Kaddish is the Jewish prayer traditionally recited by mourners and sometimes heard during a bar or bat mitzvah service.
The Mourner’s Kaddish is associated with remembrance of the dead, but the Kaddish prayer family has several forms and uses. Its central text praises and sanctifies God’s name; it does not directly mention death.
A synagogue service connected with a bar or bat mitzvah may include Kaddish because it follows the regular liturgical order or because the community is commemorating relatives. The presence of Kaddish therefore does not mean that the ceremony itself is a mourning ritual.
Other forms include Half Kaddish, Full Kaddish, and Kaddish de-Rabbanan. Their placement varies by service. The prayer is traditionally recited in a quorum, called a minyan, in communities that follow that requirement.