Cooper, L. (2021). Kaddish during COVID: Mourning rituals during a pandemic. Contemporary Jewry, 41(1), 39-69. Web.
Cooper (2021) focuses on the Jewish mourning rituals during the COVID-19 breakout that led to many deaths all over the globe. According to this study, the traditional Jewish mourning practices often involve Kaddish recitation of the grieving person and when people are celebrating their loved one’s death anniversary. In this religion, to recite Kaddish while mourning, a quorum of at least ten Jewish adults called minyan must be available (Cooper, 2021). Therefore, while this religious practice is vital during one’s mourning period, the lockdown and quarantine during the pandemic made it impossible.
Gabbay, E., & Fins, J. (2019). Go in peace: Brain death, reasonable accommodation, and Jewish mourning rituals. Journal of Religion and Health, 58, 1672-1686. Web.
In history, it has been a common practice for orthodox Jews to object to brain death. Due to such objections, there are often conflicts between patient families and hospitals after their member has been diagnosed with brain death. According to Gabbay and Fins (2019), the Jewish tradition has always embraced cultural and psychological mechanisms to support families during death and loss, even though they often object to brain death. This accommodation often involves separating the physical body from the soul and transitioning from the mourning phase. It helps members achieve closure and accept the loss of their loved one and more.
Gold, J. M. (2020). Generating a vocabulary of mourning: Supporting families through the process of grief. The Family Journal, 28(3), 236-240. Web.
Even though grief and loss are ordinary and universal for everyone, despite their language, religion, and customs, there are different spiritual affiliations when it comes to family involvement and its role. Gold (2020) reviews numerous religions and how they differ in how they include their families. In the Jewish tradition, individuals often believe in burying a person’s body after death to show respect. During mourning, the family is left alone to grieve and is not supposed to receive calls or visits. Each member must also tear or rip their clothing, which is a symbol that they are grieving.
Yedidya, A. (2022). From collective shiva to a fast for the ages: Religious initiatives to commemorate and mourn the victims of the Holocaust, 1944–1951. Religions, 13(3), 242. Web.
Yedidya (2022) notes that the Jewish tradition often follows specific religious rituals while mourning their loved ones. This process often involves receiving visitors, reciting the Kaddish, and the annual marking of the death. To commemorate their loved ones, Jews spare some days for fasting, which is a show of respect for the dead. Even though much has changed in the tradition over the years, their mourning process is still cherished, and the same is often done when there is a disaster in a community.