One Foot in the Grave: Facing our Mortality on Tisha B’Av

This Tisha B’Av, we invite you to a very special event, creating a space to talk honestly, gently, and openly — about death and dying.

For the past six years, Regel Bakever (“One Foot in the Grave”) has brought together thousands of people across Israel and the world for a unique conversation: a sacred space to reflect on loss, grief, mortality — and what it means to be human.

Why Tisha B’Av?

Traditionally a day of destruction, mourning, and lament, Tisha B’Av invites us to sit with brokenness — not only of temples and history, but also of body and soul. According to the Midrash, during the Israelites’ wandering in the desert, each year on Tisha B’Av they would dig their own graves and lie in them — confronting death directly, until the decree of dying in the wilderness was lifted. Tisha B’Av is a rare moment in the Jewish calendar that legitimizes sorrow, silence, and vulnerability, and dares us to face mortality — not as a threat, but as a source of truth, connection, and meaning.

This year, for the first time, we’re holding a dedicated event in English featuring Rabbi Dr. Reb Mimi Feigelson, a pioneering teacher of Hasidic spirituality and Jewish mysticism. Through her work From Scared to Sacred, she accompanies individuals and communities in facing death with courage, compassion, and presence.

This event is a program of Livyat Chen in partnership with Applied Jewish Spirituality, and will be led by YCT rabbis Mordechai Zeller, Mike Schultz and Daniel Silverstein.

📅 Sunday, August 3, 2025
🕡 6:30 PM Israel time / 11:30 AM EDT
📍 On Zoom (free of charge)
Closed Captioning will be provided
🔗 Sign up here

If you’ve ever longed for a space to speak openly about what we often avoid, this gathering is for you. Join us, with curiosity, courage, and care!