Pregnancy loss is one of the most common losses women will experience, yet very little conversation happens about it and very little attention is given to it withing Jewish mourning practices. This used to be a protective measure to save people from endless mourning. While medical advances of the years may have made pregnancy safer, nothing lessens the grief of a pregnancy loss except to mourn it.
Now the Bay Area Jewish community has a place for this.
The Memorial Garden is a quiet sacred space for memorials, ceremonies and community ritual for pregnancy and infant loss. For some individuals, pregnancy loss may be an isolated incident. This painful experience needs to be marked in order to heal. Additionally, pregnancy loss can also be part of a larger experience of infertility.
After years of planning, this space is now available to the Jewish community. The space is set aside by a circle of redwood trees that surround a private space for meditation or ceremonies. A circle of water contains stones that can be rearranged by visitors, reflecting the tradition of placing a stone upon leaving a Jewish grave site.
The Memory Garden, adjacent to the south side of Eternal Home Cemetery, is open to all on Sunday through Friday from 9am to 4pm. No reservations are required to visit. Reservations for private gatherings to mourn, remember and heal from fertility and pregnancy losses can be made by contacting (650) 755-5236 or reservation@sinaichapel.org.
Hasidah will also be planning events to take place at the Memory Garden to support those experiencing pregnancy losses.
If you are someone you know has experienced a pregnancy loss, please reach out to Sinai Memorial for burial assistance. Additional resources are also available on the Hasidah website for support during pregnancy loss.
Pictured:
- Memory Garden plaque
- Memory Garden site
- Water and stones
- Memory Garden dedication
- Rabbis Idit Solomon (Hasidah Founder) and Marv Goodman (volunteer)
