A Daughter's Kaddish: My Year of Grief, Devotion, and Healing
Description
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.
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About the Author
Sarah Birnbach embarked on her encore career as a writer in 2015 after successful careers as a human resource management consultant and a licensed clinical social worker. She is a six-time award winner of the Soul-Making Keats Literary Competition, a program of the National League of American Pen Women, and a two-time award winner in Bethesda Magazine's essay contest. Her stories have been published in numerous magazines and professional journals. An active member of the Women's National Book Association, she lives in Rockville, Maryland.
Reviews
"A compelling story of faith, family, and remembrance."
--Book Riot
"Readers will appreciate Birnbach's candor and insight into the gender dynamics of Judaism. This soulful outing has plenty of heart."
--Publishers Weekly
"An inherently fascinating, exceptionally well written, and impressively thought-provoking memoir.... Highly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Biography/Memoir and Judaism Studies collections."
--Midwest Book Review
"A thoughtful meditation on sacrifice, memory, gender roles, and of course--grief."
--A.J. Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically
"A heartwarming, sometimes heart-wrenching, and always honest story."
--Rabbi Mindy Avra Portnoy, rabbi emerita, Temple Sinai, Washington, DC, and author of A Tale of Two Seders
"Birnbach's love letter to her father is a meditation on grief and the power of a spiritual practice to transcend our most painful losses."
--Michelle Brafman, author of Washing the Dead
"Sarah Birnbach has made a major contribution to the literature of bereavement. She weaves together her personal story, grief, and spiritual development into a work that will move readers of diverse backgrounds and experiences."
--Kate Thompson, author of Therapeutic Journal Writing
"A brave and beautifully crafted memoir of love, loss, and enduring faith, rich with emotionally resonant stories. A Daughter's Kaddish is enlightening, enlivening, and profoundly inspiring."
--Kathleen Adams, LPC, founder/director, Center for Journal Therapy, and coauthor of Your Brain on Ink
"Sarah Birnbach embraces a custom that has been for so long the province of men. As we see on these pages, she--and we, her readers--are the richer for it. And we can only imagine that her father is smiling down on her with joy."
--Ari L. Goldman, author of Living a Year of Kaddish
"Sarah Birnbach tells an inspiring story of faith and determination in A Daughter's Kaddish, a modern take on an ancient ritual."
--Arch Campbell, former news anchor, NBC
