This is an archive of prayers composed for, or relevant to, conflicts over sovereignty and dispossession. Click here to contribute a prayer you have written, or a transcription and translation of a historical prayer. Filter resources by Name Filter resources by Tag Filter resources by Category
On Tisha be’Av, Jewish communities all over the world add a paragraph called Tefilat Naḥem (the prayer of comfort) to the standard daily Amidah (either for the afternoon service or for all services) praying for a return to Jerusalem. The traditional text discusses Jerusalem being defiled, in the hands of the idol worshipers, putting our people to the sword. But post-1967, Jerusalem has been under Israeli control, and this text has, to many people, felt no longer appropriate in the face of a Jerusalem being rebuilt. Many have written their own versions of a new Tefilat Naḥem for a Jerusalem under Israeli control, but I have felt dissatisfied with a lot of these. Some treat Jerusalem as already fully redeemed, which any glance at the news tells you isn’t the case. Others treat the major step in redeeming Jerusalem as building the Temple, but this seems to me to be only one eschatological part of a larger hope for Jerusalem. Jews have often considered the peace of Jerusalem to be a microcosm of the peace of all the earth. Thus for the Shabbat and Yom Tov Hashkivenu we pray for God to “spread the shelter of peace over us, all Israel, and Jerusalem.” The name Jerusalem, ירושלים, has been analyzed as “they will see peace” יראו שלום, since the peace of Jerusalem means all will see peace. But it’s clear that the peace of Jerusalem is not final or eternal, and it remains a city on the edge of a knife. So my version of Tefilat Naḥem prays not for a return, nor for a Temple, but for the peace of Jerusalem. It can be used at the same time as the standard Tefilat Naḥem (as an extension of the Birkat Yerushalayim in the Shmoneh Esreh for Tisha b’Av) or on its own. Thus I used four asterisks (a tetrapuncta) instead of God’s name, for those who would prefer to avoid a b’rakhah levatalah. Those who would prefer to use this blessing in the Amidah itself could replace the tetrapuncta with the name itself. . . . Fred MacDowell: “Then, as now, war was looked upon by many as a great evil, especially between brothers, and many American Colonists only wanted the oppressive measures of King George III to be lifted, bloodshed ended, and peace restored. The nascent American Congress called for a day of “Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer” along these lines for May 17, 1776. It was for this occasion that this prayer was recited in Congregation Shearith Israel in New York. As you can see, a complete service was arranged for this occasion, meant to invoke the solemnity and seriousness of the occasion; after morning prayer, Taḥanun was to be sung to the tune of a Yom Kippur pizmon; a dozen Psalms recited, and then the Ḥazan would recite this prayer written for the occasion, and of course all were to be fasting. The prayer hopes for a change of heart for King George III and his advisors, that they would rescind their wrath and harsh decrees against “North America,” that the bloodshed should end, and peace and reconciliation should obtain between the Americans and Great Britain once more, in fulfillment of the Messianic verse that Nation shall not lift up sword against nation. Of course this was not meant to be, and six weeks later the American Congress declared independence from Great Britain, and there was no walking back from the hostilities which had already occurred.” . . . This Prayer for Peace by Samuel Avital was composed in January 1984 for a gathering of spiritual teachers from all over the world at Mt. Sinai in March 1984. A month later, the State of Israel would return the Sinai to Egyptian sovereignty. While that event was not documented in any media, the prayer was first published in Four Worlds Journal vol. 2 no. 4, (January 1985), pp. 16-17. Of the event itself, Samuel Avital adds, “I performed there some of my mime performances like Jacob & Angel, Black & White and others.” The prayer for peace is included in Samuel Avital’s Passover Haggadah (2021). . . . A prayer for the State of Israel during conflicts over sovereignty and dispossession. . . .
Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., civilian casualties, civilian non-combatants, Gaza, Gaza War (2008-2009), Israeli–Palestinian conflict, מדינת ישראל Medinat Yisrael, Needing Vocalization, Operation Cast Lead, فلسطين Filasṭīn Palestine, prayers concerning children The “Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem” by the late chief rabbi of Ḥaifa, Eliyahu Yosef She’ar Yashuv Cohen zt”l (1927-2016), is often included in programs praying for peace in Jerusalem in periods of conflict. . . . A Tu biShvat seder supplement recognizing the Israeli-Jewish settler violence and land theft under the State of Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank. . . . Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., ecoḥasid, English vernacular prayer, ארץ ישראל Erets Yisrael, Israeli-Jewish settler violence, Israeli–Palestinian conflict, land theft, מדינת ישראל Medinat Yisrael, Needing Translation (into Hebrew), olive trees, فلسطين Filasṭīn Palestine A prayer following the Israel Land Administration’s 2010 eviction and demolition of Al-Araqeeb, a Bedouin village in the Negev. The prayer was written with the intention that its recitation is made “on behalf of justice and the rededication of Israel to the ideals of her Declaration of Independence.” . . . A song in English with Arabic translation, addressed from a Jew living in Jerusalem to his Arab neighbors, locally and regionally during the Arab Spring. . . . Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Arab Spring, Arabic translation, Egypt, ארץ ישראל Erets Yisrael, Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Jordan, Lebanon, love, فلسطين Filasṭīn Palestine, peace, Saudi Arabia, Syria, ישראל Yisrael Jews use the Kaddish to mourn the dead, though it has in it only one word — “nechamata,” consolations – which hints at mourning. And this word itself is used in a puzzling way, once we look at it with care. As we will see below, it may be especially appropriate in time of war. The interpretive English translation below may also be appropriate for prayers of mourning and hope in wartime by other spiritual and religious communities. In this version, changes in the traditional last line of the Hebrew text specifically include not only peace for the people Israel (as in the traditional version) but also for the children of Abraham and Hagar through Ishmael (Arabs and Muslims) and for all the life-forms who dwell upon this planet. . . . This liturgy is based on the traditional public confession of sins on Yom Kippur and is meant to complement the existing al ḥet found in the maḥzor. This prayer written by Rabbi Ed Feld in 2007 for Yom Kippur 5768 was first published at the website of RHR-NA (now T’ruah). . . . Opportunities to express gratitude on civic days of patriotic thanksgiving demand acknowledgement of an almost unfathomably deep history of trauma — not only the suffering and striving of my immigrant ancestors, but the sacrifice of all those who endured suffering dealt by their struggle to survive, and often failure to survive, the oppressions dealt by colonization, conquest, hegemony, natural disaster. Only the Earth (from which we, earthlings were born, Bnei Adam from Adamah) has witnessed the constancy of the violent deprivations we inflict upon each other. The privilege I’ve inherited from these sacrifices has come at a cost, and it must be honestly acknowledged, especially on civic days of thanksgiving, independence, and freedom. I insert this prayer after Al Hanissim in the Amidah and in the Birkat Hamazon on national days of independence and thanksgiving. . . . Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., acquisition, על הנסים al hanissim, colonization, conquest, eco-conscious, Gratitude, hegemony, immigration, Indigenous Peoples, מודים Modim, Needing Translation (into Hebrew), נודה לך Nodeh L'kha, primordial scream, refugees, sanctuary, settlement, shomrah ul'ovdah, stewardship, subjugation A prayer for empathy and compassion in the face of calls for violence and vengeance. . . . A prayer for the welfare of Israel composed during the 2014 Israel-Gaza Conflict. . . . A Tishah b’Av seliḥah for Gaza during the 2014 Gaza War. . . . Tags: 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, ארץ ישראל Erets Yisrael, Israeli–Palestinian conflict, מדינת ישראל Medinat Yisrael, Needing Translation (into Arabic), Needing Translation (into Hebrew), فلسطين Filasṭīn Palestine, Palestinian Diapsora, Palestinian refugees, Refugee Crisis, סליחות səliḥot A desperate prayer against the dehumanization and reductive feelings of anger and desperation in the context of the conflict between Israel and Gaza in the summer of 2014. . . . Master of compassion and forgiveness, Cosmic Majesty Who is peace— Teach us Your ways, Show us the path that preserves life. Take note, Lord, for we are suffering deeply. Our guts are wrenched, Our hearts are turning within us. Violence has devoured outside, and inside it feels deathly. When enemies rose up against us to kill our babes, Courageous, precious boys, full of the light of life, shining like the radiance of the sky, Our hearts became angry, our vision lost its strength, and our spirits sunk. And still we turn to you— . . . A prayer for the peaceful resolution of Israel’s conflicts with her neighbors and a mutually agreeable end to her dominion over the Palestinians, in Hebrew and in English, appropriate for inserting in the Birkat HaMazon especially on Shabbat and Festivals, or for reciting at any time. . . . A prayer in Hebrew and Arabic (with translations in English and German) of solidarity of mothers for there to be peace in the world for the sake of their children. . . . Two mothers, one plea: Now, more than ever, during these days of so much crying, on the day that is sacred to both our religions, Friday, Sabbath Eve Let us light a candle in every home – for peace: A candle to illuminate our future, face to face, A candle across borders, beyond fear. From our family homes and houses of worship Let us light each other up Let these candles be a lighthouse to our spirit Until we all arrive at the sanctuary of peace. . . . A Jewish prayer for Nakba Day, as commemorated on May 15th in the civil calendar of the Dawlat Filasṭīn. . . . Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Children of Avraham, ארץ ישראל Erets Yisrael, Israeli Arabs, Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli Palestinians, מדינת ישראל Medinat Yisrael, Needing Vocalization, فلسطين Filasṭīn Palestine, Palestinian Diapsora, Palestinian refugees A translation in Arabic and English of Rabbi Nava Hafetz’s prayer for the children of the world. . . . Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Arabic translation, English Translation, ארץ ישראל Erets Yisrael, Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Jewish-Muslim Friendship, Prayers on behalf of children, safety, תחינות teḥinot, the Next Generation, Universal Peace A prayer for the Global Shabbat Against Home Demolitions in response to the State of Israel’s policy,under the military occupation of Area C in the West Bank, of demolishing structures without building permits. . . . On 29 September 2017 IfNotNow Chicago writes, “Tonight begins Yom Kippur. We are asking our community, when you say the prayer for Israel this Kol Nidre, will you say it for all the people that live in Israel and Palestine? Will you stand for freedom and dignity for all Palestinians and Israelis? Our members have re-imagined the Prayer for the State of Israel. We hope you use this New Prayer for Israel and Palestine, and share it with your own community.” . . . Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Chicago, Dignity, ארץ ישראל Erets Yisrael, Freedom, Israeli–Palestinian conflict, מדינת ישראל Medinat Yisrael, North America, فلسطين Filasṭīn Palestine, the Occupation, ישראל Yisrael In this Tefilat haDerekh (the prayer for travel), I’ve made a synthesis of Ashkenazi and Sefardi nusaḥ. Even though the translation is pretty close to literal in most places, it comes across as an extraordinary and activist prayer for peace. So I think of this prayer not just as a prayer for the beginning a physical journey, but for any spiritual journey, and especially for any campaign or action for justice and peace that a person or group might undertake. When applied to activism, the “enmity and ambush and theft and predation” we ask to be rescued from could also be interpreted as hatred, deceit, jealousy, and aggression, i.e., the kinds of feelings that cause people to work against each other, even within an organization, instead of working together. I first used this version of the prayer at the beginning of a tour of Israel and Palestine focused on the human rights and non-violent resistance, when the group passed through the first checkpoint of the trip. . . . A prayer for the welfare of the Kurdish People in Northern Syria (Rojava) following their betrayal by Donald Trump acting as commander-in-chief of the United States armed forces and their oppression by the Republic of Turkey. . . . A prayer for the safety of all the inhabitants of the Land of Israel offered during the November 12th, 2019 Tel Aviv rocket strike. . . . A prayer for Israeli-Palestinian solidarity to mitigate the danger that comes when our particular identities greatly eclipse our universal identity as Bnei Adam. . . . Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, human solidarity, interconnectedness, interdependence, Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israelis and Palestinians, Jewish particularism, particularism and universalism, תחינות teḥinot A Jewish Prayer for Nakba Day, by Rabbi Brant Rosen. . . . Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., ארץ ישראל Erets Yisrael, Israeli–Palestinian conflict, מדינת ישראל Medinat Yisrael, Needing Translation (into Arabic), Needing Translation (into Hebrew), فلسطين Filasṭīn Palestine, Palestinian Diapsora, Palestinian refugees, Refugee Crisis A pre-Shavuot prayer in the shadow of the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis. . . . A prayer for Ukraine by Miriam Klimova in Hebrew and Ukrainian first shared via her Facebook page on 24 February 2022. . . . “Prayer for the People of Ukraine” was written by the chief rabbi of the United Kingdom, Ephraim Mirvis, and shared via the Twitter account of the Office of the Chief Rabbi. . . . “A Prayer for Peace in the Ukraine” was first shared by Rabbi Sabath Beit-Halachmi, Ph.D. via her Facebook page, motsei Shabbat on 27 February 2022. To support the Jewish community in the Ukraine, go to the World Union of Progressive Judaism. . . . A prayer for a Yizkor service on Yom Kippur during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. . . . “Prayer for Ukraine” by Rabbi Dr. Reuven Kimelman was first published by Brandeis University on their website. . . . This prayer for peace in Ukraine was co-written by the Masorti Movement in Israel and the Rabbinic Assembly in Israel, and read by Rabbi Ori Friedland (Hebrew) and Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg (English) in an international prayer service organized by Masorti Olami in solidarity with Ukraine and the Jewish communities therein. . . . This prayer for Ukraine was shared on 24 February 2022 by the clergy of Sinai Temple, Los Angeles (Rabbi Davvid Wolpe, Rabbi Erez Sherman, Rabbi Nicole Guzik, Cantor Marcus Feldman) via the temple’s Facebook page. . . . A prayer offered by Rabbi Gil Nativ for the Masorti Movement in Israel and the Knesset haRabanim b’Yisrael in response to the invasion from Gaza on Shemini Atseret 5784 (2023), and disseminated via their Facebook page. . . . This prayer for the State of Israel was offered by Rabbi Ofer Sabath Beit Halachmi in response to the war initiated by Hamas from Gaza on Shemini Atseret 5784. The English translation was prepared by Rabbi Dr. Rachel Sabath Beit Halachmi. . . . This prayer for the liberation of abducted Israeli citizens and military personnel was offered by Rabbi Ofer Sabath Beit Halachmi in response to the war initiated by Hamas from Gaza on Shemini Atseret 5784. The English translation was prepared by Rabbi Dr. Rachel Sabath Beit Halachmi. . . . This litany of Hoshana’ot was written by Rabbi Annie Lewis. Hebrew translation by Shoshana Michael Zucker. . . . A prayer for Israel offered by the Office of the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, Efraim Mirvis on 12 October 2023, in the aftermath of the massacres perpetrated by HAMA”S and their allies in Gaza on the residents and citizens of the State of Israel on Shemini Atseret 5784. The prayer was originally published on the website of the Office of the Chief Rabbi and disseminated via its social media accounts. . . . This prayer for Ukraine was first offered by Rabbi Lior Bar-Ami sometime before May 2024. . . . |
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