Traditionally seven days following burial. Some families observe the full seven days strictly, while a Shabbat or Jewish holiday occurring during shiva can shorten it, according to traditional practice.

Do all Jewish movements require burial rather than cremation?

Orthodox and Conservative Judaism maintain traditional Jewish law's preference for ground burial without cremation. Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism generally leave the choice to the individual or family, though many rabbis will explain and may encourage traditional burial.

Can women recite the Mourner's Kaddish?

In Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist communities, women reciting Kaddish is standard practice. In many Orthodox communities, the minyan required for Kaddish is traditionally counted only among men, which can affect how and where a woman recites it. Ask your community's rabbi for guidance.

Yahrzeit is the annual anniversary of a loved one's death on the Hebrew calendar, marked by lighting a memorial candle and often reciting Kaddish, a practice observed consistently across all the movements.

Jewish Mourning & Funerals: Shiva, Kaddish, Customs

Quick answer: Jewish mourning follows a shared rhythm across the movements — burial as soon as reasonably possible, seven days of shiva at home, thirty days of lighter mourning (shloshim), and up to a year of reciting the Mourner’s Kaddish for a parent. What varies is how strictly the timeline is followed, who counts toward the prayer quorum for Kaddish, and views on burial versus cremation. If you’re newly in mourning, lean on your rabbi and community — you don’t have to figure any of this out alone.

The shared framework of Jewish mourning

However a family observes it, Jewish mourning generally moves through recognizable stages:

Aninut — the period between death and burial, when the immediate mourner is focused solely on burial arrangements.
The funeral (levaya) — traditionally held as soon as possible after death, out of respect for the deceased, though modern scheduling (travel, medical examiner requirements, Shabbat and holidays) often means a short delay.
Shiva — seven days of structured mourning at home following burial, when the community visits to comfort mourners, mirrors are traditionally covered, and mourners often sit on low chairs or stools.
Shloshim — the thirty days following burial, a step down in mourning intensity.
Avelut — for those mourning a parent, a fuller year of mourning observances, including reciting Kaddish.
Yahrzeit — the annual anniversary of a death, marked with a candle and, often, Kaddish.

This basic shape is recognized across Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, and Orthodox communities. What changes is how each element is practiced.

Burial and cremation

Traditional Jewish law calls for burial in the ground, without embalming, in a simple shroud and often a plain wooden casket, and Orthodox and Conservative movements maintain this as the expected practice. Reform Judaism, and to a similar extent Reconstructionist Judaism, do not prohibit cremation and generally leave the choice to the individual or family, though many Reform rabbis will still encourage burial and can explain the traditional reasoning behind it. If this decision is on your mind, it’s worth discussing directly with your rabbi or funeral home, since practice and personal guidance can differ even within the same movement.

Sitting shiva

Shiva is widely observed across the movements, though families vary in how strictly they keep to a full seven days, whether they “get up” from shiva early for Shabbat or a holiday (a traditional practice that interrupts the mourning period), and how formal the home setting is. Community involvement — bringing meals, forming a minyan for daily prayers, simply showing up to sit with mourners — is one of the most consistent threads across every community, and it’s often organized locally through chessed committees that coordinate meal trains and visits so grieving families don’t have to ask.

Kaddish and the minyan

The Mourner’s Kaddish is recited daily, traditionally requiring a minyan (a quorum of ten). In Orthodox communities, the minyan is traditionally counted only among men, so a woman reciting Kaddish for a parent may do so in a different context than a man would, depending on the community. Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist communities generally count women equally toward the minyan, and women reciting Kaddish is fully normal practice. This is one of the more visible places where movements diverge, and it’s changed over time even within individual communities — so ask what’s customary at the synagogue where you’ll be mourning.

Yahrzeit and Yizkor

Across every movement, families mark the yearly anniversary of a loved one’s death — the yahrzeit — by lighting a 24-hour candle and often reciting Kaddish, and remember loved ones collectively during Yizkor memorial services held on certain holidays. These customs are observed with remarkable consistency across the spectrum of Jewish practice, even where other mourning rituals diverge.

Finding support during a difficult time

Grief is easier to carry with community around you. If you’re newly connected to an area or don’t yet have a synagogue home, community explorer can help you find a congregation or chevra kadisha (burial society) nearby. Out-of-town family arriving for a funeral or to sit shiva often need somewhere to stay, and local rentals can make that easier to arrange quickly. When it comes time to plan a funeral or a shiva meal, local service listings can connect you with funeral homes, caterers, and other professionals experienced with Jewish mourning customs, and those providers are welcome to add a listing so families can find them in a moment of need. Some families later choose to memorialize a loved one by supporting causes close to their heart, which you can explore through chessed, or by marking a yahrzeit each year with a small gathering listed on Jewish events.

There’s no need to navigate this alone

Every detail here is general guidance, not a ruling for your specific situation. Funeral homes, rabbis, and chevra kadisha volunteers deal with these questions daily and can walk your family through exactly what applies to you, your loved one’s wishes, and your community’s customs.

By the HeimishMart Community Desk — HeimishMart is the community marketplace for Jewish homes, jobs, and local life across North America.