Film Screening, A Father's Kaddish

In 2005, Jared Branfman died of brain cancer at the age of 23.  A week after his death, his father, Steve Branfman, a potter and teacher, went into his studio, took some clay and made a chawan, a Japanese style tea bowl. Each day for one year, he made one chawan - they were the only pots he made. Steve’s daily chawan made at his wheel was his own personal kaddish, (the traditional Jewish prayer of mourning). For 9 years, these 365 bowls sat unfinished on shelves in his studio. One day, in the 9 th year, he decided to glaze and fire these bowls, bringing them to life with color and sheen. A Father’s Kaddish is the personal story of a man who created an art form to honor his son and his son’s memory.

This powerful film shows traditional and non-traditional ways for people to grieve. From one…