Search Obituary, Death and Burial Records by Name
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Find Recent Jewish Obituaries, Funeral Notices and Cemetery Records
Looking for a recent Jewish obituary? Start with the person’s name and city. Check a Jewish funeral home’s official memorial listings, the local Jewish community newspaper or a family-authorized funeral notice.
This guide helps you find recent notices, verify funeral and shiva information, search Jewish cemetery records, understand mourning terms and request official death certificates.
Reviewed October 14, 2026. This is an independent source guide, not a live national obituary database.
Quick Answer: Where Should You Search?
Recent Jewish obituary
Start with the handling funeral home’s website or a local Jewish newspaper. Confirm the correct person using age, city and relatives.
Funeral or shiva
Use the original family-authorized funeral notice for current service arrangements, shiva times and approved memorial information.
Jewish cemetery record
Search JewishGen’s Online Worldwide Burial Registry (JOWBR) for indexed Jewish burials, cemetery information and available gravestone photographs.
Official death certificate
Contact the government vital records office where the death occurred. Jewish community directories do not issue legal death certificates.
How to Find a Recent Jewish Obituary by Name
- Search the full name. Begin with the person’s first and last name. Add a city or state when the name is common.
- Check Jewish funeral-home notices. Find the funeral home serving the person’s community. Many publish current funeral schedules and memorial pages.
- Check the local Jewish community newspaper. Search its obituary, death-notice or memorial section.
- Try another name form. Use a maiden name, previous surname, middle name, nickname, Hebrew name or transliteration.
- Open the original notice. Compare age, relatives, residence, date of death and funeral provider.
- Confirm the arrangements. Check the funeral, cemetery and shiva details through the handling funeral home or another family-authorized source.
For a broader name-search method, see our obituary search guide.
Where to Find Jewish Obituaries by City
These are examples of verified funeral-home and community research sources in major U.S. metropolitan areas. They are not a complete list of Jewish providers.
New York City
Plaza Jewish Community Chapel publishes a funeral calendar for services that families choose to list publicly.
Open Plaza Jewish funeral listings
How to use: open Current and Upcoming Funerals, look for the name, then check the individual funeral details when available.
General contact: 212-769-4400.
Chicago & North Shore, Illinois
Chicago Jewish Funerals maintains a recent funeral listing for Chicago and surrounding communities.
Open Chicago Jewish Funerals notices
How to use: select a name, then check the service date, chapel, interment, shiva, livestream and memorial-contribution sections where provided.
Los Angeles & Southern California
Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries provides searchable memorial and event information.
Open Mount Sinai memorial search
How to use: enter the name, adjust date or location filters if needed, and open the memorial to check service information.
Baltimore, Maryland
Sol Levinson & Bros. offers funeral listings and search tools for recent and past services.
Open Sol Levinson funeral listings
How to use: use Search Obituaries, then review service and shiva details provided by the family.
Greater Chicago: Older Jewish Notices
The Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois maintains a searchable index of Jewish United Fund (JUF) death notices and obituaries from 1994 onward.
Search tip: check the next year as well, because a late-year death may have been published the following year.
Another U.S. or Canadian City
Start with the local Jewish Federation, synagogue or Jewish Family Services organization to identify funeral homes, burial societies and community publications.
Find a local Jewish Federation
How to use: enter a city, state or ZIP/postal code, open the appropriate local Federation and look for community support or burial resources.
How to Receive New Jewish Obituary Notices
Some funeral homes offer optional email notifications. For example, Chicago Jewish Funerals has a daily obituary notification service for notices published during the previous 24 hours.
- Open the funeral home’s notification page.
- Review what notices the subscription covers.
- Enter the requested contact information.
- Submit only if you want those messages.
- Check the original funeral notice for any time-sensitive information.
How to Verify the Correct Jewish Obituary
| What to compare | Why it matters | Reason to pause |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Separates common-name results. | An important name element differs. |
| Age or birth year | Distinguishes people with similar names. | Age conflicts with what you know. |
| Family members | Spouse, children and parents help establish identity. | Close relatives do not match. |
| City or community | Connects the notice with the expected place. | No location connection is known. |
| Funeral home or congregation | Provides a primary source for current details. | The organization is unrelated to the family. |
| Dates | Separates a recent obituary from an older memorial. | The notice belongs to another year. |
Jewish Funeral Notices: Service and Burial Details
A Jewish funeral may take place at a funeral chapel, synagogue, cemetery or another approved location. Check the specific family notice rather than assuming all Jewish funerals follow the same arrangements.
Funeral service
Confirm the exact starting time, location, whether attendance is public and any livestream information.
Interment
Check the cemetery name and burial time separately. A service and interment may occur at different locations.
Shiva
Review whether the family is receiving visitors, the approved dates and any posted visiting hours.
Clergy
Some notices list the rabbi or cantor leading the service. This can help confirm a community connection.
Livestream
Use only the funeral home’s, congregation’s or family’s authorized stream.
Memorial donations
Check whether the family names a charity or other memorial option. Use the charity’s own official payment route.
