caring friends who can put their values into action when someone needs them most.

Lishmor addresses that need by giving teens the language, confidence, and Jewish wisdom to become caring friends who can put their values into action when someone needs them most.

Curriculum Includes:

• Five ready-to-teach sourcebooks designed for middle and high school students
• Engaging, interactive activities, discussion prompts, and real-life scenarios
• Accessible, differentiated materials that meet students where they are
• Jewish texts and values that provide guidance for supporting others through illness, grief, and loss
• Practical communication strategies that build empathy and confidence
• Reflection activities that encourage students to apply their learning to real-life situations
• Comprehensive Leader Guides with facilitator notes, teaching tips, and discussion support
• Printable student handouts and companion Leader Guide materials
• Digital resources available for download
• Flexible lessons appropriate for synagogues, day schools, youth groups, and other Jewish educational settings

The curricular topics include: 

Sourcebook 1: The Power of Carrying the Burden – Exploring the topics of empathy and the Jewish value of Nosei B’ol Im Chaveiro, carrying the burden with others, recognizing when someone is hurting through the lens of Empathy and, and learning how to respond with care; Exploring Jewish perspectives on illness, death, mourning, and the emotions that accompany loss.
Sourcebook 2: Showing Up – Learn why simply being present can make a profound difference and develop practical skills for responding with empathy, compassion, and confidence when a friend is hurting.
Sourcebook 3: Living Jewishly/Dying Jewishly – Explore the customs, rituals, and beliefs surrounding death and mourning while addressing the questions teens often ask about loss, grief, and what happens after someone dies.
Sourcebook 4: Shiva Questions Answered – Gain an understanding of the purpose and customs of shiva while learning how to make a meaningful and supportive shiva visit.
Sourcebook 5: Beyond Shiva – Discover ways to continue supporting a friend in the weeks, months, and years after a loss, recognizing that grief doesn’t end when shiva does.

Getting Started

• No registration fee! Click here to register.  
• MATERIALS WILL BE READY FOR  SPRING SEMESTER 2026/2027. Click here to Pre-Order the Sourcebooks and Leader Guides.

Questions?
For more information, please contact Nina Fondiller Woldin at nina@chaimitzvah.org.

This resource was created as part of the Shomer Collective Educator Fellowship, which was generously supported by the Covenant Foundation.