Yizkor

Edit

Pronunciations

Yizkor (YISS-kur) listen

Record a Pronunciation

Definitions

  • n. A memorial prayer recited for a deceased family member.

Example Sentences

  • "He says he'll be in synagogue on Passover to say Yizkor for his parents." (Glinert)

  • "It was the custom in medieval Germany for each community to read a list of its martyrs at the Yizkor service." (source)

Record a Sentence

Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • יִזְכּוֹר, lit. 'may [God] remember'

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).
      • View More

      Alternative Spellings

      Yiskor, Yizker, Yisker, Yiskur, Yizkur

Notes

  • "Yizkor is recited in synagogue on Yom Kippur and on the seventh days of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot. Unlike the Kaddish, it does not require a minyan to be recited. Today, many Yizkor services include mention of the six million Jews who died during the Holocaust. On Yom Kippur, synagogues may publish and distribute a small Yizkor booklet containing prayers and a list of the names of the deceased. Because of superstition, children with parents who are still living often leave the sanctuary when Yizkor prayers are recited, so as not to tempt the evil eye by participating in a memorial service."

    Also known as Hazkarat Neshamot.

Edit     Something missing from this entry? Inaccurate? Feel free to suggest an edit.