This Shabbat, peace seems as elusive as ever.
We pray for peace for all seekers of peace and to bring the captives home.
Oseh Shalom bimromav Hu ya’aseh Shalom Aleinu v’al kol Yisrael v’al kol yoshvei teiveil, v’imru Amen.
Shabbat Shalom
This Shabbat, peace seems as elusive as ever.
We pray for peace for all seekers of peace and to bring the captives home.
Oseh Shalom bimromav Hu ya’aseh Shalom Aleinu v’al kol Yisrael v’al kol yoshvei teiveil, v’imru Amen.
Shabbat Shalom
Listen as Malinda shares her song with Israeli and Palestinian artists
and together we welcome Shabbat.
Shabbat Shalom
Especially in times like these, we must embrace the hope of peace.
Bring them home
Shabbat Shalom
Sara Baeilles composed and performed “Playing for Change,” Music’s power to transform us and bring peace. Thank you to Playing For Change
Enjoy the music.
Shabbat Shalom
Where there is love; Something different for this Shabbat, an upbeat song from Playing For Change in Dayton,OH.
Where there is love, let love be.
Where there is hate, let love grow.
Shabbat Shalom
Jews are using the phrase “we are the canary in the coal mine” as a warning that anti-Semitism signals growing hatred of all groups in our nation. This idea is profoundly flawed, ironically counterproductive, and requires immediate redress.
The phrase is a desperate appeal to others that they must fight anti-Semitism as it inevitably will lead to hatred against them—that tactic won’t work. People will stand against anti-Semitism because it is wrong. And if they can rationalize anti-Semitism, they won’t care about Jews, canaries, or anyone else. Besides, there is another group that already experiences an institutional brand of hatred: black people and others of color.
People of color have been experiencing hatred and systemic racism for as long as any of us have come to these shores. When we think of Jews as the ones on the front line, we negate the experience of the black community. That is egotistical and shameful and ironically belies the idea embodied in the Canary Phrase. We should be aware of this hatred and align with those others who experience it.
I am not a canary, and I am not in a coal mine. Despite the alarming sharp increase in public displays of anti-Semitism, we live well, thoroughly enjoying so many blessings of this place. We have the power and the means to defend ourselves. And we are. Others do not, and we must help them.
Let us stand against hatred in all its forms besides every one of goodwill. We denounce hatred of any group and work together to fight it on the streets, in the courts, and our hearts. So our country may live up to its aspirations.
We are not birds; we are American Jews standing tall for the values we believe in, and together, we will prevail.
Our God and God of our ancestors,
as we [prepare to] observe another Memorial Day in America, bless us with the gifts of memory and understanding, that we may appreciate the true meaning of this [that] day, an annual occasion to honor the brave men and women who gave their lives for our country and for their fellow citizens. |
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God of compassion,
let those who made the ultimate sacrifice, so that we may live in freedom, rest in peace, honored by a grateful nation. Remember their parents, partners, children and all the loved ones they left behind. Protect and comfort them; bring them peace. |
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God of justice,
remind us of the debt we owe to those who lost their lives in the defense of our nation, and to the families that go on without them. Fill the heart of every American with pride in those who served, and caring concern for their survivors. |
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May it be Your will
that every American be re-dedicated to the task of building a nation worthy of the sacrifices made by our honored dead. And may it be Your will, also, that all of us pursue a just peace throughout the world, so that no more lives are lost in armed conflict anywhere in Your creation. |
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And let us say Amen.
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Oseh Shalom is a prayer for peace, real peace. We pray to the One to bring peace down, in other words, to give us the strength and courage to make that happen. May it be so! Let Elana Jagoda’s beautiful rendition of Oseh Shalom bring this prayer into your heart.
Shabbat Shalom
Bring them Home!
We welcome Shabbat with the song Shalom Aleichem, May Peace be upon you. When greeted this way, our response is Aleichem Shalom, And May Peace be upon you. The wish for peace unites all people of goodwill, and May it become our reality soon. This rendition by the Ma’ayan Band is a beautiful and pensive way to experience this song and feeling.
Shabbat Shalom
Arguably, the greatest group of all time was the Beatles.
John Lennon’s song, Revolution, has become yet again relevant. It’s a strange way to welcome Shabbat, perhaps, but after we’ve listened, let’s start singing songs of peace and work towards achieving that.
Shabbat Shalom