The Best of Nana

Is there something peculiar to Judaism that makes us think about death differently? With no proscription for a definitive heaven or afterlife, how does that affect how we live our lives and think about death? Are Jewish rituals an effective way of dealing with grief? Are there better ways to think and talk about death with friends and family? In our final episode from season 2 we address these questions with British comedian David Baddiel (who you might remember from this season’s atheism episode), Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie from NYC’s Lab/Shul, founder of Death Over Dinner and DoD Jewish Edition Michael Hebb and Dan Crane’s 97-year-old nana.

Together with so many, we mourn the loss of Norman Milton Lear who passed away at 101 years old. A mensch in the truest sense of the word, he remained both intellectually curious & creatively engaged with work, family & social causes. He got his big break as a comedy writer for Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, among others. By the 1970s, he became one of the most prolific television producers of all time with a string of hits that he wrote, produced and developed including All In The Family, Sanford and Son, Maude, The Jeffersons, One Day at a Time and Good Times. Sheltering at home with his wife Lyn during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lear shared how he was able to find gratitude in the simple pleasures. As he considered his legacy, Norman remained focused on his family, his work and the future. May his memory always be the blessing he was for all of us. Watch his episode of Dispatches From Quarantine from Silver Screen Studios here.