Communal Tragedy

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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.

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“plant and nurture unusual seeds of courageous outreach, illogical extension of olive branches, and creative solutions based in truth, love, and mutuality, healthy self-interest and sustainability.”
“But today, there are not enough words in the Psalm / to cover the number of victims of this hate.” 
“let us shape the fire of our bruised backs into the peaceful streams of clearing throats…”
“All that remains to me / of my family’s life in Ukraine… / are four silver kiddush cups…”
A short reading of gratitude for those who support the Jewish people.
“Through the hundreds of mitzvot / You are trying to teach us / How to live a life / In reverence of interconnection…”
“Four and a half years have passed / Much of the world seems to have / forgotten / But we never will”
“May we remember that there is no future for any of us without all of us.”
“When the time comes, grant us wisdom, fortitude and stamina.”

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