Carrying Their Names Together: Yom Kippur Yizkor at Neshamah

Yizkor means “remember.” It is the set of memorial prayers we recite for the people we have loved and lost: parents, spouses, children, siblings, grandparents, friends.

At Neshamah, we do something that makes this ancient prayer deeply personal. We invite anyone who wishes to come up to the bima and speak the names of their loved ones aloud.

One by one, people came forward on Yom Kippur. Some spoke a single name. Some spoke many. Some voices were strong and clear, and some broke halfway through. A few people needed a hand on their shoulder to finish. Every name was received with the same tenderness, because every name belonged to someone who shaped a life in that room.

There were many tears. There were also many hugs. Strangers held each other. Friends reached across the rows. People who had walked in carrying their grief alone walked out knowing they were not alone.

I will be honest with you. Yizkor is not easy. It asks us to open a door we sometimes keep closed for the rest of the year. But every time I stand on that bima and hear those names, I am reminded why we do it. Grief shared is grief made bearable. When we remember together, no one’s loss disappears into silence.

A Service Open to Everyone

Neshamah’s Yizkor service is open to the public, and this year, as in years past, some people came just for this short, holy service.

They were not members because at Neshamah there is nothing to be a member of. They simply needed a place to say a name out loud and have it heard.

I want you to know that this is exactly what our community is for. You do not need a ticket history, a family pew, or a long relationship with a synagogue to mourn with us. If you are carrying someone in your heart, you belong at Neshamah.

What I Carry Into 5787

Days later, I am still holding those names. I hear them when I light candles on Shabbat. I think of them when I sit with a family planning a funeral or a baby naming. Yizkor does not end when the service ends. It follows us into the new year and quietly reminds us to love the people who are still here, to say what needs saying, and to live in a way that honors those who came before us.

If you would like to join us for Shabbat or any of our upcoming events, or if you simply want to talk about someone you are missing, please reach out.

Everything at Neshamah starts with a conversation. We’re here whenever you’re ready.

With love & blessings,

Rabbi Amy