Podcasts about yizkor

My First Yizkor - Parshas Naso - [Blue Ridge Mishmar] in Naso by Rabbi Daniel Kalish

Why do we read Ruth on Shavuot, and why at Yizkor? In a world governed by law, Ruth teaches the power of hesed – unearned, enduring kindness. Rabbi Cosgrove reflects on memory, love, and the quiet acts that bind us to one another, in life and in loss.   For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.   Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

R. Marcus Rubenstein's Yizkor talk and sermon on the 2nd day of Shavuot on June 3rd, 2025 at Temple of Aaron.

Rabbi Adam Kligfeld's Shavuot/Yizkor Sermon at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, June 3, 2025. (Youtube)

Sponsored by Sarah Jesion as a Yizkor memorial for her parents, Braijna bas Chaim Shalom ve-Chaya Raizel & Shraga Faivish ben Yirmiyahu ve-Sarah & her husband, Moishe's, ע"ה, parents, Shaindel bas Moshe Mordechai ve-Chuma & Shlomo ben Yaakov Leib ve-Sarah ע"ה.

In this Remembrance Day episode, we sit down with a son who lost his father — a soldier who fought in both the First and Second Lebanon Wars. He shares how growing up without his father shaped his journey, the ways he carries his memory forward, and how loss became a lifelong source of strength and purpose. His story is a powerful reminder that even in absence, love and legacy continue.To read more about Israel's fallen soldiers, visit the Yizkor website: https://www.izkor.gov.il/en/May their memory be a blessing.

In this emotional Remembrance Day episode, we hear from a young woman who lost the love of her life while he was serving in the IDF. She opens up about the heartbreak that forever changed her world — and the resilience that helped her find her way through it. It's a story of devastating loss, but also of strength, hope, and the unwavering memory of a life that meant everything.To read more about Israel's fallen soldiers, visit the Yizkor website: https://www.izkor.gov.il/en/May their memory be a blessing.

Rabbi-Cantor Hillary Chorny's Passover-Yizkor Sermon at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, April 20, 2025. (Youtube)

What happens when we lose our loved ones before we lose them? This happens to so many of our families. Our loved one experiences a slow decline, cognitively, or physically, that takes place over years that feels like forever. The decline crowds out earlier chapters.Our mother has not been herself for so long I can't even remember what she used to be like.It's been so long since my father was who he really was, I can't remember him before his dementia set in.What do we do with this pain when we lose our loved ones before we lose them?We are about to say Yizkor. Yizkor offers us a poignant way to flip the script.It is true that we sometimes lose our loved ones before we lose them. But because of Yizkor, it is also true that after we lose our loved ones, we still have them.

Passover and memory....past and present

-- Opening song - "Let There Be Love" by Noah Aronson; performed by Temple Israel Cantorial Soloist Happie Hoffman Find sermons, music, conversations between clergy and special guests, and select Temple Israel University (TIU) classes – easily accessible to you through our podcast, Torah to the People. Learn more about Temple Israel-Memphis at timemphis.org.

Rabbi Rebecca Schatz's Yizkor Sermon, at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, October 24, 2024. (Originally written for 10/7, given 10/24/24 on the one-year anniversary.) (Youtube)

In this holiday class we explore the origins of the Ashkenazic custom to recite Yizkor on the last day of Yom Tov.

