Yizkor

American

[yeez-kawr, yis-kuhr, yiz-, yis-ker] / jizˈkɔr, ˈjɪs kər, ˈjɪz-, ˈjɪs kər /

noun

Hebrew.

the Jewish service for commemorating the dead, held on Yom Kippur, Shemini Atzereth, the second day of Shavuoth, and the last day of Passover.

Yizkor British

/ ˈjizkor /

noun

Judaism a memorial prayer included in the liturgy for certain festivals

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Yizkor

yizkōr may He be mindful

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Yizkor

Yizkor, which in Hebrew means “may God remember,” refers to the Jewish memorial prayer for the dead.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026

Some offering Yizkor, or remembrance, prayers were doing so in honor of slain loved ones.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 22, 2023

Ruth Fertig, who won the gold medal for her documentary, "Yizkor," said the award gave her faith to move forward as a filmmaker.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 14, 2010

In 1998 New York City attorney Ty Rogers posted online a Yizkor book www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/jedwabne/yedwabne.html describing a massacre that claimed 26 of his cousins.

From Time Magazine Archive

Likewise, when Field received a translation of a Hebrew Yizkor book about her father's birthplace, Debica, Poland, "I felt as if I was learning about my father again," she recalls.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023