Saying Kaddish: How to Comfort the Dying, Bury the Dead, and Mourn as a Jew - Paperback

by Anita Diamant (Author)

From beloved New York Times bestselling author and award-winning journalist--the definitive guide to Judaism's end-of-life rituals, revised and updated for Jews of all backgrounds and beliefs.

From caring for the dying to honoring the dead, Anita Diamant explains the Jewish practices that make mourning a loved one an opportunity to experience the full range of emotions--grief, anger, fear, guilt, relief--and take comfort in the idea that the memory of the deceased is bound up in our lives and actions.

Front Jacket

Anita Diamant's knowledge, sensitivity, and clarity have made her one of the most respected writers of guides to Jewish life. In Saying Kaddish, she shows how to make Judaism's time-honored rituals into personal, meaningful sources of comfort. Diamant guides the reader through Jewish practices that attend the end of life, from the sickroom to the funeral to the week, month, and year that follow. There are chapters describing the traditional Jewish funeral and the customs of "Shiva, the first week after death when mourners are comforted and cared for by community, friends, and family. She also explains the protected status of Jewish mourners, who are exempt from responsibilities of social, business, and religious life during "Shloshim, the first thirty days. And she provides detailed instructions for the rituals of "Yizkor and "Yahrzeit, as well as chapters about caring for grieving children, mourning the death of a child, neonatal loss, suicide, and the death of non-Jewish loved ones.

Author Biography

ANITA DIAMANT's guides to contemporary Jewish practices include How to Raise a Jewish Child, Choosing a Jewish Life, and The Jewish Wedding Now. She is the founding president of Mayyim Hayyim Living Waters Community Mikveh and the Paula Brody & Family Education Center in Newton, Massachusetts.