David Bogomolny, at The Blogs

Aug 13, 2019, 1:21 PM

The skeptic’s kaddish for the atheist, 51

Eleven months of kaddish recitations ended (blog #45); then twelve months of being considered a mourner according to Jewish tradition (#48); and then came the Hebrew anniversary of Papa's death, after thirteen months (#50). Now: the end of 'The...

Aug 5, 2019, 4:12 PM

The skeptic’s kaddish for the atheist, 50

Papa's first yahrzeit fell out on the Shabbat before last. So... what did marking this date change for me? * * * Some things are inevitable. Even before learning anything meaningful or interesting about the orphan's kaddish, I knew that I would attend minyan...

Jul 16, 2019, 9:23 PM

The skeptic’s kaddish for the atheist, 49

She was not yet three-and-a-half years-old when her grandfather died, but death was still beyond her imagination. On the other hand, she understood quite starkly, with dismayed frustration, that her father was abruptly leaving home again... "I have to...

Jul 7, 2019, 3:41 PM

The skeptic’s kaddish for the atheist, 48

I am no longer a "mourner" according to tradition, but am I no longer mourning? This is beyond me. Can one truly mourn forever, or does mourning inevitably decay into normalcy? Less than one Hebrew month remains until my father's...

Jun 23, 2019, 2:09 AM

The skeptic’s kaddish for the atheist, 47

Two weeks ago a middle-aged woman approached me at the back of the sanctuary, as I was readying to head home for havdalah. I've been thinking about you recently. You must be nearly done by now... I'm almost at the...

Jun 11, 2019, 1:46 PM

The skeptic’s kaddish for the atheist, 46

I continue attending minyan every day, despite having completed the traditional 11 months of orphan's kaddish. I continue standing alone at the back, feeling forever a faithless foreigner. Why do I - go? care? bother? ... always the same tired questions. Putting aside the old,...

May 30, 2019, 5:42 AM

The skeptic’s kaddish for the atheist, 45

My grief is terribly indescribable and indescribably terrible. Writing about it twists my stomach into knots, clauses searing through my abdomen, as I tear into it with jagged words, gashing at sticky, fleshy gobs of disbelief that spill out...

May 24, 2019, 3:56 PM

The skeptic’s kaddish for the atheist, 44

Days before my father's unveiling, my wife and I were taking our 4-year-old to see her first fireworks display on Yom HaAtzmaut at the Haas Promenade (Tayelet) in Jerusalem; she was skipping with excitement. Thankfully, she had napped that...

May 13, 2019, 5:20 AM

The skeptic’s kaddish for the atheist, 43

Photo by Alexander Bogomolny z"l, 2017: Cape May, New Jersey

Given my dazedness and state of shock last July, I had no preconceived assumptions nor expectations of my sudden, unanticipated status as a mourner. Then, abruptly, in the middle of Papa's funeral, I found myself stung sharply with tenderness towards...

May 1, 2019, 1:23 AM

The skeptic’s kaddish for the atheist, 42

Eleven months of kaddish recitations end for me on May 28 (Iyyar 23); I have been at the grind for ten months (10 ÷ 11 ≈ 91%). The grief is unabating. I remain shattered and scattered. Last summer, I couldn't bring myself...

About Me

David Bogomolny was born in Jerusalem to parents who made Aliyah from the USSR in the mid-70's. He grew up in America, and returned to Israel as an adult. He works for the Jewish Agency for Israel as a grant writer. He and his wife and daughter live in Jerusalem.

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