Standing on the Shoulders of Those Who Came Before Us

So often we hear stories about those who have been lost. In our work in the Former Soviet Union we hear countless tales of loved ones, valued community members or ancestors who have passed on. Individuals who gave of themselves for the sake of family, community or religion. Our latest project the Yizkor- International Memorial Wall is a tribute to all those who have come before us.

Yizkor is Hebrew for ‘Remember,’ it is also the name of a special prayer recited only a few times a year. The Yizkor prayer asks for G-d to remember the spirit of a departed loved one and honor it. The reader then  performs a mitzva, a good deed, to further elevate the loved one’s spirit, typically by giving charity.

The Yizkor prayer is only recited for an immediate blood relative. Our Yizkor  Wall is for everyone; for the great uncle who died in the Holocaust, the neighbor who was a WWI Vet, and the child lost to cancer.  The Yizkor Wall is a way to create a gravestone of sorts, a marking for those who might not have one, whose location is unknown or to create an additional accessible one for those who are too far away.  

The site is designed to be user friendly. After the honoree’s information and picture are added, users are invited to make a donation to the FJC, as a way to immediately honor the deceased by caring for those living.  However, a donation is not necessary for the creation of a stone on the Memorial Wall. Finally  a “stone” is created with the information. The stones have been designed to look like the stones in the Western Wall, the Kotel, one of the holiest places for Judaism.

As our dedicated supporters we invite you to be the first to commemorate your loved ones and perform a good deed in their merit.

Click here to enter the Memorial Wall