Communal Tragedy

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

Prayer for Those Lost at Mount Meron

Prayer for those who lost their lives in the Mount Meron stampede on Lag B’Omer, April 29, 2021

Lag B'Omer, mourning

a photo of many candles

No Pain Like My Pain

“Dear God, help us look, / look closer so that we may see / our children in their children”

Israel, Palestine, peace

Group of people holding hands in a circle outdoors, with trees and a bright sun in the background.

For the U.S. Asian Community

Prayer in response to shooting in Atlanta on March 16, 2021

gun violence, guns, racial justice, violence

A bowl of various polished stones, with the word Remember engraved on the central stone.

Ki Tisa

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

covid, illness, pandemic, trauma

A wet road stretches into a mountainous landscape under a cloudy, gray sky.

In the Shadow of A Country Divided (To Heal Our Nation)

“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.

We Will Remember: An Indictment

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

America, racial justice, violence

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

Against Domestic Insurrection

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

America, anger, justice, voting

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

Lady Liberty is Weeping: A Prayer for Our Country (on January 6th, 2021)

“the sacred steps of democracy trampled”

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

For the Long Stalled Train

“Rescue us from the Evil Man”

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

A Kaddish for 2020

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

covid, grief, justice, kaddish, mourning, pandemic

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