A Daughter's Kaddish: My Year of Grief, Devotion, and Healing

A woman breaks with Jewish tradition to honor her late father in this moving memoir of faith, grief, and transformation.

A Daughter's Kaddish recounts Sarah Birnbach's year-long odyssey to persevere through an unfamiliar world of Jewish prayer. To honor her beloved father, Sarah commits to reciting the Mourner's Kaddish twice a day in synagogue for eleven months--a Jewish mourning ritual that was historically reserved for sons--despite her father's initial request that she hire someone male to do so. A novice worshipper and single working mother, Sarah encountered many obstacles--including gender-based objections to her prayer practice, her own daughter's near-fatal car accident, an incident that tore her synagogue apart, and her mother's dismissiveness.

Sarah incorporates these religious and spiritual practices into her already hectic 21st-century life while struggling with the heavy emotional distress of grief. As she travels the country for work, Sarah must find a synagogue where she can pray in each city and town she visits, a challenge that brings many surprises--and upsets. Throughout her year of devotion, Sarah takes comfort in the loving memories of her childhood while at the same time grappling with some very painful ones--ultimately discovering how the path of faith and grief can lead to true healing.