Jewish Community Memory Garden

About

The Memory Garden is the first Jewish sacred space in the United States dedicated to expressing grief over infertility, pregnancy loss due to miscarriage or abortion, or stillbirth or death of a newborn. Judaism has a complex definition of the beginning of life, and does not have a traditional ritual for mourning fetuses or newborns prior to the age of thirty days. The Memory Garden builds on existing traditions, following halakah (Jewish law), and acknowledges the need of expectant parents and other family members across all streams of Jewish practice to recognize the emotional toll these losses take.

The Jewish Community Memory Garden is located in Colma, California, USA on the grounds of the Sinai Memorial Chapel Jewish funeral home's Eternal Home Cemetery, one of the few Jewish cemeteries serving the city of San Francisco and the nearby San Francisco Peninsula. The Memory Garden was founded by Abby Porth and Debbie Findling, two Jewish women who experienced fertility losses.