Review: Such a Helpful & Excellent Book!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 24, 2013
I could have used this book years ago.  Thank you Elizabeth Reynolds for writing it!  I'm one of the non-Jews who has been so afraid to go to a Jewish funeral or to sit Shiva because I didn't know what to say and what to do.  I didn't want to offend my Jewish friends or do anything to make a difficult time worse.  In this book Elizabeth briefly goes through the different branches of Judaism because the observance of major life events may vary depending on the branch.Then Elizabeth discusses  each life event:  The Bris,  Bar Nitzvah/Bat Mitzvah, Wedding and the Funeral and Shiva.  For each she discusses the location and time, what to expect before,what to expect during, what to expect after, what to say, what to wear and gifts.  In the case of Shiva I learned that you go into the house and wait for the mourners there to speak to you first.  In some homes you might see that people have taken their leather shoes off.  The mirrors might also be covered.  This is really helpful information for the non-Jew who has never been to a Shiva.The great thing about this book is that it prepares you by sharing what to expect at each of these events.  As a result you can relax and participate without worrying that you'll say or do anything improper.I highly recommend this book!