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Pregnancy Loss

Woman with long curly hair sitting on a bed, looking down pensively in a dimly lit room.

“Another period. Another pregnancy lost. A child stillborn. Different paths toward emptiness—all devastating. Even if we try to pray, our prayers often crumble in our souls, our dreams dissolve in our hearts. Despair seeps in the doors, taps at the windows, and threatens to clog all our passages of hope. How can we speak softly to God when we see, yet again, the fruitless stain of our blood; when we feel the lifeless mass slipping from our womb; or when we hold a beautiful, perfect but still child in our arms? For some of us, no amount of explanation—medical or theological—can soothe.” —Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin, Tears of Sorrow, Seeds of Hope: A Jewish Spiritual Companion For Infertility and Pregnancy Loss

Latest Rituals

A ritual divided into three parts: Mourning the Loss, Choosing Life Again, and Communal Support and Blessings

Black ribbon elegantly curled on a plain white background.

This ceremony uses the occasion of havdalah, the service separating Shabbat from the week, to mourn a miscarriage

A braided blue and white candle burning with a bright flame against a black background.

A poem expressing the deep emotions of a miscarriage

person in cape on beach

A personal account describing the author’s experience of losing a baby before rituals were developed to encourage mourning

black fabric

A mourning ceremony for twins who died before birth

closed flower on black background

A prayer combining contemporary words and Hebrew selections from the High Holy Day Amidah (standing silent prayer)

Delicate white flowers blooming on branches against a soft blue sky background.

A prayer to be said in synagogue for a couple who has experienced a miscarriage

hands holding yellow zinnia

Selections and adaptations from a larger ceremony

full moon over dark landscape

How one woman infused the tashlikh ritual with a dimension for coping with her loss

A serene stream flows through a forest with mossy rocks and leafless trees on a cloudy day.

Havdalah ceremony after a miscarriage or abortion

A silver spice box, a silver cup on a saucer, and a braided yellow candle in a holder.

The Reconstructionist Network

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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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