Death and Mourning

Here are just a few of the many stories, prayers, and other resources to help you commemorate this solemn holiday.

How many Jewish members of the military have been buried under grave markers that incorrectly represent their religion and heritage?

The period of shiva is intended to see mourners through the first days of intense grief and disorientation; Jewish tradition recognizes that grief continues long after shiva and offers additional rituals to support mourners beyond this initial period of grief.

Do Jews believe in life after death? What happens when we die? Do we see our loved ones? Do we know them? Do they know us? The questions are endless. Jewish wisdom offers no definitive answer. We can identify, however, several core teachings.

These are the questions our tradition says you will be asked when you pass from this world.

Unprecedented advances in medicine and pharmacology are modern blessings. They also create new and ever-more perplexing challenges. The blessings allow us to live longer and longer, but prolonged life often brings physical, mental, and psychological disabilities that surpass the present limits of science.

Neuroscience offers a scientific rationale for our inward memorializing.