This acrostic piece spells out “Tree of Life Pittsburgh Tree of Life.” It is, of course, a response to the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue (October 27, 2018). It is meant to be used with two other prayers: “After a Deadly Anti-Semitic Attack” and “Racist Violence against Houses of Worship.” The Hebrew and English versions are part of a new Yom Kippur Martyrology from Tree of Life – Or L’Simcha, Rabbi Jeffrey Myers. The Hebrew, by my friends Rav Aytan Kaden and Elyssa Moss-Rabinowitz, is energized with references to Tanach and Siddur. Read the story behind this prayer on Times of Israel. A PDF download of an annotated set of the prayers appears at the end of this post.
