Overview

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 through an unfamiliar world of prayer. To honor her beloved father following his death, Sarah undertakes a Jewish mourning ritual historically reserved for males--despite her father's request that she hire a male to do so. A novice worshipper and single working mother, Sarah commits to re-citing the Mourner's Kaddish every morning and evening in the presence of a quorum of ten people (a minyan) in synagogue for eleven months. She incorporates this traditional religious and spiritual practice into her already hectic twenty-first century life while struggling with the distress of grief. As she travels the country for work, Sarah must find a synagogue with twice-daily prayer services in every city she visits, an undertaking that brings many challenges--such as encountering gender-based objections to her prayer practice, her daughter's near-fatal car accident, and her mother's dismissiveness--along with many blessings. Throughout her year of mourning, Sarah learns the importance of community to help mourners heal. A Daughter's Kaddish reminds us that grief is a universal experience with no expiration date, and that ancient rituals have a place in our contemporary society.

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Reviews

""A compelling story of faith, family, and remembrance."" --Book Riot ""An accessible, congenial read [that] will resonate most with those familiar with the world of the non-Orthodox American Jewish synagogue."" --Jerusalem Post ""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 ""Enjoyable... recommended as an engaging read for women who might consider saying Kaddish for a parent, as well as to men and especially Rabbis and lay leaders so that they may be more supportive of women who want to say Kaddish for a parent."" --Association of Jewish Libraries ""Readers will appreciate Birnbach's candor and insight into the gender dynamics of Judaism. This soulful outing has plenty of heart."" --Publishers Weekly

"""A compelling story of faith, family, and remembrance."" --Book Riot ""An accessible, congenial read [that] will resonate most with those familiar with the world of the non-Orthodox American Jewish synagogue."" --Jerusalem Post ""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 ""Enjoyable... recommended as an engaging read for women who might consider saying Kaddish for a parent, as well as to men and especially Rabbis and lay leaders so that they may be more supportive of women who want to say Kaddish for a parent."" --Association of Jewish Libraries ""Readers will appreciate Birnbach's candor and insight into the gender dynamics of Judaism. This soulful outing has plenty of heart."" --Publishers Weekly"

Author Information

Sarah Birnbach began her encore career as a nonfiction writer in 2016 after successful careers as a human resources management consultant and family therapist in a juvenile court. She was a sought-after motivational speaker at numerous industry conferences and has delivered more than five hundred presentations and workshops. Throughout her professional life, she dedicated herself to enabling individuals to become their best selves. She has been journaling since she was a teen and her decades-long love of journaling led her to become one of the country's first certified journal facilitators--a designation from the Center for Journal Therapy. She has taught numerous journaling workshops and introduced journaling into her therapeutic work with families. Sarah is a six-time award winner in the Soul-Making Keats Literary Competition and a two-time award winner of Bethesda Magazine's annual essay contest. Her articles have appeared in numerous journals including Talking Writing, Bookwoman, JOFA Journal (Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance), Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine, the Michigan Jewish History Journal, and Pen in Hand. In addition, her articles have appeared in The Washington Jewish Week and The Jerusalem Post. She holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from George Washington University, a master's degree in human resources from American University, and a master's degree in social work from the University of Maryland. Sarah is a member of the Chevra Kadisha (Holy Fellowship)--women who perform the holy ritual of preparing a body for burial, midwifing the soul of the deceased from this world to the next. She is also member of the Washington Funeral Practices Committee, the Women's National Book Association, the National Association of Memoir Writers and the Authors Guild. Sarah recently retraced her father's footsteps on the front lines of World War II Germany and is at work on her next book, In My Father's Footsteps. She lives outside Washington, DC, with her husband. In addition to indulging in chocolate, her passions include frequenting local bookstores, traveling, dancing, and active grandparenting.

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