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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

“Protest is a sacred act”

A group of people at a protest, focusing on a person with curly hair holding a sign, wearing hoop earrings.

“We must speak the names, we must speak out”

A diverse group of people protest on a street, raising fists and holding signs.

“Teach us again the lessons of love”

Woman sitting on a rock, meditating in a lush, green hilly landscape with scattered trees.

“I cry out to You”

A person sitting and clasping their hands on their lap, with a blurred background. Black and white image.

“Do not let his death fade without meaning”

Protesters march with signs; one reads We Are Better Than This! Trees and a road are visible in the background.

A prayer for justice in rmemory of George Floyd

Protesters holding Black Lives Matter and We Cant Breathe signs, facing police officers in a city street at night.

“Remove the roots of racism and hatred …”

A person crouches in front of a stone wall and large windows, surrounded by greenery.

Rooted in the traumas of Jewish history, we reach out in solidarity with our neighbors who are oppressed

A person with an outstretched hand, wearing a denim jacket, appears to be asking for help.
A person with curly hair holds a mug while sitting outdoors, wearing a colorful crocheted sweater.

The Reconstructionist Network

Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement

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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The Reconstructionist Network