Halachic Living Will Open House Toolkit
Please note: We at Nasck have developed toolkits for two types of events: a Workshop and an Open House. This is the OPEN HOUSE Toolkit.
If you are uncertain which type of event you want to host, click HERE for a description of both the Workshop and the Open House, with the advantages and disadvantages of each. At the end of the description, you will have the opportunity to return to the toolkit for the event of your choice.
In a Halachic Living Will Open House event, participants have already completed the form. They attend the event only in order to execute the documents and recieve and EMES card.
Marketing
For any event, and especially one like this, marketing is paramount.
The key is to use fliers, shul bulletins, emails, and announcements to educate people about the issues at hand, to empower them to fill out the forms at home, and to attend the event, where they will have the documents executed and receive an EMES Card. The event timeline, below, has links to samples of every marketing tool you will need.
The importance of the rabbi’s enthusiasm in support of the event cannot be overstated. The effectiveness of any halachic living will event is directly related to the enthusiasm and urgency created by the rabbi and community leadership. This enthusiasm is communicated in the rav’s drashah, as well as in the announcements and emails.
People are usually available in the evenings, though Sunday morning sometimes works as well.
The venue that you choose should have:
- Enough room for a few tables for those people who will fill out the forms at the event
- A centrally located table for the witness station (and, if applicable, for the notary).
Because people will be filing in and out throughout the Open House, make sure that parking is easily accessible.
Witnesses will be needed for both the Halachic Living Will and the EMES card. Although the witnesses do not need to be halachically valid, they are subject to legal conditions required by the state. Some states also require the document to be notarized. For an explanation of witnessing and notarization, and to view the specific requirements for your state, click HERE.
It is important to remind people not to sign any documents, including the EMES card, until they are standing in front of the witnesses.
Once the halachic living will and the EMES card are filled out, signed, and witnessed, the participant may leave; there is nothing else that needs to be done.
At the Event
The event itself should be focused on filling out an EMES card, and having both the halachic living will and the EMES card witnessed.
The goal of all the communication before the event is to empower people to fill out the halachic living will forms at home, and to come to the event to to receive their EMES card and have everything properly witnessed.
Since people may have personal questions, it is a good idea for the rav to be available.
It is also wise to ask a few people to familiarize themselves with the form, and to be available to answer questions. It is often easier to find people who are willing to answer questions informally than to find someone who is willing to speak from a podium. Viewing the following VIDEO, which explains the details of the form in just 20 minutes, is enough training for most people. (Please note that the video reviews the the old RCA version of the halachic living will, but other Halachic Living Wills are very similar.)
Your volunteers are always welcome to reach out to NASCK for support. It will only take a few minutes for our veteran presenters to train any well-spoken individual in your congregation.
Distributing the Executed Documents
A halachic living will is most effective when it can be easily accessed in an emergency. People should send a copy of the document to their proxies, the rabbis they named, their close relatives, primary physician, and lawyer.
If the shul has the ability to quickly scan each Halachic Living Will, and to email it to each participant, doing so will facilitate this process.
If a congregant consents, the shul can also keep a copy of their documents on hand in case of emergency.
It is a good idea to send out a follow-up email and invite people who designated the rav as their rabbi to make an appointment to discuss their preferences and concerns.
The timeline below includes a sample of a follow-up email.
Tips for Success
We at NASCK have presented and facilitated dozens of halachic living will events. We have found that the following tips ensure the success of the event:
- The single greatest factor in a successful program is the enthusiasm that the rabbi shows for the importance of this issue!
- The rabbi should be familiar with the issues regarding a halachic living will.
- Follow the timeline below to ensure a high turnout. In particular, the following elements of the timeline are critical: a. Announcing the date at least one month in advance b. Sending the emails out on schedule, particularly the After the Rav’s Drashah email that is sent after havdalah c. Promoting the program Shabbos morning, in the rav’s drashah and during the announcements
- Be sure to order EMES Cards with enough time for shipping and handling from New York
- Estimate how many people you expect to attend the event. That number will determine how many teams of witnesses you need.
- If you are using a notary: Have them sit in between two sets of witnesses so they can observe what is going on at each table with minimal interruption. Recruit a second notary as a backup.
- If your shul has access to a high-speed scanner, it is useful to have it at the event in order to email participants a PDF of their halachic living will, which they can then forward to their proxies, rabbis, close relatives, primary physician, and lawyer.
Open House Timeline
As is true with any event, the earlier the planning begins, the more likely the event is to succeed.
The following timeline includes important dates and a checklist of critical elements for the success of this event. Following this timeline has been proven to yield excellent results.
Click HERE for a printable timeline.
4 Weeks before the event
1. Choose a date, time, and location
2. Create and print a flyer advertising the event.
3. The rav should decide whether he wants to use the HHCP or the HMD
4. Contact NASCK to request the number of EMES cards you will need.
1. Distribute the flyer announcing the event.
2. Publish a BLURB about the event in the shul newsletter. The blurb will continue to appear in the newsletter until the event.
3. Place an ad in a local paper to attract even more participants.
1. Send out the FIRST EMAIL.
2. Re-publish the BLURB about the event in the shul newsletter.
3. Recruit volunteers to serve as witnesses (and notaries, if required).
1 Week before the event
1. Re-publish the BLURB about the event in the shul newsletter.
2. Shabbos morning:
- The rav SPEAKS about the importance of having a halachic living will during his drashah.
