Jewish Bereavement

Role of the Shiva Minyan

The daily prayer services in the mourner's home offer community and connection to those facing devastating loss.

During this Jewish mourning custom, the entire physical environment of the mourner is transformed to acknowledge the immediacy of death.

Adults help children most when they express their own sorrow and respond to questions in a truthful, yet age-appropriate way.

Although the custom of placing them on a grave probably draws upon pagan customs, the stones also symbolize the permanence of memory.

The Kaddish responds to three questions: Is there a God? Why do people die? What is the meaning of life?

Study in honor of dead; women reciting Kaddish; Kaddish integrating mourners into communities; and hiring someone to say Kaddish.

Shoveling dirt onto the coffin is the family's final ritual act of honoring the dead.

A Jewish funeral is held as quickly as possible after death and usually includes readings, a eulogy, and a special memorial prayer.

What happens at the Jewish cemetery.

At death, several gestures indicate respect for the deceased as well as acceptance of the reality of death.