Days ahead of Yizkor being recited in synagogues across Canada, The CJN Daily wanted to take stock of some noteworthy Canadian Jews who've passed away in recent months. It's the latest edition of a recurring series we like to call "Honourable Menschen". Today, host Ellin Bessner sits down with The CJN's obituary writer, Heather Ringel, to chat about five noteworthy community members we've lost in 2024. They begin with Sheila Kussner, one of Canada's most relentless cancer fundraisers, before moving onto Irving Liebgott, one of the longest-surviving members of The Tailor Project, which brought Jewish tailors and their families to Canada after the Holocaust. They also discuss Morley Rosenberg, who served as the mayor of Kitchener in the late 1970s and early '80s; Faye "Tootsie" David, who owned an iconic Jewish deli on Cape Breton with her husband, Ike; and the trailblazing feminist academic Frieda Johles Forman. What we talked about Obituary: Sheila Kussner, 91, whose Hope & Cope advocated for people living with cancer (thecjn.ca) Obituary: Irving Leibgott, 100, whose work as a tailor spared his life in the Holocaust and helped him write a new chapter in Canada (thecjn.ca) Read about Morley Rosenberg's run for city council in 2018 (thecjn.ca) Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Music: Dov Beck-Levine Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)

00:00 - Singing01:54 - Good Moed03:20 - Emails07:38 - MDYsponsor.com08:12 - Guests08:30 - Questions of the Day09:52 - Amud Aleph36:29 - Amud Beis40:02 - Have a Wonderful MoedQuiz - http://Kahoot.MDYdaf.com--Today's shiur is sponsoredAnonymous - For the safe and speedy return of all the hostages&לע״נ זכריה בן משהלע״נ חיה בת יוסף&Health and strength for Rav Eli​&the Lock family Lakewood NJ, because תורה is the best סגולה​&Yosef Ben Chaya Sara for Parnassa B'revach&Reuven Schwartz: 1.Thanks for a Yom Kippur aliyah 2.Yizkor donation for Chana Leah bas Meir HaCohen--Turning of the daf:The Belsky family:In memory of Simcha Berel Dovid A"H ben Avraham Moshe&Kidnovations LLC:In honor of my Uncle Reb Elchanan Pressman and Fishel. It should be a zechus for Akiva Simcha Ben Fayga, a shidduch for רבקה יהודית בת יפה חיה and a THANK YOU to Rebbitzen Stefansky for selflessly giving up her husband for the klal. It should be a zechus for a year filled with Mazel, Bracha, hatzlacha, Parnassa B'revach and Refuah_________________________________

SERMON: Rabbi Sivan Rotholz - Grieving With God | Yom Kippur, Yizkor, 5785

SERMON: Rabbi Sarah Berman - The Chance for a Second Chance | Yom Kippur, Yizkor, 5785

SERMON: Rabbi Andrew Kaplan Mandel - The Spiritual Philanthropist | Yom Kippur, Yizkor, 5785

What happens after a fragile vessel shatters? Rabbi Cosgrove teaches that the divine light of our loved ones remains even after they are no longer present, and especially at Yizkor, we can still gather their sparks.   For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.   Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.  

We discuss what elements are necessary to survive the onslaught of the Yetzer Harah and the day of judgement.

On Tuesday, July 16, I and a group of rabbis traveled south from Jerusalem — to the Gaza envelope. There, we visited the places that Hamas had ravaged on Oct. 7, 2023. We visited the site of the Nova music festival, where we said kaddish for the young victims. We visited Kibbutz Nir Oz. We walked through the rubble of the burnt houses, the burnt kitchen, the places where people died, and the places where people were taken hostage. One-quarter of the residents of Nir Oz were killed or taken hostage. I have experienced many moments of pain in my Jewish life, even as I have experienced many moments of joy and exaltation. But never in my life have I encountered the memories of such sheer evil as I did at Nir Oz. I had not known at that time that I was walking in the footsteps, walking the same ground, as Alex Dancyg, of blessed memory — a proud son of Warsaw. And so it was in Warsaw on Yom Kippur that I dedicated the memorial service to his memory. Adapted from my Yizkor sermon, given on Yom Kippur, Beit Warshawa, Warsaw, Poland.

