Author Talk with Sarah Birnbach, A Daughter’s Kaddish: My Year of Grief, Devotion, and Healing  

Join local author, Sarah Birnbach, in conversation with Meghan Riordan Jarvis, podcast host, Tedx Speaker, and psychotherapist, as they discuss Birnbach’s book, A Daughter’s Kaddish: My Year of Grief, Devotion, and Healing. To honor her beloved father, Birnbach dedicates herself to reciting the Mourner’s Kaddish twice a day in synagogue for eleven months—a Jewish mourning ritual.  Throughout the mourning period, she must find synagogues in the cities where she is sent for her job.  This experience allows her to discover a supportive community, a path to true healing, and how Judaism’s ancient rituals have a place in contemporary society. 

Sarah Birnbach embarked on her encore career as a non-fiction writer in 2015 after successful careers as an HR management consultant and a family therapist in a juvenile court. She was a sought-after speaker and conducted more than 500 workshops and presentations.  Her stories have appeared in numerous magazines and journals as well as The Washington Jewish Week and The Jerusalem Post. Sarah is the women’s Chevra Kadisha coordinator for her synagogue, and a member of the Board of the Washington Jewish Funeral Practices Committee. She is a third-generation lifetime member of Hadassah and serves as the Programming Vice President of her local chapter. She also serves as the Programming Vice President for the DC chapter of the Women’s National Book Association and is a member of the National Memoir Association and the Authors Guild.  She is one of the Jewish Book Council’s 2023-24 featured authors.   

Meghan Riordan Jarvis, MA, LCSW is a podcast host, two-time Tedx Speaker, and psychotherapist specializing in trauma and grief and loss. She is the founder of the Grief Mentor Method ™–which provides grievers with an educated and structured approach to creating a personalized grief practice. After experiencing PTSD following the deaths of both of her parents, Meghan founded MRJ Consulting which supports companies as they address complex emotions like grief in the workplace. Meghan hosts the podcast Grief is My Side Hustle and her memoir End of the Hour published with Zibby Books this year.  Her second book Can Anyone Tell Me Why: Essential Questions About Grief and Loss will be published with Sounds True Media in October 2024. Meghan lives in Maryland with her husband, their three children and the chocolate lab where Legos and mystery books cover most surfaces of their house.