Which memorial prayer is commonly recited on Yom Kippur?

Yizkor is the memorial prayer service commonly recited on Yom Kippur.

Yizkor means “may [God] remember” and centers on remembrance of deceased relatives and other loved ones. In many Ashkenazi congregations, it takes place after the Torah reading during the Yom Kippur service. Worshippers may pledge charity in memory of the dead, linking remembrance with an act of responsibility in the living world.

Yizkor is also recited on several other festivals, including the final day of Passover, Shavuot, and Shemini Atzeret. The service may include prayers for individuals, communal martyrs, Holocaust victims, or fallen Israeli soldiers. A concluding prayer, often El Malei Rachamim, may also be included.

Customs vary. Yizkor is especially associated with Ashkenazi practice; many Sephardic communities instead use hashkavot or related memorial prayers. That variation does not make the stored answer wrong: Yizkor remains the widely recognized answer to this general Yom Kippur trivia question.