Posts Tagged ‘School Shootings’

 

For Parkland, Florida

Posted on: February 18th, 2018 by Alden

Received by email this morning:

Dear Mr. Solovy,

I wanted to thank you for your prayer “For the Children of Newtown” that we found at reformjudaism.org. These comforting words have now been shared to thousands and more at my own congregation the night of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, at a City of Parkland Prayer Vigil, and this afternoon at a Broward County teacher’s labor union. I am only sorry that I have to write you to say that I needed to use this prayer and substitute Newtown for Parkland 6 years after you wrote this prayer.

On looking at your website I saw you just posted on 2/14 about love and it was so beautiful and wanted to ask if you could perhaps write a prayer for our suffering here in Parkland, FL. We are a bit too close to what is happening to sit still and think, but I know we would be appreciative and would share your words for comfort

Shavua tov,
Rabbi Melissa Stollman
Director of Lifelong Learning
Congregation Kol Tikvah

I finished this an hour later…

For Parkland, Florida
Oh grief,
This grief suddenly forced upon us
With violence and weapon,
That your names have become prayers,
To keep us safe from violence,
That your sweet lives,
Once held with joy and light,
Are now among the accusers of those who fail
To protect us from the plague of guns.
Scott, Aaron, Chris, Martin
Luke, Cara, Jamie, Nicholas
Gina, Alex, Joaquin
Alaina, Peter, Meadow
Helena, Alysa, Carmen

Oh grief,
This grief suddenly forced upon us
With malice and anger,
That Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida,
Would join the list of schools attacked,
Traumatized with horror,
Knowing that this hasn’t ended yet,
Let justice prevail.

Author of life,
Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under Your tabernacle of peace
To the victims of this massacre in Parkland, Florida.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.
May they rest in peace.

G-d of mercy,
Remember, too, the survivors of this attack,
Ease their suffering and release their trauma.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Strength to rebuild,
Faith to mourn,
And courage to heal,
So that they recover lives of joy and wonder.

Remember the families and friends
Of the dead and the bereaved
With consolation and solace.
Grant them Your protection,
Your wholeness and healing.
May they find hope and grace.

G-d of Consolation,
Every soul is Yours,
A world, unique and holy.
Let Your peace reign quickly among us.
Let violence, hatred and terror vanish.
Let Your comfort descend from heaven,
And let the righteous rest in peace.

© 2018 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

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Postscript: This is a combination of new writing and elements from “For the Children of Newtown” and “One is Everything,” two more prayers after violence and terror.

Please check out my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer,” and This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day. For reprint permissions and usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” To receive my latest prayers via email, please subscribe (on the home page). You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo Source: ABC Action News

In Memoriam: Sandy Hook

Posted on: December 12th, 2013 by Alden

Burning-CandlesThe seventh anniversary of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., is today, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2017. Here are two prayers to mark the day. The first, “For the Children of Newtown,” is prayer I wrote in response to the attack. The second, “At the Hand of Violence,” is a memorial prayer for individual victims of violence. The second prayer includes space to name a specific person who died in the massacre. Here’s a link to a prayer “For Bereaved Children.” May the memories of the righteous be a blessing.

For the Children of Newtown
Author of life,
Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under Your tabernacle of peace
To the victims of the massacre
In Newtown, Connecticut,
Children whose lives were cut off by violence,
All who fell at the hand of anger,
A rampage beyond understanding.
The future was severed.
Hopes, joys and dreams
Lost to brutality.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.
May they rest in peace.

G-d of mercy,
Remember, too, the survivors of this attack,
Parents,
Sisters and brothers,
Witnesses of shock, horror and dismay.
Ease their suffering and release their trauma.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Strength to rebuild,
Faith to mourn,
And courage to heal,
So that they recover lives of joy and wonder.

Remember the families and friends
Of the dead and the bereaved
With comfort and consolation.
Grant them Your protection,
Your wholeness and healing.
May they find hope and grace.

