Mapping Loss, Grief and a Path Forward: A Shabbat of Comfort & Contemplation

Join Am Kolel for a potluck dinner (dairy/vegetarian/fish) and program with Karen Paul, author of Cartography of Loss: A Widowhood in Essays, publishing December 1, 2026. Music with Reb David. Karen Paul is the Principal at Catalyzing Philanthropy, a DMV-based development consultancy, where she works with local and national non-profits to harness their fundraising strengths and create sustainable organizational support. She was the Washington Regional Director of New Israel Fund for nearly 15 years, and Executive Director of the Tikkun Olam Women’s Foundation, where she oversaw the annual philanthropic and grant making process dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls in the DMV and in Israel. Her primary consulting work today is with New Jewish Narrative (formerly Americans for Peace Now) where she cultivates support for NJN’s work to build a path to a peaceful and just future for Israelis and Palestinians. Karen is the author of Cartography of Loss: A Widowhood in Essays, focused on the caregiving, loss and grief around her husband’s terminal illness, publishing December 2026 by She Writes Press. Over a 25+ year writing career, she has had essays and short stories appear in numerous outlets, including the New York Times Modern Love column, Washington Post, Lilith Magazine, Boston Globe, Pangyrus, San Antonio Review, Modern Loss, Motherwell, Open Secrets, and Grace and Gravity, the anthology series highlighting the works of women writers in the DC region. Karen graduated with an MFA in creative nonfiction from Vermont College of Fine Arts.