Grief is a universal human experience, yet one that often leaves people feeling isolated. In an effort to counter that loneliness and offer support through Jewish community, a therapist and a death doula are organizing a weekend-long “Grief and Growing” retreat at URJ Camp Newman in Santa Rosa from Feb. 27 to March 1.
Liora Brosbe, a therapist and the program’s director, and Yael Galinson, who does death education and serves as assistant director, plan to serve Jews of all generations, from older adults to Gen Z, and families with adolescents to infants. The weekend will include workshops, yoga, creative arts, movement and massage in peaceful surroundings at Camp Newman and its retreat center. It offers an opportunity to work through grief with the support of compassionate professionals.
A previous program with the same name served the community for over 25 years as part of the Bay Area Jewish Healing Center, until the center closed in 2022. The new retreat is built on the legacy of the original Grief and Growing program, according to Brosbe.
The closure of the first iteration left a gap in the community. “A limited number of local Jewish organizations provide grief support,” Brosbe said. “However, a retreat setting achieves unique objectives to foster relationships, develop coping skills and make a transition over time from individual loss to healing in community.”
She first joined the staff of the original Grief and Growing program in 2005; in 2017 she served as co-director overseeing the program for families with children.
Galinson, too, was involved in the original program. She and her children participated in Grief and Growing when her husband passed away. They first attended in 2010, but returned the next year after finding the first experience meaningful and comforting.
“Being at the Jewish grief retreat felt like being on an island of mourners,” Galinson said. “My young daughters and I could freely express our heartbreak and get support from professionals and understanding and connection from fellow participants.”
Now Galinson herself is one of those professionals, working as an end-of-life doula and educator.
Fundraising for the 2026 Grief and Growing retreat is ongoing through the Union for Reform Judaism, with weekend cost to be determined. For more information, go to campnewman.org/grief-and-growing.