Full TorahAnytime LectureVideo or AudioMore classes from R' Eli Mansour⭐ 2,174

Tonight's Mining the Riches of the Parsha is a special presentation by Corrie Sirota and Rabbi Whitman. Corrie is a bereavement specialist, psychotherapist, and the Clinical Director of Myra's Kids Foundation. Corrie discusses navigating grief and loss, with practical and helpful strategies. Rabbi Whitman adds how Jewish practices and rituals, such as Yizkor, Shiva, and Kaddish, reinforce these helpful strategies.

In this essential episode for Jewish educators, Rabba Yaffa Epstein, an Orthodox rabbi, and Rabbi Dena Klein, a Reform rabbi, discuss the challenges and opportunities of leading prayer in today's world. With the High Holidays approaching, they offer practical advice for anyone guiding services, from maintaining your own spiritual energy to engaging children who may not feel connected. They share thoughtful tips on how to handle diverse needs in a prayer space, reflections on Yizkor this year, and how to find moments of divine connection and flow. The episode wraps with a heartfelt blessing for educators, offering inspiration and strength as you lead your communities through this sacred season. This episode was produced by Dina Nusnbaum and Miranda Lapides. The show's executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben.  This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media.  If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star rating and review, or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. To learn more about The Jewish Education Project visit jewishedproject.org where you can find links to our Jewish Educator Portal and learn more about our mission, history, and staff. We are a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York. 

In this special episode, we honor 4 fallen heroes, Eli Moshe Zimbalist, Ari Fuld, Yosef Guedalia and Binyamin Airley. Episode Chapters - (00:00) Intro - (01:46) Simmy Zimbalist remembers his son, Eli Moshe Zimbalist - (25:56) Hillel Fuld remembers his brother, Ari Fuld - (44:25) Avraham Rosner remembers his friends, Yosef Guedalia and Binyamin Airley Don't miss out on exclusive bonus content, as well as special offers and initiatives. Join the Shtark Tank Quiet Whatsapp Group today, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Has Shtark Tank made even a small impact on your life? Email me at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠yaakovwolff@gmail.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠with feedback, questions, comments.

Rabbi Rebecca Schatz's Yizkor Sermon at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, June 13, 2024. (Youtube)

Shavuot Yizkor Sermon by Rabbi Mo Salth, "The Last of the Brooklyn Dodgers"June 12, 2024

This morning we describe the structure of the Yizkor service (which we say this Thursday, Wednesday in Israel), and analyze the two central paragraphs, Yizkor Elokim, and Kel Maleh Rachamim, explaining the differences between them. Based on an essay by Rabbi Shmuel Hain, we elucidate two separate goals of the Yizkor service, and we conclude with a great quote from "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

Please click on this link to contribute whatever you can to keep this podcast on the air: https://thechesedfund.com/yeshivaofnewarkpodcast/keeping-the-ark-afloat With downloads approaching themillion mark-and an archival library numbering in the thousands, the Yeshiva ofNewark Podcast has been striving to continuously upgrade our content, andprofessionalize our audio sound, along with altering approaches in light ofmuch appreciated listener feedback. A niche has been carved out thatresonates with many on the wide spectrum of Observant Jews. This explains why we continuallyrank high in independent on-line lists of top Yeshiva podcasts. in real danger of toppling and disappearing. We need thehelp of our listeners to continue to record and edit, and to promote a productthat has been a balm and instructive to so many. Just36 dollars, a minimum donation, from a thousand of you out there will keep usafloat as a New Ark of straight, intelligent, and humorous discussion,lectures, debate and inquiry - while the destructive waters of ignorance andpolitics crash around us. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

YizkorSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/ten-minute-halacha/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Passover Yizkor 2024: Moral Imagination by Rabbi Aaron Flanzraich

Rabbi-Cantor Hillary Chorny's Yizkor Sermon at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, April 30, 2024. (Youtube)

R. Marcus Rubenstein's yizkor talk on the 2nd day of the 7th Day of Passover Yom Tov service on April 30th, 2024 at Temple of Aaron.

