Before We Tell the Story
“We break open / To all that we will encounter”
Oseh Shalom: For Ukraine
“My grandparents / spoke Yiddish on muddy streets”
Today’s Shema: For the Victims of Terrorist Attacks in Israel
“Adonai Ekhad, One God / One life, eleven lives, too many”
For Those Who Endure Chronic Conditions
“To see each member of our community / With clear eyes and an open heart”
Infertility Speaks: An Imagined Support Group for Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Hannah
This is a script for an imagined infertility support group for SarahThe first matriarch, wife of Abraham, and mother of Isaac, whom she birthed at the age of 90. Sarah, in Rabbinic tradition, is considered holy, beautiful, and hospitable. Many prayers, particularly the Amidah (the central silent prayer), refer to God as Magen Avraham – protector of Abraham. Many Jews now add: pokehd or ezrat Sarah – guardian or helper of Sarah., RebeccaThe second Jewish matriarch, Isaac's wife, and mother to Jacob and Esau. Rebecca is an active parent, talking to God when she is pregnant and learning the fate of her children, then ultimately manipulating Isaac and the children to ensure Jacob's ascendancy. Her Hebrew name is Rivka., RachelLavan's younger daughter and Jacob's beloved wife second wife (after he is initially tricked into marrying her older sister, Leah). Rachel grieves throughout her life that she is barren while Leah is so fertile. Ultimately, Rachel gives birth to Joseph and dies in childbirth with Benjamin. Rachel is remembered as compassionate (she is said to still weep for her children), and infertile women often invoke Rachel as a kind of intercessor and visit her tomb on the road to Bethlehem., and HannahHannah is the mother of the prophet Samuel, who, through her prayers, is rewarded a child. She herself is also considered a prophet. Hannah's intense devotional style of prayer becomes the model, in rabbinic Judaism, for prayer in general.
Vigil: Relentless Nostalgia
“Because they left / We live.”
Healing Niggun for Ukraine
Healing niggun set to the melody of a traditional Ukrainian lullaby
Prayer for Peace in Ukraine
“Bless those fighting to protect their homeland”
A Body Positive Ritual
“We are each created in the image of sacred divinity and worthy of honor”
For Three Leaders, For the World
“G-d of compassion, / Put an end to the war in the Ukraine”