Mourners’ Kaddish for Those Killed by Gun Violence

I wrote this version of Mourners’ Kaddish for all who have been killed by gun violence, for all unarmed people who have lost their lives at the hands of police, and for people who have no one to say kaddish for them, and please remember Black Lives Matter.


Yitgadal v’yit-kadash sh’mei rabba
b’alma deev’ra hir’utei

Dear God lift me up in my time of need
Please show me how to live and love in peace
I want to live in a world full of hope
But it’s hard when there is so much pain

v’yamlikh malkhutei,
b’hayeikhon, uv’yomeikhon,
uv’hayei d’khol beit yisrael,
ba’agala u’vizman kariv, v’imru, Amen

Adonai, Adonai, I praise your holy name
Turn my sorrow, turn my pain, and show me the way
Adonai, Adonai we bless your name
So that one day may there be peace for us all

Oseh shalom bim’ro’mav,
hu ya’aseh shalom aleinu,
v’al kol yisrael v’imru, Amen


This prayer was originally published on Sandra Lawson’s blog, My Musings.

Ritualwell content is available for free thanks to the generous support of readers like you! Please help us continue to offer meaningful content with a donation today. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Rituals

Shop Ritualwell - Discover unique Judaica products

The Reconstructionist Network

Learning to Say "We": Writing Identity

In this immersion, we will reflect and expand on our personal experiences of identity, using writing exercises and in-depth discussions to think about, challenge, discover, explore, and experiment with different ways to identify ourselves, to consider how those ways connect us to and separate us from others, and how they represent and misrepresent aspects of who we are.

Four sessions, starting June 15th

Get the latest from Ritualwell

Subscribe for the latest rituals, online learning opportunities, and unique Judaica finds from our store.