Yizkor sermons tend to be challenging for rabbis because we give a lot of them.  We say Yizkor four times a year.  If you do the math year after year, that is a lot of Yizkor sermons, and what is there new to say?  What is there to say that we haven't said before?  That you haven't heard before? I wish we had that problem again this year.  Unfortunately we don't.  This is a Yizkor with an entirely fresh angle.  The last time we said Yizkor was October 7.  I don't need to tell you that the months since October 7 have been, and continue to be, the most harrowing for the Jewish people, since the Shoah. What is the impact of this hard new chapter on our private Yizkor mediations now?

This year, on the 8th day of Pesach, we will say Yizkor. In a recent clergy conversation as we were planning out this class, Michelle asked the simplest and most profound question, one I had never thought about before. Why do we not say Yizkor for fallen ideas and ideals? For broken hopes and dreams? If we did, there would be so much to say Yizkor for this year. Think of all the ideas and ideals that have fallen since October 7. Think of all the hopes and dreams that feel utterly vanquished. Michelle's question shined the light on a simple fact: we only say Yizkor for dead people, not for dead ideas and ideals. We say Yizkor for parents, spouses, children, siblings, friends—people. We don't say Yizkor for a peace process that feels terminally derailed; for a sense of pre-October 7 normalcy in Israel; for the rise of eliminationist Jew hatred on college campuses throughout our country; for the golden age of American Jewry that is either over or seriously threatened; for democracy in our own country and throughout the world that feels so very tenuous. Why not? What wisdom is encoded in our holiest and wisest sources for how to think about ideas and ideals, hopes and dreams, that feel not realizable in our lifetime?

Audio exploring the connection between our chapter and Yizkor - what God can forgive the nations for and what He cannot. Text here: https://www.sefaria.org/Joel.4

