Death and Mourning

• • • Say Kaddish or Have a Yahrzeit Aliyah: Please look out for an email several weeks before your loved one’s yahrzeit for details about saying Kaddish, taking aliyah, and the service when your loved one’s name will be read. We encourage members to come to Shabbat and/or weekday minyan service and say Kaddish in person. If it’s not possible to come in person, you can join our services online. If you do not receive the email and are interested in an aliyah, please email honors@pasyn.org.
       
    • Give Tzedakah: You can make a donation to the synagogue in honor of your loved one during the yahrzeit. 

• • • Light a Yahrzeit Candle: It is customary to light a candle the evening that your loved one’s yahrzeit begins. No formal prayer is recited. You may pick up a yahrzeit candle at the East 87th Street security desk. 

In Western Europe and in the United States, it is customary to mark the setting of the tombstone with a service. 

In America, the tombstone or marker is covered with a cloth that is removed by the family during the service, so the ritual is called “the unveiling.” 

Read our Unveiling Service guide.