how to say “yahrzeit” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/אזכרה-#.m4a” /]אַזְכָּרָה

If you’ve got some basic Hebrew, you probably know the simple verb לזכור[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/אזכרה-#.m4a” /] – to remember, as in:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/אזכרה-#.m4a” /]אני זוכר אותה!

I (a male) remember her!

Then there’s the הפעיל verb from the same root, to remind – להזכיר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/אזכרה-#.m4a” /], as in:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/אזכרה-#.m4a” /]לא צריך להזכיר לה פעמיים.

You don’t need to remind her twice.

The day that people come together to remember (or to remind themselves of) someone – the anniversary of that person’s death – is yahrzeit in Yiddish, and in Hebrew, אזכרה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/אזכרה-#.m4a” /]. 

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/אזכרה-#.m4a” /]היום האזכרה של סבא.

Today is Grandpa’s day of passing.

People also use אזכרה to refer to the memorial service itself:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/אזכרה-#.m4a” /]אתם מגיעים לאזכרה של סבא?

Are you guys coming to Grandpa’s memorial service?