After we say the Mourner’s Kaddish in Aramaic, we say this piece, by Elliott batTzedek. It’s a sound-based translation of the original – that is, the translation is based on capturing the sound and rhythm of the original, not its literal meaning.
Ariana Katz interviewed Elliott about the mourner’s kaddish for her Kaddish podcast. You can listen to it here or read the transcript here.
Mourner’s Kaddish
Elliott batTzedekSo often am I lost,
yet through the pall, yet through the tarnish, show me the way back,
through my betrayals, my dismay, my heart’s leak, my mind’s sway,
eyes’ broken glow, groan of the soul—which convey all that isn’t real,
for every soul to These Hands careen. And let us say, amen.Say you will show me the way back, my Rock, my Alarm. Lead the way, Oh my Yah
And yet in shock and yet in shame and yet in awe and yet to roam and yet to stay
and yet right here and yet away and yet —“Halleluyah!” my heartbeat speaks, for You
live in all this murk and too in the clear and too in our wreckage.
You are the mirror of our souls, let us say: amenLife may harm me, rob me, ream me raw, try me, even slay me
Over all You will prevail. And let us say: AmenSay You shall loan me a tomorrow, Say You shall loan another day to all who are called Yisrael and all called Yishmael and all called We and They, and let us say, Amen
Fringes: a feminist, non-zionist havurah 
Hey Eliott,
I thought I would take a snoop of the database to see if any of the students in Alicia Ostriker’s amazing class showed up, and there you were. The two last lines of your Kaddish with Israel and Yishmael, which I never thought to pair, but of course (!), fed me and watered me deep down in my soul. I will share them with the friend who told me about his medical colleague who founded Healing Across the Divides, work like this which keeps me breathing, knowing that there still must be 18 secret Tzaddiks holding up the world.
KInd regards and shalom, and I love that your cat is also taking the class,
Diane
Hi Diane! The pairing of Israel and Ishmael comes from Rabbi Arthur Waskow, who started it as a practice around the Oslo Agreements. It was picked up by my-then synagogue. This sound-translation kaddish first took shape for a workshop with Alicia in my MFA program, so it’s a small circle back to this workshop!