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Death & Mourning

While Judaism places great emphasis on our lives in this world, death is an inevitable end for all of us. Often Jews who have been distant from traditional Jewish practice for their whole lives seek the comfort of traditional Judaism in the face of death. For mourners, whose lives are often turned upside down by death, the traditional practices of mourning can provide structure and comfort. Here you will find resources that address each aspect of the process of navigating death and mourning—from the moment of death, to the burial of the body, the tearing of clothes, the weeklong practice of shiva, and the recitation of kaddish.

 

Latest Rituals

“When my grandfather died, his body swelled again / fluid filled him, drowning him from inside.”
a pair of glasses sit on an open book
“The death of a sibling too is unique. It ignites our own vivid / sense of mortality.”
two brothers, one a child and one a toddler, hold hands and walk by a pond
“In the ruins of the towers / we walked through daily / you would have found letters…” and added them up to find meaning
Hebrew letters in a book, covered by a menorah with a star of david shining down
This ritual is an opportunity for someone to meaningfully mark a threshold when they reach or pass the age at which someone who was important in their life died.
a black and white photo
The Reconstructionist version of the Mourner’s Kaddish.
kaddish_istock_1
“Count instead the growing number of cared-fors you have lost…”
a black and white photo
“The stone, once mud  at the bottom of the ocean / pressed into rock by time, / will outlast me.”
large rock jutting into the water. A person stands on the rock's edge looking out into a bright, cloudy horizon
“I sit beside you / as twilight turns to night…”
a full moon over mountains at twilight
This powerful ritual is designed for parents who have faced infant loss.
black ribbon
“Now, your breath is within me. / And Kaddish is like a love letter.” 
a collage with the words of the Kaddish and pastel watercolors

The Reconstructionist Network

Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement

Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues

Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives

Join author Evonne Marzouk to find ways to strengthen your experience as a spiritual being, expand your consciousness and deepen your ability to be present. Through study and creative writing, you’ll take away new strategies to use in daily life. 

Hope you’ll join us!

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