Hi, we are Ruth and Rebecca. We met at a Baby & Me class at the Silverlake Independent JCC and quickly bonded over new parenthood, ambitious design careers, creative pursuits, and, sadly, shared loss. We had both lost our fathers, and that shared understanding of grief created an even deeper connection, one grounded in vulnerability and humor. (We half-jokingly dubbed ourselves “The Dead Dads Club.”) This connection became the foundation for Mere Mortals—our endeavor to reimagine the yahrzeit candle and help a new generation cope with loss.

Ruth’s father, Richard Siegel, was the visionary behind The Jewish Catalog, the iconic 1970s DIY guide that reimagined Jewish life as creative, personal, and home-centered. Paired with Rebecca’s involvement in Reboot, a nonprofit which reimagines Jewish tradition and rituals, we continue a shared legacy: honoring our Jewish roots in ways that speak to us today. 

As more of our friends lose their parents or other loved ones, we see how hard it can be to navigate grief without tools or tradition. We found that Judaism offers an incredible roadmap for mourning, and we wished we could share the rituals that had been so meaningful to us.

We found the yahrzeit candle ritual to be especially resonant, but the available options did not speak to us. We didn’t want to remember our fathers with something that looked like the baby cousin of a gefilte fish jar. When we searched for a more tasteful yahrzeit candle, everything we found seemed either maudlin or slapdash. Paraffin. Crooked labels. Zero soul. 

So we designed our own yahrzeit candle to be elegant, sustainable, inclusive, and rooted in the tradition of “Hiddur Mitzvah”—beautifying ritual acts. Our goal is to bring beauty and intention into life’s hardest seasons. We hope you will join us in our Kickstarter campaign to help us bring this product to market.

This project would not have come to life without the generous support of Reboot, especially Shane Hankins, Rabbi Kendell Pinkney, Tanya Schevitz, Becky Adelberg, and David Katznelson. Guidance and support by Rabbi Laura Geller. Business strategy by Anne Guillebeaux. Branding and packaging design by Hayley Higgs. Genius packaging ideas by Jason Malkin at PaperTube. Candle guidance by Cin Kats at Unique Custom Candles. Product photography by Sam Moeller. Kickstarter film by Emily Cohen Ibañez. Wisdom by Rabbi Anson Laytner. Outreach support by Beth Puno.

We are also so grateful to our partners, Will & Bryan for all the nights they handled childcare so we could work on this budding business. To our moms, for always telling us how proud they are! To our dads, for all the bashert discoveries they’ve planted for us down here. May their memory be a blessing.