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Earthquakes & Tsunamis

This is an archive of prayers in the event of an earthquake causing the collapse of buildings and infrastructure near fault lines, or a tsunami causing sudden devastating inundation flooding, endangering life along coasts, estuaries, and outflowing rivers.

Click here to contribute a prayer you have written, or a transcription and/or translation of a relevant historic prayer, in the event of an earthquake or tsunami.

Sorted Chronologically (old to new). Sort most recent first?

Prayer after the Earthquake in Guadeloupe, by Rabbi Isaac Lopez (Jamaica, 1843)

A prayer of repentance and thanksgiving recited at the Shaare Shalom synagogue in Kingston, Jamaica in response to the massive Guadeloupe earthquake of 1843. . . .

Categories: Earthquakes & Tsunamis

Tags: 1843 Guadeloupe earthquake, 19th century C.E., 57th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, Jamaica, Spanish-Portuguese, Western Sepharadim

Contributor(s): Moses N. Nathan (translation), Isaac Lopez and Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut)

[Prayer] on the Los Angeles Earthquake, by Rabbi Norman M. Goldburg (12 March 1933)

“On the Los Angeles Earthquake” by Rabbi Norman Michael Goldburg, was offered before the California state legislature on 12 March 1933, and published in California Legislature 50th Session 1933: Prayers Offered at the Daily Sessions of the Assembly, pp. 44-45. The earthquake, now known as the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, registered 6.4 on the Richter scale. . . .

Categories: Earthquakes & Tsunamis, Opening Prayers for Legislative Bodies

Tags: 1933 Long Beach earthquake, 20th century C.E., 57th century A.M., California State Legislature, English vernacular prayer, Los Angeles, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, United States

Contributor(s): Norman Michael Goldburg and Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

אחרי הצונמי | Prayer in the Wake of a Tsunami, by Rabbi Shai Held (2004)

A prayer composed by Rabbi Shai Held in the aftermath of the devastating 2004 Asian Tsunami. . . .

Categories: Dangerous Storms & Floods, Earthquakes & Tsunamis

Tags: 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., catastrophe, disaster, Floods, הדר Hadar, Needing Vocalization, ocean, tsunami

Contributor(s): Shai Held

מי שברך לאסונות טבע | Mi sheBerakh for Natural Disasters, by Isaac Gantwerk-Mayer

A Mi Sheberakh prayer for those affected by natural disasters. This prayer uses many standard liturgical phrases in a new context to stress that God, while full of great power, is not a God of destruction but one of peace and life. Quoting the famous vision of Elijah at Ḥorev, this prayer is for those who seek comfort and tranquility from their God. . . .

Categories: Dangerous Storms & Floods, After the Aliyot, Drought & Wildfire, Earthquakes & Tsunamis

Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., מי שברך mi sheberakh, Natural Disasters, North America

Contributor(s): Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

Stable Link: https://opensiddur.org/index.php?cat=234

Associated Image:

Estimated tsunami travel time forecast map for the 2011 Sendai earthquake from the U.S. NOAA -- cropped

(This image is set to automatically show as the "featured image" in shared links on social media.)

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." –Psalms 90:17

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