Yizkor means, “may (G-d) remember”, from the root word zakhor: “remember”. It is the memorial service recited four times a year in the synagogue—on Yom Kippur day, Shemini Atzeret (the holiday adjacent to the end of Sukkot), the eighth day of Passover, and Shavuot.
Yizkor Service
Or Ami’s Yizkor Service consists of five parts
- A series of readings and prayers, recited and chanted, that sets the mood for the solemn service.
- A reading of names from Yizkor Book printed out each year to remember our loved ones who have passed.
- Paragraphs that individuals silently read recalling the deceased. There are paragraphs for a father, mother, husband, wife, son, daughter, other relatives and friends, and Jewish martyrs. During the service, each person reads the appropriate paragraphs.
- The memorial prayer for the deceased, the El Malei Rachamim (G-d full of compassion) is chanted by the cantor. This is essentially the same prayer said at Jewish funerals.
- A special prayer, Av HaRahamim (Ancestor of Mercies) is recited by the congregation as a memorial for all Jewish martyrs. The service concludes with a community recitation of Psalm 23 and the Mourner’s Kaddish.
This year’s Yizkor List
As is our custom we will be reading names of our beloved family, but this year names will be projected on the screen instead of compiled in a Yizkor book.
Please contact the Or Ami office if names of your choosing did not appear in last year’s book or if you would like names read that were not read last year.
While donations are not required for names to be read aloud during the service, please consider making a donation to Or Ami to honor your loved one’s memory. $18 for one name and $36 for more than one name is customary. Donations will help to defray the cost of hosting High Holy Days services at the Weinstein JCC for the entire Richmond community.