Yahrzeit (, plural , ) is the anniversary of a death in

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

. It is traditionally commemorated by reciting the

Kaddish The Kaddish (, 'holy' or 'sanctification'), also transliterated as Qaddish, is a hymn praising God that is recited during Jewish prayer services. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the lit ...

in synagogue and by lighting a long-burning candle.

Name

The word ''Yahrzeit'' is a borrowing from the Yiddish (), ultimately from the

Middle High German Middle High German (MHG; or ; , shortened as ''Mhdt.'' or ''Mhd.'') is the term for the form of High German, High German language, German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High ...

. It is a

doublet Doublet is a word derived from the Latin ''duplus'', "twofold, twice as much",