Shemini Atzaret Yizkor 2023: Yizkor With Israel by Rabbi Aaron Flanzraich

This month, we mark the five-year anniversary of the Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting at the Tree of Life. On October 27, 2018, 11 worshipers were murdered for solely being Jewish, in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. As the first installment in a four-part series, we take you inside the Tree of Life building before it is demolished in the coming months to make way for a new complex dedicated to Jewish life and combating antisemitism. Hear from Carole Zawatsky, the CEO behind the reimagined Tree of Life, and Eric Lidji, director of the Rauh Jewish Archive, as they explain their mission: to preserve artifacts and memories so that the story is preserved forever. Carole shares her commitment to honoring the victims, and Eric discusses the challenges of documenting an ongoing tragedy. Together, they emphasize the power of bearing witness to history and the healing strength of remembrance. *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC.  Episode Lineup:  (0:40) Eric Lidji, Carole Zawatsky Show Notes: Music credits: Relent by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com),  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Virtual Violin Virtuoso by techtheist is licensed under a Attribution 4.0 International License Fire Tree (Violin Version) by Axletree is licensed under a Attribution 4.0 International License. Al Kol Eleh (backing track), with Yisrael Lutnick Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, tag us on social media with #PeopleofthePod, and hop onto Apple Podcasts to rate us and write a review, to help more listeners find us. Transcript of Conversation with Eric Lidji and Carole Zawatsky: Eric Lidji: Pittsburgh definitely is not forgetting. It's ever present here. There are people who are healing and doing so in ways that, at least from the outside, are remarkable and very inspiring. And there are people who I'm sure have not fully reckoned with it yet. Carole Zawatsky: It's all too easy to walk away from what's ugly. And we have to remember. We can't walk away. Manya Brachear Pashman: Five years have gone by since the horrific Shabbat morning at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life Synagogue, when eleven congregants were gunned down during prayer – volunteers, scholars, neighbors, doing what they always did: joining their Jewish community at shul.  This is the first installment of a series of episodes throughout the month of October devoted to remembering and honoring the lives lost that day and reflecting on how the deadliest antisemitic attack in American history changed those families, changed us, and changed our country.  Today, we take you to the Tree of Life building that stands on the corner of Shady and Wilkins Avenues in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood to hear from two people in charge of preserving the artifacts and memories of the vibrant Jewish life that unfolded inside those walls until October 27, 2018. In early September, our producer Atara Lakritz and I visited the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood. Squirrel Hill, where Jews have settled since the 1920s, is quite literally Mister Rogers' neighborhood. We were there to interview those touched by the events of October 27. But it didn't take us long to figure out that everyone there had been affected in some way.  All along Murray Avenue, in 61C Cafe, at Pinsker's Judaica Shoppe, at the Giant Eagle supermarket, when we told people why we were there, they all had a story, an acquaintance, a connection.  Later, walking through the glass doors of the synagogue felt like we were stepping through a portal, traveling back five years, when life stopped, and the reality of the hatred and terror that unfolded there began to haunt every step.  Atara and I were invited to accompany a final group tour of the building before it closed in order for preparations to begin for the building's demolition. The tour was painful, but we felt it necessary to share with our listeners.  As we left the lobby, we were told to take the stairs to the left. The stairs to the right were off limits. Someone had been shot there.  We were led to a small, dark storage room where chairs had been stacked for guests. A handful of people had hidden there as the shooter continued his rampage, but one man walked out too soon, thinking it was safe. When first responders later came to get the others, they had to step over his body.  In the kitchen, there were still marks on the wall where the bullets ricocheted when he shot two women hiding underneath a metal cabinet. The calendar on the wall there was still turned to October 2018 with a list of activities that were happening that week posted alongside it.  And in the Pervin Chapel where seven people died, pews punctured with bullet holes and carpet squares stained with blood were no longer there. No ark either.  But remarkably, the stained glass windows remained with images and symbols of Jewish contributions to America, the land to which the ancestors of so many worshipers once inside that synagogue had fled to and found safety. Those windows will be carefully removed by the son of the man who first installed them 70 years ago. And they will return, when the reimagined Tree of Life rises again.   