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

Rabbi David Mark offers a teaching following the deaths of six hostages killed in Gaza.
“For the length of a medical visit my imagination roamed the wreckage of another’s mind and hers, mine…” 
“they are far / unreachable / underground…”
“My mikveh is gone and swallowed up in this dark place. Where can I find peace?”
“We will weep through as many nights as we must…”
“I will teach you the melody of my Echa, together we will sit on the ground and mourn for the peace of Jerusalem.”
what does ethereal mean / when is the pool open for lap swimming / what’s happening in the middle east
“We do not want to choose whose child will live and whose will die.”
“We turn to our avodah, / Our Holy Service…”
“In truth, / I just want them home…”

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