Yahrtzeit candle-lighting ritual to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade

June is upon us which means it’s almost a year since the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Without the protections of Roe, more than half of states across the country have implemented abortion restrictions or bans that have exacerbated structural inequalities blocking access to abortion and other reproductive care.

Our plan is to commemorate this anniversary using the Jewish ritual of marking a yahrtzeit, which marks the anniversary of the death of a loved one. 

Here’s what you need to know:

• Join us on Friday, June 23 at 1pm ET/10am PT for a virtual yahrtzeit candle-lighting ritual to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Register here

As we commemorate this anniversary, we can take a moment to look back at all that has happened over the past year, as NCJW’s Jews For Abortion Access movement has grown by the thousands, affirming broad Jewish communal support for bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom:

• We rallied more than 4,000 members of the Jewish community together on the National Mall.
• We raised over $1 million dollars through the Jewish Fund for Abortion Access to help 10,000 people get the resources they needed to access abortion care.
• We organized around the country with more than 10 phone banks to enshrine abortion rights through state ballot measures — winning them all! — and we led the interfaith community to submit amicus briefs in state cases challenging abortion access based on our religious freedom.
• We brought together over 1,500 communities across the country to participate in Repro Shabbat.