Jewish Mourning Terms Explained in Simple Language
Jewish practices differ among Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, Sephardic and other communities, as well as between individual families. The terms below explain common traditions, not rules every family must follow.
| Term | Simple meaning | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Chevra Kadisha | A Jewish burial society that helps prepare and care for the deceased. | Ask the funeral home or congregation whether one is involved. |
| Tahara | Ritual preparation and washing of the deceased. | Families choosing this practice can ask the funeral provider about arrangements. |
| Tachrichim | Traditional burial shrouds. | Ask about the family’s burial preferences. |
| Shmira / Shemira | Watching over the deceased before burial. | Ask whether the funeral home or Chevra Kadisha coordinates it. |
| Shiva | A traditional seven-day mourning period after burial. | Follow the family’s actual visiting days and hours. |
| Shloshim | A traditional thirty-day mourning period that includes shiva. | Observance differs by family and community. |
| Kaddish | A traditional Jewish prayer associated with mourning and remembrance. | Ask the congregation about prayer times if appropriate. |
| Yahrzeit | The annual anniversary of a death according to the Jewish calendar in traditional observance. | Verify the Hebrew date, including whether death occurred after sunset. |
How to Respectfully Attend a Shiva Visit
- Check whether visitors are welcome. Use only the visitation information publicly provided by the family.
- Follow the announced hours. Some families receive visitors for a limited period or at a congregation instead of a home.
- Respect household customs. Ask about food, kashrut or other preferences before bringing anything.
- Keep condolences simple. Offer sympathy, listen and allow mourners to guide the conversation.
- Protect family privacy. Do not publish the location, photographs or personal details without permission.
Find Jewish Cemetery and Gravestone Records with JewishGen
JewishGen’s Online Worldwide Burial Registry (JOWBR) provides searchable Jewish cemetery and burial records from many countries.
Records may include the deceased person’s name, cemetery, location and other burial information. Some also include gravestone photographs.
How to search JOWBR
- Open the JewishGen burial registry. Use the official database.
- Enter the surname. Use alternate spellings if necessary.
- Add the given name or Hebrew name. Try phonetic or name-variant matching when available.
- Choose the geographic region. Narrow the search by country or area when you know the burial location.
- Open likely records. Compare names, dates and cemetery details.
- Confirm with the cemetery. Contact the cemetery office for current grave-location or visitation information.
Search Jewish cemetery records using a Hebrew name
Some older Jewish burial records or gravestones identify a person using a Hebrew given name and a parent’s Hebrew name.
JewishGen supports searching with additional name fields, including Hebrew names and a father’s given name, when those details are available.
Older Jewish Obituaries, Family History and Holocaust-Era Records
Use a different database when the goal is historical Jewish family research rather than an obituary from the past few days.
JewishGen U.S. Database
Includes historical Jewish records and selected obituary indexes, including American Jewish Year Book obituaries from 1948–1998.
Next step: search the name, then check which component database supplied the result.
JewishGen Burial Registry
Useful for researching burials and cemetery records across many countries and different historical periods.
Next step: search the surname with the likely burial region.
Yad Vashem Shoah Names Database
Documents Holocaust victims and related historical records. It is not a modern funeral notice database.
Next step: use given name, maiden name, prewar town, family names or approximate year.
Local Jewish Historical Societies
Regional Jewish museums, archives and historical societies may preserve synagogue registers, community newspaper obituaries and cemetery records.
Next step: identify the person’s former hometown, congregation and local Jewish history organization.
Jewish Obituary Search: Name Variations That Can Matter
| Search problem | What to try |
|---|---|
| Different given names | Search both the English name and a known Hebrew or Yiddish given name. |
| Maiden or married names | Search both surnames and include a spouse’s name when known. |
| Changed family surname | Check immigration, naturalization or family records for a previous spelling. |
| Transliterated surname | Test plausible spellings instead of assuming one English transliteration. |
| Traditional Hebrew inscription | Use the Hebrew given name and parent’s name if available. |
| Different publication date | Search the days following the death and compare with the Hebrew-calendar date. |
Some JewishGen searches offer phonetic or synonym-based matching. Read the database’s search tips before deciding that a name is absent.
How to Find a Jewish Yahrzeit Date
A yahrzeit is an annual remembrance of someone who died. Traditional observance uses the Hebrew calendar, which does not always match the same Gregorian calendar date each year.
- Find the verified Gregorian date of death.
- Check whether the death occurred before or after sunset, if known.
- Open a Jewish yahrzeit calendar calculator.
- Enter the correct name and date information.
- Review the generated Hebrew anniversary dates and optional reminders.
Jewish Burial Assistance and Free Funeral Help
Some communities have burial societies or nonprofits that support families facing financial hardship. Availability depends on location, eligibility and the specific organization.
New York: Hebrew Free Burial Association
The Hebrew Free Burial Association (HFBA) helps arrange traditional Jewish funerals and burials for eligible indigent Jewish people in the greater New York metropolitan area.
The organization assists in circumstances where the deceased has no available family or friends to arrange a burial, or where funeral costs cannot be afforded.
Telephone: 212-239-1662
HFBA says its telephone line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for time-sensitive matters.
