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

On Rav Kook Following Oct. 7th

“It’s easy to see that / HaShem is asking for a lot”.

Sea of Galilee

A Prayer of Beresheit in Time of War

“for us, / for the children, / and for the children’s children…”

creation, Israel, peace, war

children in silhouette playing on the rocks

Prayer for the Rain of Peace

a dove flys through trees

Temple

“may the day arrive / when every life is a treasure…”

Israel, peace, war

green grass, trees and a stream

Choosing to Survive

“There is a war going on, / with battle aims that are different…”

Israel, light, war

a person walks in a lit field

Cognitive Dissonance

“I cannot find the words / I seek…”

Israel, Palestine, war

a child sleeping

Though the Faucet is Yet to Turn Again

This new poem uses the imagery of water through a faucet to capture the feeling of waiting for the captives to be released.

captives, Israel

a water droplet

How To Survive the Day When It Feels Like the Whole World Is Against You

“Try not to think / of the children who are not getting their baths, / who are not getting their parents.”

antisemitism, Israel, war

person wearing brown tallit silhouetted against the sunset

Ivri

“There is a line / drawn by darkness, emboldened by Evil, itself…”

Israel, Shekhinah

sunshine through a giant cloud illuminating the sky

A Mother in the Dark

“We are looking for you. / We will not let you go.”

captives, Israel, war

A woman's silhouette in the window