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

“And I believe her, / as I march with her colors. / Next time she’ll march with mine…”
“And I wish / The fields of Israel’s kalaniot — red poppies — / Were all that were needed to generate peace”
“When did the word ‘love’ become a trigger?”
“The ones who say Zionism is a dirty word, / The ones who choose death on your account, / They only see the ‘ism.'”
“Please one who receives, crack me open so all I do is open…”
“Hashem yereicham, Source of Mercy and comfort, be with us now…”
“This is the first year I thought, how old were those children?”
“May each life be treated as a sacred treasure, as You have intended.”
“May the One who blessed our common ancestor Abraham bless and heal his children…”

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The Reconstructionist Network