- The person who makes the announcements follows this SCRIPT.
3. An hour after havdalah: Send out the POST-DRASHAH EMAIL.
1. Send out the REMINDER EMAIL.
2. Print out enough halachic living will forms.
3. Get an ample supply of pens.
4. Make sure enough tables and chairs are set up.
Have a stack of forms, pens and, if desired, NASCK return envelopes by the door.
SAMPLE BLURB FOR SHUL NEWSLETTER
[Name of Shul],
in conjunction with the National Association of Chevra Kadisha, presents:
The Halachic Living Will
Is your family protected?
Be aware. Be responsible. Be prepared.
[date and time]
More information to follow
First Email
Subject: Be aware. Be responsible. Be prepared.
Body of email:
Dear friends,
The possibility that we may be unable to make our own medical decisions is not a topic we like to discuss or even think about. However, we should not avoid the reality that we must prepare for any eventuality. The Halachic Living Will is a simple document that allows you to choose the people who will be making the important decisions if you are, G-d forbid, incapable of communicating your wishes.
This topic can evoke fear and discomfort, but it doesn’t have to. Let’s confront it together, and ensure that we are all protected — legally and halachically.
Please print out the attached halachic living will form, read it, make sure you understand it, and fill it out, but DO NOT SIGN IT.
Then, please join us on [Date and Time], at [Location] for an Open House event, co-sponsored with the National Association of Chevra Kadisha (NASCK).
Come to the Open House, at your convenience, to have your halachic living will witnessed, and to receive an EMES Card. The EMES card is a concise summary of the halachic living will that also contains essential contact information, and is easily found in case of emergency.
For background information on the Halachic Living Will and the EMES card, please click HERE.
I look forward to seeing you at this important event.
Rabbi [Name]
Talking Points for the Rav
We would not presume to tell the Rav what to say.
We are merely sharing points that other rabbonim have made that are worth highlighting:
- Having a halachic living will is the responsible thing to do.
- By executing a halachic living will, we are stating our commitment to follow halacha at every step in our lives.
- A halachic living will is an affirmation of our belief in the sanctity of life.
Recommended Announcement Script
As the rav mentioned, we are having a very important program on [Date and Time], at [Location].
Let me give everyone some quick background information.
We are blessed to live in a country that values our individual liberty, and allows each person the right to choose the course of action they want for their own healthcare. Every person has autonomy. The question is: What if the person is incapable of communicating their wishes? Who then is the moral and legal authority?
The answer is not necessarily simple.
A halachic living will and EMES Card do the following:
1. They empower you to choose who speaks on your behalf.
2. They ensure that your agent follows halachah, according to the rabbinic authority that you choose.
3. They enable your medical team to collaborate with your rabbi and your agent.
An email will go out tonight with more details.
This is an issue that everyone over the age of 18 needs to take seriously.
The intent of this program is to ensure that this important document is executed correctly, according to state law, so that there is no room for doubt in a medical emergency.
Participants will also receive an EMES card, which is a concise summary of the halachic living will that also contains essential contact information, and is easily found in case of emergency.
Thank you.
Reminder Email
Subject: TOMORROW: Halachic Living Will Open House at [location and time]
Body of email:
Dear fellow [shul name] members,
Be sure to attend our Halachic Living Will Open House, tomorrow, [date] at [time], at [location]!
There are two options:
- Download the attached halachic living will form, and fill it out, but DO NOT SIGN IT. This will save you time at the program.
- If you don’t have the time or inclination to do this in advance, don’t worry! You can fill out the form tomorrow at the Open House. We will have plenty of pens and blank forms.
Please print out the attached halachic living will form, read it, make sure you understand it, and fill it out, but DO NOT SIGN IT.
Please bring your driver’s license with you.
If you have any questions, there will be people at the event who will be able to address them.
If you fill out the form ahead of time, DO NOT SIGN IT until you are in front of the witnesses.
After you have your halachic living will form witnessed, you will receive an EMES Card, provided by NASCK. The EMES card is a brief summary of the halachic living will that also ensures that your choice of healthcare proxy and rabbi can easily be determined in case of emergency.
I would like to thank [names] for encouraging us all to take these important steps, and I would also like to thank our wonderful group of volunteers who will be helping out at the event!
A special thank you to NASCK for providing us with the resources and support to put this program together.
Congratulations for taking steps to protect yourself!
Post-Event Email
Subject: Yasher koichachem!
Body of email:
Dear Congregants,
Thank you to all who came to the very productive event yesterday, and congratulations for ensuring the best decisions for your health!
For those of you who were not able to make it, please know that it is not too late to take care of this critically important matter. Please fill out and print the attached form, and come to the shul office in order to sign it. We will try to organize witnesses and we also be able to give you an EMES card. DO NOT SIGN THE FORM without witnesses present. State law requires that your signature be witnessed in order for the form to be legally valid. If you would like to learn more about the Halachic Living Will and the EMES Card, click HERE.
For those of you who named me as your rabbi or alternate rabbi, please make time to meet with me so that we can discuss your wishes. This is a responsibility that I take very seriously, and it is a discussion we should have in the very near future.
I would like to thank NASCK for their help in creating this event.
Again, yasher kochachem to all of you who have executed your halachic living will. Let us all hope for a long life of health and happiness, ad biyas goel tzedek b’mheirah b’yamainu!
Sincerely,
[Rav of the Shul]
Sorry, the password you’ve entered is incorrect. Need help 