Prayer for the Success of the Conference on Palestine Convened by His Majesty’s Government (Office of the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations, 19 February 1939)

Joseph Herman Hertz — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 01:59:13 +0000

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָמִים עֶזְרַת אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ אַתָּה הוּא מֵעוֹלָם מָגֵן וּמוֹשִֽׁיעַ לִבְנֵיהֶם אַחֲרֵיהֶם׃ וְגַם עִמָּֽנוּ דּוֹר עָנִי וְיָתוֹם הִגְדַּֽלְתָּ לַעֲשׂוֹת בְּהָאִירְךָ אוֹר חָדָשׁ עַל צִיּוֹן׃ בָּנֶֽיהָ מֵרָחוֹק בָּֽאוּ וַיִּבְנוּ מוֹשָׁבוֹת לָֽמוֹ וַיִּטְּעוּ כְרָמִים וְעֵץ יָֽעַר וּמַלְכוּת בְּרִיטַנְּיָא הָאַדִּירָה עִם חֶֽבֶר־הָעַמִּים בִּשְּׂרוּ יַֽחַד רְצוֹנָם בְּבִנְיַן נָוֶה לְאֻמִּי לְעַם יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאֶֽרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל׃	Almighty God, Thou hast been the help of our fathers from of old, a Shield and a Deliverer to their children after them. Even for us, an afflicted and orphaned generation, hast Thou done great things. In Thy mercy Thou didst cause a new light to shine on Ẓion. Her children came from afar; they established settlements and planted vineyards and forests. And then Great Britain, together with the League of Nations, proclaimed the Holy Land once again to be the National Home of the Jewish People.
וְאוֹיְבֵֽינוּ רָאוּ וַיֶּהֱמָיוּן וּמְשַׂנְאֵֽינוּ יַעֲרִֽימוּ סוֹד וַיֹּאמְרוּ לְכוּ וְנַכְחִידֵם מִגּוֹי׃ וַתִּמָּלֵא אֶֽרֶץ הַצְּבִי שׁוֹד וָשֶֽׁבֶר שַׁמָּה וְשַׁעֲרוּרָה׃ וְהִנֵּה נוֹעֲדוּ רָאשֵׁי מַלְכוּת בְּרִיטַנְּיָא עִם צִירֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַעֲרָב לְכַלּוֹת מַשְׁחִית מֵעַל הָאָֽרֶץ שֶׁלֹּא יִיגְעוּ יוֹשְׁבֶֽיהָ לָרִיק וְלַבֶּהָלָה׃	Our enemies saw it, and made a tumult. They took crafty counsel, and said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation.” They filled the land with violence and destruction. And now, the heads of the British Government meet together with Jewish and Arab representatives to rid the land of the destroyer, so that its inhabitants no longer toil unto vanity and confusion.
אָֽנָּא אַב הַשָּׁלוֹם חַדֵּשׁ לֵב טָהוֹר וְרֽוּחַ נַכוֹן בְּקֶֽרֶב מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם וְתַקְּנֵם בְּעֵצָה טוֹבָה מִלְפָנֶֽיךָ׃ הֱיֵה עִם שְׁלוּחֵי עַמְּךָ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל הוֹרֵם מַה שֶׁיֹּאמְרוּ שֶׁלֹּא יִכָּשְׁלוּ בִלְשׁוֹנָם וְלֹא יִכָּלְמוּ בָם שְׁאוֹנָם׃ וּנְטֵה לֵב יוֹעֲצֵי הַמַּלְכוּת וְשָׂרֶֽיהָ לַעֲשׂוֹת צְדָקָה וָחֶֽסֶד עִם־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ אָז יְחַדֵּשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל כַּנֶּֽשֶׁר נְעוּרָיו עַל אַדְמָתוֹ הוּא׃	We beseech Thee, O Father of Peace, renew a pure heart and a steadfast spirit in the ambassadors of peace; and direct them aright with Thine own good counsel. Be with those who have been deputed to plead Thy people’s cause, and teach them what they shall say. Suffer them not to err in their speech, so that the multitudes who repose in them be not put to shame. And incline the hearts of the rulers and the counsellors of the realm to deal in justice and kindness with all Israel. Then indeed will Israel on his own soil renew his youth like the eagle.
שׁוֹמֵר יִשְׂרָאֵל תְּקַע בְּשׁוֹפָר גָּדוֹל לְחֵרוּתֵֽנוּ וְהָסֵר קִנְאָה וְשִׂנְאַת חִנָּם מִלֵּב הָעַמִּים׃ הַסְתֵּר עַמְּךָ וְנַחֲלָתְךָ בְצֵל כְּנָפֶֽיךָ וְלֹא יוֹסִֽיפוּ עוֹד בְּנֵי עַוְלָה לְעַנּוֹתוֹ׃ קָרֵב הַיָּמִים אֲשֶׁר יִוָּדַע בַּגּוֹיִם כִּי אָב אֶחָד לְכֻלָּֽנוּ וְאֵל אֶחָד בְּרָאָֽנוּ׃ וּפְרוֹשׂ סֻכַּת שָׁלוֹם עַל כׇּל יוֹשְׁבֵי תֵבֵל׃ אָמֵן וְאָמֵן׃	Guardian of Israel, sound the great Shofar of our salvation, and banish envy and causeless hatred from the hearts of the nations. Shelter Thy people under the shadow of Thy wings, and they shall dwell safe from affliction at the hands of the unrighteous. Hasten the days when the nations shall know that we have all One Father, that One God hath created us, and spread the tabernacle of peace over all the dwellers on earth. Amen.

On the London Conference of 1939:

The London Conference (1939), or St James’s Palace Conference, which took place between 7 February-17 March 1939, was called by the British Government to plan the future governance of Palestine and an end of the Mandate. It opened on 7 February 1939 in St James’s Palace after which the Colonial Secretary, Malcolm MacDonald held a series of separate meetings with an Arab and a Jewish delegation, because the Arab delegation refused to sit in the same room as the Jewish delegation. When MacDonald first announced the proposed conference he made clear that if no agreement was reached the government would impose a solution. The process came to an end after five and a half weeks with the British announcing proposals which were later published as the 1939 White Paper.

Many thanks to Shufra Judaica (Elli Fischer and David Selis) for providing the page images used for deriving this transcription.

tagged: Mandatory Palestine • the Open Siddur Project ✍ פְּרוֺיֶקְט הַסִּדּוּר הַפָּתוּחַ

Prayer for the Success of the Conference on Palestine Convened by His Majesty’s Government (Office of the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations, 19 February 1939)

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