Speaking without Fear
To be fearless is to face life head on, to embrace each moment without worrying about what the next one will bring. The people who spoke at Jen’s service honored Jen's fearless spirit by emulating it-- speaking honestly, with raw emotion and without hesitation or fear. The eulogies from that day offered heartfelt words to help us all celebrate the beauty of Jen’s life and the lessons she taught us, lessons we will all hopefully carry with us as we too aspire to be maybe just a little more fearless.
Some people have asked to spend time with those words, and so we offer them here. Below you will find links to the eulogies that were offered by people who so clearly loved Jen. In addition, there are also links to obituaries written about Jen in various print and online media.
Whether you were at the service to hear the words in person or you read them here, it is clear that the emotions behind them are powerful. One over-arching theme is Jen's unstoppable zeal for life and her commitment to make the world a better place, something we all witnessed.
Knowing Jen, you will probably not be surprised by her ability to deliver on her ambitions. Jen set goals for herself and she achieved them.
During the service, Jen’s rabbi since childhood, Rabbi Peter Kasdan, reflected on their mutual relationship as student and teacher. In his remarks, Rabbi Kasdan remembered a list of goals Jen wrote to prepare for her wedding day, entitled “What I Want Out of Life”:
1. To feel like I have made a positive change in people’s lives.
2. To find the right balance between family and career.
3. To never stop dreaming - and traveling -and learning - and striving for new levels of happiness and success.
4. To know that I am loved and make sure that others know how much I love them.
5. To never look back and say, “I wish I did that!”
After reflecting on the deep love and incredible stories that were shared at the service in the words below, there is no doubt that Jen would check the box for each one of these goals…again and again.
Eulogies:
Rabbi Peter E. Kasdan's eulogy
Brett Goodman's eulogy (Jen's brother, pictures 1 & 2)
Alicia Sands' eulogy (Jen's childhood friend, pictures 3, 4 & 5)
Kat Olin's eulogy (Jen's friend from Duke, pictures 6 & 7)
Sue Ochs' eulogy (Jen's friend from Duke and HBS, picture 8)
Katie Kotkins' eulogy (Jen's friend and Director of Cycle for Survival, pictures 9 & 10)
Poem read by Todd Kristol (Jen's friend from HBS, pictures 11, 12, 13 & 14)
Obituaries:
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New Jersey Jewish News