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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

“Each has gazed at many mountains / Over this past year; / Peaks of the infected, / Deserts of the isolated.”

A wet road stretches into a mountainous landscape under a cloudy, gray sky.
“to have enough respect for ourselves / to know when we must be willing to change our minds”
Silhouette of a person waving an American flag against a bright sunlit sky in a rural landscape.

“You reveled in how you broke our connection to the Whole”

Person in a white shirt holding hands together, with a sunset in the background.

“Woe to us all as the tide of history turns against our Republic”

U.S. Capitol building at sunset with a dramatic sky and empty steps in the foreground.

“the sacred steps of democracy trampled”

US flag at half-mast against a cloudy sky, symbolizing mourning or respect.

“Rescue us from the Evil Man”

Person with backpack waits on train platform at sunrise, as a train approaches in the distance.

“May the memory of this year spark a revolution within us to build a stronger, more just and loving world.”

An array of lit candles glowing warmly in the dark, creating a serene and contemplative atmosphere.

“If I were to sit in the streets of Sodom what would I see?”

Painting of a burning ancient city with smoke, fire, and people fleeing in the foreground.

“May we open our eyes to possibility, our ears to dialogue, our hearts to compassion”

Hand holding a lit candle with a paper holder in a crowd of people, with blurred lights in the background.

Poem honoring the memory of Yitzchak Rabin, z”l

Memorial wall with graffiti and photos, honoring Yitzhak Rabin in a public space. Hebrew text is present.

The Reconstructionist Network

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Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues

Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives

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