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War

This is an archive of prayers composed in response to, or in anxious anticipation of, war.

Click here to contribute a prayer you have written, or a transcription and translation of a historical prayer.

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

[Prayer] for Peace Among the Nations, by Rabbi Morrison David Bial (1962)

“[Prayer] For Peace Among the Nations” by Rabbi Morrison David Bial was first published in his anthology, An Offering of Prayer (1962), p. 59, from where this prayer was transcribed. . . .

Categories:

War

Tags:

20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., anti-war, Cold War (1953–1962), English vernacular prayer, United States, universalist

Contributor(s):

Morrison David Bial and Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

תְּפִלָּה לִפְנֵי יְצִיאָה לַקְרָב | Prayer Before Setting Off to Battle, by Rabbi Shlomo Goren (IDF, 1963)

Rabbi Shlomo Goren’s “Tefilah Lifnei Yetsiah laQrav,” a prayer for IDF soldiers before embarking on a combat mission was first published in his Siddur Tefilot l’Ḥayyal (pp. 72-73 in the 1963 printing). . . .

Categories:

War, Military Personnel & Veterans

Tags:

20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., צה״ל IDF, מדינת ישראל Medinat Yisrael

Contributor(s):

Abe Katz (translation), Shlomo Goren, Tsva ha-Haganah l'Yisrael and Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

בַּשָּׁנָה הַבָּאָה | baShanah haBa’ah (Next Year), an elegy by Ehud Manor for his brother killed during the War of Attrition (1968)

“baShanah haBa’ah” (Next Year) by Ehud Manor written in 1968 in memory of his brother Yehudah. . . .

Categories:

Rosh haShanah (l’Maaseh Bereshit), Mourning, Nirtsah, War

Tags:

20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., elegies, lamentation, Prayers as poems, קינות Ḳinōt, War of Attrition, ישראל Yisrael

Contributor(s):

Unknown (translation), Ehud Manor and Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

Prayer at the Dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial by Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff on 13 November 1982

The closing prayer at the Nov 13, 1982 dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. by Rabbi (Navy Chaplain) Arnold E. Resnicoff. . . .

Categories:

War, 🇺🇸 United States of America

Tags:

20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Contributor(s):

Arnold E. Resnicoff

Prayer for Peace in a Time of War, by Rabbi Victor Reinstein (2003)

A prayer for peace written in the context of the invasion of Iraq by the United States and its allies in 2003. . . .

Categories:

War

Tags:

2003 invasion of Iraq, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, peace

Contributor(s):

Victor Reinstein

תפילה לילדי עזה | A Prayer for Gaza’s Children, by Bradley Burston (2008)

This prayer was first published in an op-ed, “A Jew’s Prayer for the Children of Gaza,” in the newspaper, Ha’aretz, on 7 January 2009. . . .

Categories:

Conflicts over Sovereignty and Dispossession, War

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

Contributor(s):

Bradley Burston

תפילה לשלום העם הסורי | Prayer for the Peace of the Syrian People, by Rabbi Yuval Cherlow (2013)

This prayer for the peace of the Syrian people was composed in 2013 by Rabbi Yuval Cherlow and translated by Elli Sacks of Modi’in. Our Hebrew source of the text was first published in this YNet article. Our source for Elli Sacks’s translation is this post in Alan Brill’s blog. Rabbi Cherlow suggests that Psalms 37 and Psalms 120 are particularly appropriate for praying for peace in Syria. Both psalms speak of the plight of the innocent righteous when evil men plot against them. Thank you to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency for informing us of this prayer, and to YNet, and Alan Brill for providing the source text. . . .

Categories:

War, 🇸🇾 Syria

Tags:

21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Syria, Syrian Civil War, ישראל Yisrael

Contributor(s):

Elli Sacks and Yuval Cherlow

A Prayer for Compassion During Violent Conflict, by Trisha Arlin (2014)

A prayer for empathy and compassion in the face of calls for violence and vengeance. . . .

Categories:

Conflicts over Sovereignty and Dispossession, War

Tags:

2014 Israel–Gaza conflict, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, Gaza, Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Justice, מדינת ישראל Medinat Yisrael, Prayers for Israel from the Diaspora, צדק צדק תרדוף tsedeq tsedeq tirdof

Contributor(s):

Trisha Arlin

Yet Again: A Prayer for Israel and Gaza, by Rabbi Victor Reinstein (2014)

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. . . .

Categories:

Conflicts over Sovereignty and Dispossession, War

Tags:

2014 Israel–Gaza conflict, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, Israeli–Palestinian conflict

Contributor(s):

Victor Reinstein

תחינה ליובל מלחמת ששת הימים | A prayer on the 50th anniversary of the Six Day War, by Rabbi Ofer Sabath Beit Halachmi (2017)

“A prayer on the 50th anniversary of the Six Day War” by Rabbi Ofer Sabath Beit Halachmi was first read on 11 Sivan 5777 (June 5th 2017) and published on his Facebook page. English translation: Rabbi Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi, Rabbi Andrea Coustan London and Daniel London. . . .