Local Jewish Federation or Family Services
Outside New York, ask your local Jewish Federation or Jewish Family Services organization about available burial help, community support or referrals.
Financial assistance is not guaranteed. Some organizations may provide referrals rather than direct burial payments.
Chevra Kadisha
A local Jewish burial society may help families coordinate traditional preparation and burial customs.
Ask the congregation or funeral home whether a Chevra Kadisha is available and which services and charges apply.
Government or Veteran Benefits
Some families may qualify for state or local indigent burial programs, Social Security survivor benefits or Veterans Affairs burial benefits.
These are separate programs with different eligibility rules.
How to Request a Legal Death Certificate in the United States
A Jewish obituary, funeral notice, synagogue memorial or cemetery record is not a certified death certificate.
In the United States, the government office responsible for the death certificate generally depends on the state or jurisdiction where the death occurred.
What to prepare
- Full legal name of the deceased.
- Date of death or approximate date range.
- City, county and state where the death occurred.
- Your relationship to the deceased when required.
- Identification and proof of legal authority when required.
- Payment method and mailing address.
Microsteps
- Identify the state of death. This may differ from the family’s residence or cemetery location.
- Open the CDC vital records directory. Select the state or territory.
- Follow the official issuing office’s instructions. Check certified-copy eligibility and accepted identification.
- Choose online, mail or in-person ordering. Options and fees differ by jurisdiction.
- Save the order details. Store the certificate securely because it may contain sensitive personal information.
For more detailed instructions, read our death certificate and vital records guide.
Jewish Funeral Costs and Consumer Rights
The Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule gives consumers important protections when arranging funerals in the United States.
Request prices by phone
A covered funeral provider must give price information over the telephone when asked.
Ask for a General Price List
When discussing arrangements or prices in person, request the itemized General Price List.
Choose appropriate services
You generally have the right to select individual funeral goods and services rather than buying an unwanted package.
Ask about Jewish burial arrangements
Discuss any desired Tahara, Shmira, burial shrouds, casket, synagogue arrangements, cemetery fees and transportation before accepting the total quote.
Jewish families with a Veteran
Military service may provide access to additional government burial or memorial benefits. VA eligibility is based on military service and other requirements, not religion.
Some eligible families may qualify for burial allowances, headstones, markers, burial flags or national cemetery benefits. Burial arrangements should also respect the family’s religious and cemetery preferences.
VA Burial and Memorial Benefits Eligibility, national cemetery benefits and available federal assistance.After You Find the Obituary: Practical Checklist
- Save the original funeral-home obituary or memorial link.
- Verify service time, chapel and cemetery separately.
- Check family-authorized shiva details before visiting.
- Review donation preferences instead of assuming flowers are appropriate.
- Check whether a certified death certificate is needed for legal matters.
- Ask whether survivor, Veteran or local burial benefits apply.
- Record the Hebrew death date if the family wants future yahrzeit reminders.
- Keep private addresses, medical information and financial details out of public guestbooks.
For official account, insurance and government notification steps, use our after-death notification checklist.
Recent Jewish Obituaries: Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find recent Jewish obituaries?
Start with Jewish funeral-home notices, the local Jewish newspaper or a family-authorized memorial. Use the person’s name and city, then verify the correct person with the original source.
Is there one website for all Jewish obituaries?
No. Jewish obituaries are published by different funeral homes, community newspapers, congregations and families. There is no complete public real-time directory covering every Jewish death.
How can I find Jewish funeral notices published today?
Use the official recent-funeral page of the funeral home serving the community. Check the publication date and current service information, as notices may be updated.
Where can I find Jewish cemetery records?
JewishGen’s Online Worldwide Burial Registry (JOWBR) provides searchable Jewish burial and cemetery records from many countries. Some records include gravestone photographs.
What if I only know the person’s Hebrew name?
Try the Hebrew given name, known English or transliterated names, and a parent’s Hebrew given name when available. JewishGen offers fields useful for these searches.
What is shiva?
Shiva is traditionally a seven-day Jewish mourning period after burial. Actual observance and visitation schedules vary by family, community, Shabbat and holidays.
Do Jewish funerals always take place within 24 hours?
No. Jewish tradition often favors prompt burial, but legal requirements, holidays, travel and family circumstances can affect timing. Always check the actual funeral notice.
Can non-Jewish visitors attend a Jewish funeral or shiva?
Many families welcome friends and community members of different backgrounds. Confirm whether the service or shiva is public and follow the family’s instructions and customs.
What is a yahrzeit date?
A yahrzeit is the annual anniversary of a death, traditionally observed using the Hebrew calendar. The time of death relative to sunset may affect the date.
Is Jewish funeral or burial financial assistance available?
Some communities have burial societies and charitable organizations that support eligible families. The Hebrew Free Burial Association serves certain indigent Jewish burial needs in the greater New York area. Local services vary.
How do I find a historic Jewish death record?
Try JewishGen’s U.S. databases, JOWBR, local Jewish historical societies and appropriate state or national archives. Yad Vashem is an important source for Holocaust-era name and memorial research.
Can a Jewish obituary replace a certified death certificate?
No. Certified death certificates come from the government vital records office responsible for the place where the death occurred.