Mourning

Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel is prepared to provide comfort and assistance during times of grief and mourning. Upon a death your first call should be to a funeral home (either Goldsteins or Levines). The Temple Office should be informed of a death in the family as soon as possible in order for our clergy to give you timely guidance on funeral arrangements and to be available to provide comfort and solace at a difficult time. If desired, the BZBI can provide prayer books and arrange for clergy and volunteers to conduct the daily services during the observance of Shivah.

The congregation will assist at many points in the mourning process: informing others, funeral attendance, and Shivah minyans. After the initial mourning period has ended, please give the office staff information about the Yahrzeit date, which will be entered into our computer in order to furnish you with a timely reminder each year.

The synagogue is generally not used for funerals. Memorial services, however, may be scheduled in certain circumstances. Please contact Rabbi Stone at rabbistone@bzbi.org directly to ask questions about holding a memorial service.

Cantor Grainer has prepared a manual for mourners and comforters that describes mourning traditions and customs and contains much essential information. We recommend that every member have a manual at home, which can be obtained at no cost by contacting the synagogue office.

Please also don’t hesitate to contact Rabbi Ira Stone and/or Cantor Sharon Grainer with questions about Jewish Life Cycle Events.

Mourning, Observing a Yahrzeit and Yizkor

BZBI’s Shabbat, Festival and Daily Minyan services are here for you for your period of mourning and for a yahrzeit of a loved one. In addition, we conduct Yizkor services four times a year (on the last day of each of the Festivals of Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot and on Yom Kippur) for you to honor the memories of your loved ones. A minyan of ten adult Jews at our services provides an opportunity for mourners to say Mourner’s Kaddish in the presence of a caring community. The minyan is a supportive structure the rabbis created to help us to heal the pain of bereavement after losing a loved one. For more information about services at BZBI please see our Worship page. For service times, please refer to our Calendar.

Tzedakah (righteous acts of charitable giving) are traditionally performed when a Yahrzeit is observed to honor the memory of the deceased. To make a donation in memory of a loved one, please visit our giving page here.

To sponsor floral arrangements in memory of loved one for one of our services, 2 weeks advance notice to the Temple Office is required.

BZBI also publishes a Yizkor book every year in which congregants can contribute the names of their departed. For more information about the Yizkor book, please contact the Temple Office.

To learn more about observing a yahrzeit, click here. To learn more about observing yizkor and yizkor service, click here.

For a copy of Mourner’s Kaddish and Kaddish D’Rabanan click here. To listen to a recording of Mourner’s Kaddish, click here.