Exploring the Afterlife

by Rachael Quisel

This summer, Chabad of Montecito will offer a course designed to demystify the concept of life after death. The course, titled “Journey of the Soul,” was developed by Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) and will be taught by Rabbi Chaim Loschak. The six-session series began on Tuesday, August 15, at 7 pm, inviting attendees to embark on a spiritual expedition, one that explores life before birth, after death, and everything in between.

“Death is both mysterious and inevitable,” Rabbi Loschak told the Montecito Journal . “Understanding death as a continuation of life reveals the holiness of life while putting everything – especially while living – in a dramatically new context. The soul is on one long journey that is greater than each particular chapter.”

JLI’s programs are designed for people of all knowledge levels, making them accessible to everyone, regardless of their background in Jewish learning. The courses are open to the public, and attendees need not be affiliated with any specific synagogue, temple, or other house of worship.

Each session lasts about an hour and a half, and the format includes interactive lectures, videos, discussions, personal reflections, and a comprehensive student book. Attendees can look forward to an engaging learning environment, enriched by thoughtful conversations and insightful material.

While priced at $115, Chabad of

Montecito is committed to accessibility and does not turn away anyone due to financial constraints. Those who are unsure can attend a standalone trial class to get a taste of the course’s content and style.

Rabbi Loschak, who was born in Goleta and spent eight years in New York, recently returned to the area with his family. He is hopeful about the opportunities that Montecito offers for Jewish culture, learning, and community building.

“I’m excited by the potential of this course and the opportunity to learn more about the interests of the community. This can be a springboard to many more courses on a variety of diverse topics,” Rabbi Loschak said.

Classes will be held outdoors (weather permitting) at 450 Toro Canyon Road. This is not just a course but an invitation to explore and understand the soul’s spiritual odyssey — a journey that transcends life and death.

To learn more or to register for the course, visit jewishmontecito.org/JLI or contact Rabbi Chaim Loschak at (805) 613-7199 and rabbi@ jewishmontecito.org.

The three honorees at this year’s luncheon include Charles Zimmer, who has continued to be a constant presence and advocate for Hospice of Santa Barbara in the decades since he served as executive director from 1979-90. Zimmer, who established the HSB Foundation and was a mentor to the nonprofit’s future leaders including Gail Rink, Steve Jacobsen, Tina Frontado, and the current Executive Director David Selberg, has also volunteered on various committees over the years. HSB is presenting Zimmer with its first-ever Lifetime Hero Award in recognition of his vast impact and commitment to the organization.

“Next year is HSB’s 50th anniversary, and Charlie has been an instrumental figure connected to the organization almost all of that time,” Caldwell said. “We’re excited for the opportunity to honor him and his contributions to us as well as the larger community.”

Santa Barbara Foundation has been chosen as the recipient of the 2023 Philanthropy Award while Hospice of Santa Barbara’s Patient Care Services Team – the group that provides all of the varied HSB services to more than 400 patients and their families each year – will receive the Staff Award.

In addition to a new location, the September 10 luncheon also carries a new aspect in keeping with the 2023 theme of “Celebrating Those We Love” – a pause to take note of our loved ones and their ongoing impact in our lives, whether they have passed on or are still in our lives. Guests will not only be provided with an opportunity to donate and support HSB in the name of their loved ones, the event itself will offer time for reflection.

“We’ll be asking people in advance to consider and think of somebody in their lives who they especially want to honor, someone who has had a huge impact,” Caldwell explained. “Whether they’ve passed away or are still alive, it’s someone who has changed their life for the better.”

Caldwell said that person in his life is his mother, who he said was a shining example of selfless devotion to her children. “It had an incredible impact on my life and it’s something that I think about all the time.”

At the luncheon, which takes place on the weekend for the first time in an effort to make it more accessible for anyone to attend, Caldwell and everyone else will have time during the program to once again think of those special people and perhaps share a little bit about them with somebody else sitting at their table.

“We don’t always get a chance to do that, to look back not with sadness and regrets but with a focus on the positive impact and joy they brought to our lives,” he said. “Sometimes with Hospice of Santa Barbara, people tend to associate the organization with death and dying for all the obvious reasons. But so much of the work we do is really about life and living. It’s about helping someone with a serious illness be able to focus on what matters most to them as they go through the journey, and helping people who are grieving the loss of a loved one so that they can be transformed and enjoy their lives again after experiencing a loss. The theme helps to focus on that really uplifting part of the work we do.”

Tickets and sponsorships and more information about Hospice of Santa Barbara’s 11th annual Heroes of Hospice luncheon is available online at www.hospiceofsb.org/heroes.

Hospice of Santa Barbara 2050 Alameda Padre Serra, Suite 100 (805) 563-8820 www.hospiceofsb.org

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