Death Café: A Conversation About Life & Death

In a culture that often turns away from discussions about death—fearing or postponing them—we rarely make space to speak honestly about what it means to die, and therefore, what it means to live.

At a Death Café gathering we take part in a relaxed conversation and allow the talk to unfold naturally. You are welcome to share thoughts, questions, stories, and uncertainties about the end of life. There is no right way to participate—only an invitation to be present, curious, and open. By speaking about mortality, we often find ourselves more awake to life; its impermanence, its beauty, and the relationships that give it meaning.
All are welcome, come as you are. Bring your questions, your stories, or simply your willingness to listen. Coffee, tea, and light refreshments will be offered.

Rabbi Batshir Torchio is a ritual and spiritual practitioner who has been engaging with folks for lifecycle events and learning. She was ordained at AJRCA in Los Angeles, where she learned with rabbis and scholars from across the broad spectrum of Jewish movements. Rabbi Batshir is moved by the translation and ownership of ancient ritual into contemporary meaning; to “make the old new, and the new, holy” (Rav Kook). In addition to her role as Senior Jewish Educator at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, Rabbi Batshir also guides tours through Israel and Poland, and is a life-cycle officiant, both locally and abroad.

Donna Edwards Neumark, PhD, RN
After decades of working as an oncology nurse, Donna began private practice as an End-of-Life Doula. Her philosophy of care is rooted in helping people experience a meaningful life as they are facing death and draws on her years of experience caring for those with serious illness and their loved ones. Donna is deeply interested in helping people at all stages of life become more comfortable talking about death, encouraging intergenerational conversations about values-based decision-making and advance directives, and supporting others through loss, post-death rituals, grief, and bereavement. She grew up in suburban Milwaukee in a traditional Jewish family and is also influenced by life-long involvement in Habonim. She enjoys singing, dancing, traveling, looking at the ocean, playing Scrabble, Mah Jongg and pickleball, and spending time with her family and her cats.