El Male Rachamim

El Male Rachamim (God full of compassion) is a Jewish prayer for the departed that is recited at funeral services, on visiting the graves of relatives (especially during the holy month of Elul), and after having been called up to the reading of the Torah on the anniversary of the death of a close relative. The prayer originated in the Jewish communities of Western and Eastern Europe and since the end of the Holocaust, the prayer has been adapted as a memorial prayer for the victims of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution.

A podcast, recorded at Auschwitz-Birkenau on the 13th November 2008 and recited by Rabbi Barry Marcus, can also be downloaded on our website. The prayer is suitable for use as part of HMD commemorations

• El_Male_Rachamim_transcript.pdf (PDF document)