Categories:

War

Tags:

21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English Translation, ארץ ישראל Erets Yisrael, מדינת ישראל Medinat Yisrael, Six Day War, ישראל Yisrael, יובל Yovel Jubilee

Contributor(s):

Rabbi Ofer Sabath Beit-Halachmi and Rabbi Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi, Ph.D.

תפילה לשלום אזרחי סוריה וחלבּ (ארם-צובה, אר”ץ)‏ | Prayer for the Well-being of the Citizens of Syria and Residents of Aleppo (Masorti Movement in Israel, 2017)

This prayer for peace for the citizens of Syria and residents of Aleppo was first published by the Masorti Movement in Israel, via their web page here. The prayer was transcribed to Unicode Hebrew by Aharon Varady. Translation adapted by Aharon from one provided by Rivka Kellner in a Facebook comment. . . .

Categories:

War, 🇸🇾 Syria

Tags:

21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Aleppo, Chemical attack, Masorti Movement, Syria, Syrian Civil War, ישראל Yisrael

Contributor(s):

the Masorti Movement in Israel and Ze'ev Kainan

Prayer at the National Commemoration of the 34th Anniversary of the Beirut Barracks Bombing, by Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff 23 October 2017

A prayer delivered by Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff at the commemoration for the 34th anniversary of the 1982 Beirut Barracks Bombing. . . .

Categories:

War

Tags:

1983 Beirut barracks bombings, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, Lebanese Civil War, Multinational Force in Lebanon

Contributor(s):

Arnold E. Resnicoff

תפילה מאת הרב עדין שטײנזלץ | A Prayer [in Response to Terror] by Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz

This is an undated prayer written attributed to Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz (1937-2020) and shared via the Facebook page of Merkaz Steinsaltz (the Steinsaltz Center). The English translation (possibly also made by Rabbi Steinsaltz) was shared by the Center in a separate document. . . .

Categories:

Terror, War

Tags:

21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Needing Vocalization

Contributor(s):

Adin Steinsaltz

A Prayer for Ukraine, by Rabbi Menachem Creditor (2022)

“Prayer for Ukraine” by Menachem Creditor was first shared by Rabbi Menachem Creditor through a post in the Open Siddur Project Discussion Group on Facebook. . . .

Categories:

Conflicts over Sovereignty and Dispossession, War, 🇺🇦 Ukraine

Tags:

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer

Contributor(s):

Menachem Creditor

תפילה לאוקראינה | Молитва за Україну | Prayer for Ukraine, by Rabbi Miriam Klimova (2022)

A prayer for Ukraine by Rabbi Miriam Klimova in Hebrew and Ukrainian first shared via her Facebook page on 24 February 2022. . . .

Categories:

Conflicts over Sovereignty and Dispossession, War, 🇺🇦 Ukraine

Tags:

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., peace, protection

Contributor(s):

Rabbi Lior Nevo (translation), Miriam Klimova and Aharon N. Varady (translation)

Prayer for the People of Ukraine, by Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis (Office of the Chief Rabbi of the UK & the Commonwealth, 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. . . .

Categories:

Conflicts over Sovereignty and Dispossession, War, 🇺🇦 Ukraine

Tags:

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., British Commonwealth, British Jewry, English vernacular prayer

Contributor(s):

Ephraim Mirvis, Office of the Chief Rabbi of the UHC of the UK & the Commonwealth and Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

A Prayer for Peace in Ukraine and Beyond, by Rabbi Dr. Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi (2022)

“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. . . .

Categories:

Conflicts over Sovereignty and Dispossession, War, 🇺🇦 Ukraine

Tags:

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer

Contributor(s):

Rabbi Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi, Ph.D.

לזכרם של ההרוגים במלחמה באדמות אוקראינה | Молитва в пам’ять про загиблих у війні на землях України | Yizkor for those killed in the war in Ukraine, by Rabbi Miriam Klimova (2022)

A prayer for a Yizkor service on Yom Kippur during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. . . .

Categories:

Conflicts over Sovereignty and Dispossession, Mourning, War, 🇺🇦 Ukraine, Military Personnel & Veterans

Tags:

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Ukrainian translation, יזכור yizkor

Contributor(s):

Miriam Klimova and Aharon N. Varady (translation)

Молитва про захист наших сердець від ненависті | תפילה לשמירה על ליבנו משנאה (בזמן המלחמה) | Prayer to Protect Our Hearts from Hatred in Wartime, by Miriam Klimova (2022)

Miriam Klimova’s prayer “Молитва про захист наших сердець від ненависті” תפילה לשמירה על ליבנו משנאה (בזמן המלחמה) (Prayer to Protect Our Hearts from Hatred in Wartime), in the context of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, was first shared in Hebrew and Ukrainian via her Facebook page. . . .

Categories:

War

Tags:

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Btselem Elohim

Contributor(s):

Miriam Klimova and Aharon N. Varady (translation)

Prayer for Ukraine, by Rabbi Dr. Reuven Kimelman (2022)

“Prayer for Ukraine” by Rabbi Dr. Reuven Kimelman was first published by Brandeis University on their website. . . .

Categories:

Conflicts over Sovereignty and Dispossession, War, 🇺🇦 Ukraine

Tags:

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer

Contributor(s):

Reuven Kimelman

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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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