Carole Zawatsky: The tragedy is a Pittsburgh experience. But it's also every Jew's experience. It shattered for so many of us our sense of security in America. This is our safe haven. This is where we came to. Manya Brachear Pashman: Carole Zawatsky is the inaugural CEO of the reimagined Tree of Life. Since November 2022, she has overseen the development of a new complex on the hallowed ground: an education center dedicated to ending antisemitism, including a new home for the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh; a memorial to the lives lost that Shabbat morning; a dedicated synagogue space where the Tree of Life congregation can return. Carole Zawatsky: What can we build to enrich Jewish life, to remember this tragedy, and to show the world that we as Jews should not be known only by our killers and our haters, we should be known by our joy, our celebrations, our rituals, our resilience. Manya Brachear Pashman: The founding director of the Maltz Museum in northeast Ohio, Carole has spent the last 30 years developing programs and education around the Holocaust and genocide, and overseeing projects that explore Jewish heritage from a national perspective and through a local lens. She led our tour. On October 27, 2018, the congregations of Tree of Life, New Light, and Dor Hadash, which all met in separate areas of the large, multi-story building, had just ushered in the new Hebrew year of 5779. Young students at the Hebrew school had written their own personal Ten Commandments that the teachers had hung on the walls of an upstairs classroom. Carole Zawatsky: Don't egg your neighbor's house, respect your parent. Every one of them said: Thou shalt not murder. Thou shalt not kill. And those 10 commandments that they wrote in their little student handwriting were thumbtacked up on the wall in the very classroom where the gunman was apprehended. Manya Brachear Pashman: Before the rebuilding of Tree of Life begins, Carole's no. 1 priority has been preserving the artifacts and remnants that bear witness to what happened. Artifacts include the ark, damaged by bullets, the Torah scrolls, which were remarkably unscathed but for the handles. The list of whose Yahrzeits fell on that day, still on the podium; and, of course, the children's artwork and the wall behind it. Carole Zawatsky: In the work happening here, and in my role as the CEO, I constantly ask: ‘Am I doing it right? Am I doing enough?' And preserving the evidentiary material was incredibly important to me, that we have the physical evidence to bear witness. And as that drywall in the classroom in which the gunman, the murderer, was apprehended, was coming down, I found myself asking: ‘Have I saved enough? Will this story be preserved forever? Have we done everything we can?' Manya Brachear Pashman: Helping Carole with this Herculean effort, is Eric Lidji, the director of the Rauh Jewish Archive at the Senator John Heinz History Center, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Museum, in downtown Pittsburgh. Eric has been collecting documentation and evidence for the archive since October 28, 2018.  Painted stones left in memory of the victims, hand-made signs, pamphlets, and prayers from vigils, sermons from interfaith services. But also a pair of tennis shoes, a guitar, a framed leaf from the Raoul Wallenberg Tree planted in Israel, a cross affixed with Stars of David -- all individual expressions of a community-wide anguish. Eric Lidji: Even before I entered the building, we knew that there were going to be pieces of the building that had historic value. Since late 2018, I've been in the building numerous times, dozens of times, doing work there. And it sort of culminated in this opportunity in early June, where we were allowed to go in and identify pieces of the building that became historic that day, and figure out how to get them out. Manya Brachear Pashman: This is no simple job for anyone involved, no less for Eric, who is accustomed to handling archival materials from generations past, not the present. Eric Lidji: It's hard for me to disentangle the work of pulling these things out of the building with the knowledge that these families that I've come to know and love, that this is sort of directly related to their loved ones passing. Pittsburgh definitely is not forgetting, it's ever present here. There are people who are healing and doing so in ways that, at least from the outside, are remarkable and very inspiring. And there are people who, I'm sure, have not fully reckoned with it yet.  The stories that we're used to telling at the archive, they move much slower. You know, when you get records from 75 or 100 years ago, that's in motion too, but it's moving very slowly. And you can kind of sit there and watch it, and understand it. And get some sense of what it might mean. But when you're living through something, it's changing constantly, all around you. And it's responding to things in the world. And it's responding to people's internal resilience and their ability to grow. When I look out at the community, I see a lot of different stories. People are in a lot of different places. And it's going to be different on a month like this, where we're saying Yizkor. And it's going to be different in the early stages of the trial versus the late stages of the trial. It's assimilated into our lives now, it's a part of our lives. Manya Brachear Pashman: In 2019, Eric and journalist Beth Kissileff assembled an anthology of raw reflections by local writers about the Tree of Life massacre. It included only one essay by someone inside the building that day: Beth's husband, Rabbi Jonathan Perlman of New Light. Eric also contributed his own essay. He wrote: “I have no special insight into why this attack happened, or why it happened here. I don't know what would have prevented it from happening here or what would prevent it from happening again somewhere else. I don't understand the depth of my sorrow or the vast sorrow of others. I asked him if four years later he would still write those words. Eric Lidji: I feel the same way. You know, there's a second half to that paragraph, which is that, I do have the materials and I can describe those. The premise of an archive is that at some point, we'll all be gone. And when we're all gone, our things are what speak for us. And at the moment, there's a lot of witnesses here, emotional witnesses, I mean, who can testify to what this means.  