In Kaddish, Bette Blank turns the imagined double funeral of her maternal grandparents, Meyer and Barbara Perlberg, into a celebratory family portrait. All the Perlberg descendants are recognizably depicted in this visual genealogy, including the artist herself, who holds a red rose; her aunt, Jeanne, who embraces her cello; and her cousin Henry with his bicycle. The title refers to the text exalting God traditionally recited by mourners, portions of which appear in English and Hebrew.

With a Ph.D. in engineering, Bette Blank pursued a career as a scientist and college teacher of chemistry and physics while studying art at various schools and developing her painting style. Although she learned the traditional pictorial techniques, she rejects linear perspective and prefers the freedom of following her own system of spatial representation for her narratives. Her stated goal in painting "is to have the viewer accompany me on a visual and emotional trip through my house, my garden, and my life experiences."