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ABOUT
The Torah and Tourniquets Workshop offers participants an in-depth text study regarding the role of blood in Jewish text, ritual, and history while also teaching life-saving Bleeding Control skills to all in attendance.
Rationale
In Early 2021, Rabbinical Student Jesse Epstein saw an opportunity to solve two problems with a single solution:
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1. One of the most common complaints about "text study" sessions is that that aren't practical. Too many people feel that text study offerings have nothing to do with their modern lives. The material might be interesting, but without clear relevance, it becomes unapproachable and distant. Through utilizing skills developed in his former career as an EMT, Epstein hopes to engage individuals in traditional text study via a new method: by adding a related, useful, skills-building component to the already values-rich, spiritual sources we're used to encountering in such settings.
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2. On the flip side, Epstein noticed that many Jewish institutions and organizations were engageing in safety trainings that felt necessary, but leacked meaning. In the aftermath of numerous attacks and threats on Jewish institutions (e.g. Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA; Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, TX), many Jewish institutions have been taking the steps to prepare themselves for tragedy that they hope to never experience. However, most people who attend these trainings only do so out of obligation, and would rather be elsewhere. Epstein aims to teach the same skills offered in standard bleeding control trainings (tourniquet usage, triage skills, etc), but within the context of something far more familiar in many of these settings: spiritual text study. By combining the skills session with elements relevant to their ancient tradition, those within Jewish communities find themselves more interested, engaged, and willing to engage with this crticial training program.
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