But there's going to come a time where they won't be there. And our job, I say our, I mean everybody's, our job in the present is to document our experience. So that when we're not here anymore, people in the future have the opportunity to have access to the intensity of the feelings that we had. That ultimately is how you prevent complacency. And so I don't claim any, I don't understand anything in the present. But I do understand the records. And I hope that we're being a good steward and custodian of them so that in the future, people have the opportunity to have access to real human feeling and so that they can really understand what this experience was like for people who were alive today. Manya Brachear Pashman: The Rauh Jewish Archive has collected and preserved thousands of artifacts and documents, but no physical or intellectual access has been granted yet. Cautious care has been taken to make sure families and survivors are ready and know what's involved in making the materials available to the public. Once that happens, a trove of electronic materials will be uploaded to the newly launched October 27 Archive, which will become the public face of the collection. The electronic catalog will help individuals, schools, and institutions such as Tree of Life to tell the story they're trying to tell.  Carole Zawatsky: We're the only generation to bear witness to this. The next generation will not bear witness. Their children will not bear witness. We have a moral obligation to ensure that these lives are remembered and memorialized, and that we as Jews and as citizens of this earth remember what hate looks like and work toward a better world. It's all too easy to walk away from what's ugly. And we have to remember. We can't walk away. Manya Brachear Pashman: The Tree of Life building is now a shell of what it once was. The stained glass windows will soon be removed for safekeeping until the new building is ready to welcome them back. As the demolition crews arrive to remove what's left, Carole's focus has shifted. Carole Zawatsky: Our focus now is truly on working with our architect, working with the exhibition designer, and forming a new institution. This is an incredibly special moment for us, as we come together and continue to crystallize our mission, our vision, and form this new institution that will be a significant part of the Pittsburgh community, along with the national community. Manya Brachear Pashman: The architect for the project, Daniel Libeskind, a son of Holocaust survivors who is renowned for his redesign of the new World Trade Center site, has described the spiritual center of the Tree of Life as a Path of Light, which connects and organizes the public, educational, and celebratory spaces. Carole Zawatsky: We can never as Jews allow ourselves to be defined by our killers. And I'm delighted to be working with Daniel as our architect and his concept of bringing light into the darkness. Vayehi or, let there be light. We have to bring light back to the corner of Shady and Wilkins. And side by side with tragedy, as we have done throughout all of Jewish history, is also celebration. To have baby namings and B'nai Mitzvot. Celebrate Shabbat and celebrate holidays side by side. That this is the most Jewish thing we can do. When the temples were destroyed in Jerusalem, what did we do? We recreate. And that is the strength and resilience of the Jewish people. Manya Brachear Pashman: Carole also continues to build a multifaith donor base, comprised of foundations and individuals from Pittsburgh and across the country, to raise the $75 million needed to make the reimagination a reality, ideally by 2025. The reasons why donors give vary, but in most cases they're deeply personal. Carole Zawatsky: The events of 10/27 are personal for everyone. For those people who tell us: I heard the gunshots from my kitchen. I was with my children. From people across the country who experienced a sense of loss of safety. To non-Jews who say: I have to have something to tell my children why some people don't like their friends. What did I do? How did I help be a part of the solution? Manya Brachear Pashman: For generations, the Jewish people have confronted antisemitism in its many forms. But through it all, the Jewish calendar continues to guide the community through celebrations of life and beauty and wonder. Carole describes it as the bitter and the sweet.  Carole Zawatsky: I've had on occasion, a Rabbi, a funder: ‘How are you doing? How do you get through this?' And for me, there's often a soundtrack in my head. And one of my favorite Hebrew songs is “Al Kol Eleh,” and through the bitter and the sweet. To me, it is the definition of Judaism. And it's the definition of what we're doing. Manya Brachear Pashman: Do you mind sharing a bit of that song with us now?  Carole Zawatsky:  Al hadvash ve'al ha'okets Al hamar vehamatok Al biteynu hatinoket shmor eyli hatov Al kol eleh, al kol eleh. Manya Brachear Pashman: This podcast is dedicated to the 11 lives lost on October 27, 2018: Joyce Fienberg,  Richard Gottfried,  Rose Mallinger,  Jerry Rabinowitz,  Cecil Rosenthal,  David Rosenthal,  Bernice Simon,  Sylvan Simon,  Daniel Stein,  Melvin Wax,  Irving Younger.    May their memories be for a blessing.

