Mourning & Bereavement

people embrace in tears

Traditional Jewish mourning and bereavement practices are designed to help us bear our grief. But sometimes we need something more: a poem that captures our imagination, a creative ritual that addresses the particularity of our grief, a song that speaks to our heart. May you find a measure of comfort in your time of need.

Latest Rituals

A creative ritual to mark the end of shloshim

man standing on rocks looking at waves in water
Offering an alternative to Orthodox women who cannot or prefer not to say kaddish
woman in head covering in the forest
The spirit of this Psalm parallels the Mourner’s Kaddish and, in translation, can be recited in non-gendered God-Language.
cloudy sky with sunbeams over water

A ritual for taking off a wedding ring

wedding band on black fabric

A modern poetic interpretation

retro clock face

A ceremony following or in lieu of Mincha (afternoon service)

two hands holding black paper heart
Sounding a note of optimism
bright green wet leaves

A poem of release and acceptance

three autumn leaves

An article describing the custom of planting a tree in memory of a loved one

Hands planting a small tree in a pot filled with soil outdoors.

A ceremony which adapts traditional texts and facilitates an individualized ceremony to honor those whose memory we wish to perpetuate

A woman kisses a smiling girl on the cheek in a grassy field.

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

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The Reconstructionist Network