He is dead. The women, who are friends, conceived the idea of a workshop more than a year ago. Carmouche had just heard of ethical wills from another mutual friend, Anne Grizzle. She then mentioned the subject to Schube, who had just returned from a workshop on ethical wills. The three women took it as a divine sign that they should promote such a project.
Ethical wills can include family histories, photo books and advice.
But they also include spiritual insights into life and moral lessons learned. It is very hard to evaluate yourself to see where you came from, where you are going, what mistakes you have made. Ethical wills are based on the Torah story of Jacob, who, facing death, assessed and blessed his 12 children, Schube said. They surfaced in the Jewish community in the 11th and 12th centuries. The wills usually were written by family heads to their sons, dispensing advice and suggestions for family leadership.