At the moment of Yizkor, what do we remember most about our loved ones? By way of the story of Judge Irving Kaufman, Rabbi Cosgrove challenges us to forgive our own foibles and frailties, to live in the present as our best selves, and to remember the best of others.   For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.   Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings. 

This is an approximate rendition of the Yizkor drasha given at the Ohr HaTorah Congregation. We discuss the insurmountable nature of the obligation to honor parent. We also theorize that they are present at Yizkor even though they are deceased.

The Fatal Hubris (Yizkor-Yom Kippur) Before the Yom Kippur war, the Israeli government was very hubristic about their abilities. What changed? And what gave them the ability to ultimately win the war?

Rabbi Rebecca Schatz's Yizkor Yom Kippur Sermon at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, September 25, 2023. (Youtube)

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My lifelong sense of exile and exclusion, specifically during Yizkor (memorial prayer) services at the synagogue is over.For 58 years and 5 months, I had been excused from the room where I did not belong, but this time, I chose to stay behind. As others left, I experienced a profound sense of awe and found myself reflecting on my mother and the connection we shared.Today I ponder on how I have earned my tears through love.The unity within the sanctuary, knowing that each person present carried a missing part—their loved ones who have passed away. I felt solace and a deep sense of everlasting unity."Despite her absence, I laughed and cried, embracing the realization that I have earned my tears through loving fiercely."– Karen Goldfinger BakerThis Week on Trauma Hiders Club Podcast:·     Choosing to stay during Yizkor service·     Feeling awe and reflection in the silence that followed·     Memories of my mother and her direct way of speaking·     Laughing and crying·     Recognizing the love I've poured into my relationships·     Finding unity and connection with fellow mourners·     Understanding the missing part in each of us·     The enduring legacy that unites us allRelated Episodes:A Eulogy for My MotherGrief and the Fear of LossWhere High Achievers Get Through Shit - TOGETHER Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Trauma Hiders Club ‘The Podcast' with Karen Goldfinger Baker. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | Amazon Music Be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help me reach more high achievers, like you. Join me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and visit my website to discover the rules of Trauma Club and grab your free download: Discover 5 Ways Your Fuckery Is Getting In The Way of The Next Level of Your Success.VISIT TRAUMA HIDERS CLUB WEBSITE

R. Marcus Rubenstein's sermon from the second day of Shavuot at Temple of Aaron on Shabbat and during Yizkor on May 27th 2023.

Rabbi David Wolpe gives his Yizkor sermon on the Second day of Shabbat in Ziegler Santuary.

Rabbi Rebecca Schatz's Shavuot Yizkor Sermon at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, May 27, 2023. (Youtube)

Rabbi David Wolpe gives a sermon on the 8th day of Pesach in Ziegler Sanctuary at Sinai Temple.

This week, Josh and Roy spark up some gastro pop half-gram joints and rip into the headlines. After that, the boys unpack the Yiddish word of the week. Then, the boys roll out the random number generator and learn all about Mitzvah #466!   Finally, they wrap things up with Yizkor.Want to know what we've smoked on past episodes? Want to send us a voice message for us to play on the show? Do you need merch or want to leave us a review? Visit WonderingJewsPodcast.com!   Want to see the Wondering Jews animated? Check out our youtube channel!While you're reading this, help us grow the show! Check out our new  $1/month Big Spender level, and of course our $4.20/month Tokin' Supporter, and $10/month Bubbe Kush levels on Patreon!And if you dig the show, please leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us on Twitter: @JewsWondering  and become our besties on Facebook: @JewsWondering.Headlines from this episode:Getting High With the RabbiOklahoma voters reject adult-use marijuana legalizationHawaii Senators Pass Adult-Use Cannabis Bill‘High Rollers': Marijuana Lounge Approved for Atlantic City HotelThis podcast uses the following sound files:Computer Beeps 2 | LPHypeR | This work is licensed under the Attribution 3.0 License.