Shloshim, memorial and yahrzeit
Yahrzeit calculator
Enter the date of death and get the Hebrew date, the day of getting up from shiva, the shloshim, the 11 months of Kaddish and the anniversaries for the next ten years. Everything can be added to your calendar.
Reviewed The content has been reviewed and approved for publication (28.09.2026). For practical questions, ask your community rabbi / a professional. Found a mistake? Write to us
Yahrzeit
The days of mourning
| Occasion | Hebrew date | Civil date |
|---|
Anniversaries (yahrzeit)
| Year | Hebrew date | Civil date |
|---|
The file works with Google Calendar, iPhone and Outlook, with a reminder a week before and on the day itself. The details are not sent anywhere.
What to do on the yahrzeit
- Kaddish: the sons (and in some communities daughters and other relatives too) say Kaddish at the day's prayers, starting with the evening prayer the night before. The Kaddish text by tradition.
- Visiting the grave: it is customary to read psalms, say El Malei Rachamim or Hashkava, and leave a stone on the headstone. The memorial prayers · Psalms by the letters of the name.
- Memorial candle: a 24-hour candle is lit from the evening before.
- Study and charity: many study Mishnayot by the letters of the name, hold a siyum or give to charity in memory of the deceased.
- Gathering: a memorial invitation wording ready to send on WhatsApp.
Questions about the yahrzeit and the memorial
How is a yahrzeit calculated?
The anniversary is set by the Hebrew date of death, not the civil date. If the death was after sunset, the Hebrew date is that of the following day. The yahrzeit begins the evening before, like every day in the Hebrew calendar.
What if the death was in Adar and there is a leap year?
A leap year has Adar I and Adar II. For someone who died in Adar of a regular year, many Ashkenazi communities observe the yahrzeit in Adar I, many Sephardi and Mizrahi communities in Adar II, and some observe both. Check with your community rabbi.
When is the first-year memorial held?
The first memorial is held on the first Hebrew anniversary. Some visit the grave on the day itself, and some bring it forward to a weekday when the date falls on Shabbat or a festival. The calculator shows the day and the day of the week.
Until when is Kaddish said for a parent?
The common custom is to say Kaddish for eleven months from the day of death, and again on the yahrzeit. Customs differ about the exact day on which to stop – check with your community rabbi.
How are the shiva and the shloshim counted?
Both are counted from the day of burial, and the day of burial counts as the first day. Mourners get up from shiva on the morning of the seventh day, and the shloshim ends on the 30th day. A festival falling in these days cancels or shortens them.
More tools
Shloshim & memorial invitation
Ready text with the Hebrew date, time, cemetery and navigation link – for WhatsApp and print.
Open →Kaddish & prayers by tradition
Mourner's and Rabbis' Kaddish, El Malei Rachamim, Hashkava, Yizkor and memorial psalms – Ashkenaz, Sefard/Chabad, Edot HaMizrach and Yemenite.
Open →Mourning customs
Shiva, shloshim and the year – what is customary, Shabbat and festivals during shiva, in plain language.
Open →Calculated by the Hebrew calendar (Reingold–Dershowitz algorithm, Hebcal library). For Adar in a leap year, the 30th of Cheshvan or Kislev, or a festival during the days of mourning, customs differ, and it is best to consult your community rabbi.