Yortsayt

Marwa El-Sherbini was murdered by a violent right-wing extremist in the Dresden Regional Court on July 1, 2009, while she was testifying as a witness against him. Her unborn child died with her. July 1 is therefore now a day of protest against anti-Muslim racism. It stands for commitment to solidarity and a free and open society.

The Köfte Kosher project campaigned to have the square where its Memorial Pavilion stands named after Marwa El-Sherbini—with success, in 2018. The Yortsayt Memorial Ceremony is now held there every July 1.

Yortsayt is the Yiddish word for the ceremony held to commemorate a deceased person on the first anniversary of his or her funeral and, in subsequent years, on the anniversary not of the funeral, but of the person’s death.

This tradition became widespread among German Jews from the fifteenth century on. Nowadays, it is customary to light a Yortsayt candle that burns for twenty-four hours on the anniversary of a loved one’s death.

This tradition inspired the idea of holding a public memorial service for Marwa El-Sherbini. The Yortsayt is symbolic of the candle that is burned every July 1, in remembrance of Marwa El- Sherbini.

Due to the pandemic, the Yortsayt Memorial Ceremony in 2020 was held online. A short documentary film was made about Marwa El-Sherbini’s life in Bremen and the efforts made to keep memories of her alive.* It features words and music by Anetta Kahane, Andreas Bovenschulte, Kutlu Yurtseven, Saba Nur Chema, the Rana Choir from Tel Aviv, and other international contributors.

Köfte Kosher Yortsayt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQSzCoulLTI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYs6M_UUkr0