Jewish life is filled with the memory of our lost loved ones. We honor those memories in a variety of ways, but specifically, we include the Mourners’ Kaddish in special services four times during the year (called Yizkor; literally, “He (G-d) will remember”), and we mark the annual anniversary the Yahrzeit (Yiddish, meaning “year time”) of each death.

Yizkor services are specific memorial services in which we as a community call forth the memory of our lost family members and say specific prayers in addition to the Mourners’ Kaddish.

The Yahrzeit, on the other hand, is a way for individuals to honor their family by marking the day of death at home. Traditionally, we light a 24-hour candle at sundown on the anniversary of the deceased’s death according to the Hebrew calendar. There are no special prayers to be recited when lighting the yahrzeit candle. Some people recite appropriate Psalms, some recall fond memories of the deceased. Some people simply take a few moments to reflect on the life of the deceased.