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Communal Tragedy

Memorial wall with photos and plaques honoring Yitzhak Rabin at Tel Aviv assassination site.

As individuals, we all know pain and loss. It is the rare person who escapes sorrow. But when one of us hurts, others are there to offer comfort. Communal tragedy is different. When something bad happens to us as a community—whether that is a school, a town, a people, or a country—we struggle to figure out how to tend to our own wounds while taking care of each other. Drawing on compassion, empathy, justice, and love, we can bring out the best in each other, and perhaps, find a theology of hope in the midst of despair.

Latest Rituals

“Because they left / We live.”
Vintage family photo in a gold frame on a book, with an old suitcase in the background.

Healing niggun set to the melody of a traditional Ukrainian lullaby

A woman with glasses plays a harp, wearing a black and white shawl, against a plain background.

“Bless those fighting to protect their homeland”

A colorful field of yellow and pink flowers basking in warm sunset light.

“G-d of compassion, / Put an end to the war in the Ukraine”

Soft, pink-lit mountain range with layered hills and a gentle gradient sky at dawn or dusk.

“A cemetery twice desecrated / A people the world long forgot”

Close-up of several lit tealight candles glowing warmly in a dark setting.

“May God bless you and keep you safe”

A person walking on a paved road pushing a stroller, with fallen leaves scattered on the ground.

Blessed are You, who defeats our enemies and quashes all arrogance.”

Person holding Pray for Ukraine sign at a rally, with a Ukrainian flag nearby and people in the background.

“Blessed are those who wander. / Blessed are those who gather them in.”

Person walking alone on a sunlit road casting a long shadow.

“May You tear out tyranny and despotism”

Tall illuminated bell tower against a city skyline at dusk, with soft lights from surrounding buildings.

“May we all learn strategies of resistance…May goodness prevail over evil.”

A close-up of a sunflower with sunlight softly illuminating its petals against a blurred background.

The Reconstructionist Network

Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement

Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

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Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives

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The Reconstructionist Network