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Mourner's Kaddish

Version of the Kaddish, praising God, that mourners recite during the bereavement period and to mark the anniversary of a death of a loved one.

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Do Jews Believe in an Afterlife?

What happens when we die? Do we see our loved ones? Do we know them? Do they know us? Jewish wisdom offers no definitive answer, but there is guidance in several core teachings.

What to Expect at a Jewish Funeral

Jewish tradition teaches that human beings are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). This is the underpinning of all of the rituals and customs that make up a Jewish funeral.

Yahrzeit Calculator

It is a mitzvah (commandment) to observe yahrzeit, the anniversary of the day of death, by reciting Kaddish and attending synagogue services.

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For Some of Us the Holidays Are Just…Hard

As we head into the holiday season, I am acutely aware of how much different this year is going to be than previous ones. I will be celebrating without my mom for the first time. My mother died in January 2021, and I'm still dealing with the unexpected waves of grief that wash over me, sometimes out of nowhere. As I head into this first winter holiday season without her, I'm not quite sure I know what to expect, other than everything is going to be very different.

This Tishah B'Av, Act as if There is No God

Tishah B'Av is a day of mourning, commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples. In recent years, it's also a day to mourn other tragedies that have darkened Jewish history - the Romans putting down the Bar Kochba revolt, mass murders of Jewish communities during the Crusades, expulsions from England, France, and Spain in the Middle Ages, and the Holocaust.