Dear JewishGen Community,

According to Jewish tradition, loved ones are remembered annually on the Hebrew date of their passing. This date is known as “Yahrzeit” which literally means “anniversary.” One of the most well known customs and observances is the lighting of a Yahrzeit candle. However, for many people, it is confusing to calculate the date which the Yahrzeit occurs each year, as the solar and lunar calendars do not match. As such, we often hear that people will miss observance of the Yahrzeit either because they did not know the actual Hebrew date that their relative passed away, and/or they forgot when it fell on the calendar that particular year.

For this reason,  JewishGen is pleased to provide a new free service whereby you can enter the names of loved ones, and the dates they passed away into our system. We will then send you automatic reminders before the Yahrzeit approaches each year, and let you know on which date it will occur on the “English/Gregorian” calendar.

For example: If your relative passed away on the 12th day of the Hebrew month of Adar during the Hebrew year of 5779, JewishGen will automatically let you know that this coming year's Yahrzeit will occur on March 5th, 2023. 

The system has also been designed to help you calculate the Hebrew date of your relatives passing if you are not sure of it. You can simply enter the “English/Gregorian” date that the person passed away, and we will automatically convert the date for you.

In addition to receiving the annual email reminder, you may choose to see a list of upcoming Yahrzeits over the next 5 years.

Note: For some dates of death, you might see two Yahrzeit dates listed in the same year. This happens in situations where there are differing traditions about when to observe the Yahrzeit, due to complexities in the Hebrew calendar. Some Jews would observe it on date #1, some on date #2, and some on both dates. If you see two Yahrzeit dates and are unsure which tradition to follow, we recommend consulting your rabbi.

As with everything offered on JewishGen, this service is completely free, and we hope it will be useful as you remember your loved ones each year.  You can easily sign up and enter your names by visiting JewishGen.org/Yahrzeit (note, you have to be logged in).

If you have any questions, or feedback, please email support@...

Wishing all a Gmar Chatima Tova - stay tuned for announcements of newly added records!

 - Avraham

Avraham Groll
Executive Director
JewishGen