Who We Are
We are a community chevra kadisha centering the needs of queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming people in Western Massachusetts* and the surrounding areas. We are a small group of all queer and majority trans Jews who care deeply about culturally-specific and gender-affirming deathwork. Grounded in the historical tradition of the community chevra kadisha, we are non-denominational and operate independently from—though in collaboration with—local Jewish institutions.
Our Vision
Our vision is for all people everywhere to have access to their own cultural deathwork and grief work, and for all Jews to have access to Jewish death rituals. We envision a queer and trans Jewish community where we can live and thrive, seeing ritual spaces that fully honor our deaths and grief as a crucial part of this community building.
What We Offer
We are available to perform tahara*. We believe the deceased should receive care in death that honors and affirms who they were in life. Our tahara ritual weaves together tradition with innovation and can be performed using gendered or non-gendered blessings. As with all minhag*, specific customs around tahara are passed down from one generation to another within communities, varying across time and place; we embrace the diversity of Jewish practice and understand our offerings as rooted in our own cultural context.
At this time we are only available to perform tahara, but we have a long-term vision of providing additional offerings including advance planning support, shomrim for shmirah*, and bereavement support.
Who We Serve
We are particularly interested in serving queer and trans Jews whose needs are not currently met in Western MA, though we will perform tahara for anyone who calls on us. As a group holding many (intersecting) identities and experiences of oppression, we align ourselves with all who have been marginalized in Jewish spaces and affirm those whose Jewishness has been questioned, including but not limited to Black Jews, Indigenous Jews, Jews of Color, Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews, Jews by choice, Jews in the process of converting, patrilineal Jews, Jews who have never had a formal b’nai mitzvah, Jews unaffiliated with a Jewish institution, anti-Zionist Jews, etc. Similarly, we reject the idea of a litmus test for determining queer- or trans- “enoughness”, knowing that what actually matters is that we all belong to each other.
We may be contacted by individuals wishing to make plans for their own eventual death, individuals looking for care for their recently deceased loved one, or by institutions on behalf of a grieving individual. Circumstances permitting, we will serve anyone within a two hour drive of Northampton, MA.
Our Values
Dignity and reverence in death: Each person’s inherent holiness lies at the center of our practice. It is our great honor to bring the deceased through the journey of being prepared for burial and to care for each person with attention to their humanity.
Respect for marginalized identities and experiences: We are committed to honoring people with other/multiple marginalized identities, especially those related to the body along lines of size, disability, race, and class. We cultivate and call on a wide variety of chevra kadisha members with different life experiences for support in building our education, advocacy and solidarity.
Independent and pluralistic: As a community chevra kadisha, our goal is to serve those whose needs are not met by existing gendered institutional offerings. We will perform tahara for anyone regardless of whether or not they belong to a synagogue or religious community. All are welcome.
Community care: We are cultivating and maintaining a community practice of care. Going beyond just offering tahara, we are actively building and supporting a community where we are able to live and thrive, knowing that we and our beloveds will be held and supported in times of death and grief.
Contact Us
As a newly-formed collective we are moving forward with the best intentions, and refining as we go. To reach us for tahara services or to get involved, contact us at nachamuQTCK@gmail.com or using this contact form.