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Vigil for Trans Day of Remembrance

By Rabbi Rachael Pass, Jewish Life Specialist

INTRODUCTION:

Trans Day of Remembrance falls on November 20. It is a day to remember all those trans individuals who have died by violence and suicide. This vigil gives a Jewish forum to remember those who have died, and to commit ourselves to the cause of supporting our trans and nonbinary peers in this hostile world. 

PROGRAM OUTLINE:

  • Niggun (5 minutes) 
  • Light Yarzheit Candle (1 minute) 
  • Opening Reading 
  • Reflections 
  • Kavanah  
  • Recitation of Names 
  • Mourner’s Kaddish 
  • Closing Song (5 minutes) 

MATERIALS:

  • Yahrzeit Candle 
  • Matches/lighter 

Niggun (5 minutes)

  • Gather everyone together by singing a niggun, a wordless melody, of your choice. You can choose to do a familiar Jewish tune, or you could opt to take a secular song written by a trans or nonbinary person or ally and sing it as a niggun. This will set the tone for the vigil. 

Light Yarzheit Candle (1 minute) 

  • Light the yahrzeit candle 

Opening Reading: Prayers for Transgender Justice (3 minutes) 

  • Have a member of the community read the following: 

Prayers for Transgender Justice  

We hold in love and prayer all transgender people, so many of whom live under the weight of violence, fear, and intolerance. We hold in love and prayer all the ways that transgender people have survived and thrived in a hostile world. We hold in love and prayer all who recognize the significance of gender justice for all people. We who believe in freedom will not rest until it comes. We pray for the dawn of a new day when the very humanity of transpeople is no longer called into question or ignored. We pray that physical, emotional, and spiritual violence will come to an end. We pray that a spirit of compassion and care will fill us to overflowing, that we may have the capacity to listen, learn, and grow not only in our awareness but also in our willingness to act. We pray for teachers, spiritual leaders, social workers, lawyers, and all people who heed the call to support transliberation, transleadership, and transvisibility. May they ultimately lean into the light of truth and justice, offering hope to trans and gender nonconforming youth and adults. On this day, we commit and recommit to creating a world where people of all genders know peace, love, and justice. We commit and recommit to living lives of compassion and care for all of humanity. We commit and recommit to the healing work of relationship-building that will help every person know, no matter their gender or sexuality, that they are loved and valued.  

—by the Transforming Hearts Collective, 2016, published in Mishkan Ga’avah: Where Pride Dwells, CCAR Press, 2020, ed. Rabbi Denise L Eger. 

Reflections (however long needed) 

  • Invite members of the community to share their reflections on Transgender Day of Remembrance. These can be memories of beloved trans family, friends, community members who have died (either by violence, suicide, or natural causes), or they can be reflections on trans elders or community leaders who have passed, or just general meditations on the day. 

Kavanah: A TDOR Yizkor (3 minutes) 

  • Have a community member recite:  

A Transgender Day of Remembrance Yizkor (Prayer of Remembrance): For Those Who Died Sanctifying Their Names  

God full of compassion, remember those whose souls were taken in transphobic violence. Those souls reflected the tremendous, multitudinous splendor of Your creations; they illustrated Your vastness through their ever-expanding variations of being b’tzelem Elohim, of being made in Your image. Source of mercy, provide them the true shelter and peace that they deserved in this world.  

Those deaths were caused by hatred in our society. It is upon us to repair this brokenness in our world. May we have the strength to sanction justice, speedily and in our days.  

For those who died by murder, we remember them. For those who died by suicide, we remember them. We remember their names, for those names will forever be a blessing.  

Nurturing One, comfort all who are mourning. Grant them healing in their hardship. 

V’nomar: amein.  

And let us say: Amen.  

—by Ariel Zitny, 2019, published in Mishkan Ga’avah: Where Pride Dwells, CCAR Press, 2020, ed. Rabbi Denise L Eger. 

Recitation of Names (5 minutes) 

  • Have a community member read: 

“On this Transgender Day of Remembrance 5787, 2026, we remember those trans, nonbinary, Two Spirit, genderqueer, gender expansive individuals who have died by violence and suicide this year. We remember…” 

Mourner’s Kaddish

Closing Song: Cantor Ze’evi Tovlev’s Nonbinary Priestly Blessing (5 minutes) 

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