New Kaddish App Instructs and Inspires Mourners
The Yizkor (remembrance) service on Yom Kippur and Shmini Atzeret, in which special prayers are said in memory of the departed, may be the most well-attended synagogue service on the Jewish calendar. And throughout the night and day of Yom Kippur, there will be resounding sounds of amen to mourners saying Kaddish for those who have passed. This year, those who are not regulars will be able to recite the Kaddish like a pro with the help of a new app.
The Kaddish Assistant is really more than just a guide to a prayer, it’s part of an ecosystem of apps Chabad.org, the Jewish mega-site, is developing to help people harness technology and bridge the barriers that may keep them from getting involved in their real-world communities.
Kaddish may be one of the few – or even first – interactions someone has with the Jewish community, a moment that combines issues of mortality and death along with public ‘speaking’, and this app endeavors to make it a positive experience while helping them connect with this powerful tradition.
What does the App Offer?
Kaddish Assistant helps you learn how to say Kaddish at your own pace and in your own tradition. Read along as each word of the Kaddish is recited and highlighted. Learn how to properly pronounce each word, using either Hebrew or transliteration. And understand what each word means with integrated translations.
Kaddish Assistant helps with the following:
• Read-along and learn to say Kaddish at your own pace.
• Select from three traditions including: Ashkenazic, Sephardic and Chabad.
• Use the built-in Yahtzheit calculator to determine when to say Kaddish.
• Use the “My Yahtzheits” feature to save key family Yahrtzeit dates and be notified before upcoming Yahrtzeits.
• Notify friends and loved ones when and where you will be saying Kaddish so they can join you and help you make a minyan.
• Kaddish quick tips and articles help demystify this spiritual prayer.
• Request that Kaddish be recited in Israel.
• And more…
The app is available with multilingual support, including the following languages: English, Hebrew, French, Spanish, Russian, German, Italian and Portuguese.