Heavenly Guide,
Source of love,
Guard the children of Newtown.
Grant them Your shelter and solace,
Blessing and renewal.
Put an end to anger, hatred and fear
And lead us to a time when
No one will suffer at the hand of another,
Speedily, in our day.

© 2012 Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

At the Hand of Violence: A Yizkor Prayer
Author of life Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To ______________________ (name in Hebrew or your native tongue),
My [father / mother / sister / brother / child / wife / dear one / friend]
Whose life was cut off by violence,
An act of witless aggression.
We remember his / her / their wisdom, talents and skills,
Joy, laughter and tears.
Let these memories continue to bless us
Even as we pray for him / her / them to find peace
In the world to come.
Put an end to anger, hatred and fear
And lead us to a time when no one will suffer at the hand of another.
May his / her soul be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

© 2011 Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: “For the Children of Newtown” prayer is an adaptation of “After a Deadly Rampage,” a general prayer to be used in response to mass killings. Please also see “For Bereaved Children,” a prayer for the brothers and sisters of the young victims.

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Photo Credit: The Candles Spot

Meditation on the Burial of a Young Child

Posted on: December 16th, 2012 by tobendlight

Flower GraveThis prayer is a response to the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School. It can be used as a private meditation or as part of a funeral service. Gender selections are identified with a slash (“his/her”), there are two places to insert the name of the child and an optional section, identified with [brackets], for adding memories and personal reflections. Here’s a prayer “For the Children of Newtown.” May the memories of the righteous be a blessing.

Meditation on the Burial of a Young Child
My dear __________ [name of the child],
My son/daughter/child,
Your hands were so small,
Your skin, so smooth,
Your smile, as bright as sunlight.
We had so little time,
And so much more to do, to discover, to share.

Oh grief,
Oh loneliness and sorrow,
The coffin that holds you is so small,
The wood, so smooth,
This moment, dark with despair.
And still, your laughter echoes in my heart
And your face shines in my eyes.

[If desired, speak silently or aloud memories and moments
To honor the life of your child and the difficult days ahead.]

G-d of compassion,
Grant our family the wisdom to be gentle with each other
In these hours of grievous loss.
Lead us on the path to hope and renewal
So that we may become a well
Of comfort and support for each other.

G-d of All,
Grant a perfect rest among the souls of the righteous
To ______________________ [name of the child],
My son/daughter/child who has gone to his/her eternal rest.
May his/her memory be sanctified with love and
May his/her soul be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

© 2012 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: This will appears in Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing. Here’s a link to a memorial prayer to be said for an individual killed “At the Hand of Violence” and a prayer “For Bereaved Children,” which can be said on behalf of the brothers and sisters of the victims.

Please consider making a contribution to support this site and my writing. For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new prayers, please subscribe. You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo credit: Laume’s Studio

For the Children of Newtown

Posted on: December 15th, 2012 by tobendlight

Burning-CandlesThere are no words. Yet we need them. Words of consolation. Words of prayer.

This is an adaptation of “After a Deadly Rampage,” a general prayer of mourning and consolation. This adaptation reflects the sorrow and pain coming from the number of young children who died at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., as well as the number of families traumatized. Here’s a prayer “For Bereaved Children,” which can be said on behalf of the brothers and sisters of the victims, and a “Meditation on the Burial of a Child,” also written in response to the tragedy in Newtown. May the memories of the righteous be a blessing.

For the Children of Newtown
Author of life,
Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under Your tabernacle of peace
To the victims of the massacre
In Newtown, Connecticut,
Children whose lives were cut off by violence,
All who fell at the hand of anger,
A rampage beyond understanding.
The future was severed.
Hopes, joys and dreams
Lost to brutality.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.
May they rest in peace.

G-d of mercy,
Remember, too, the survivors of this attack,
Parents,
Sisters and brothers,
Witnesses of shock, horror and dismay.
Ease their suffering and release their trauma.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Strength to rebuild,
Faith to mourn,
And courage to heal,
So that they recover lives of joy and wonder.

Remember the families and friends
Of the dead and the bereaved
With comfort and consolation.
Grant them Your protection,
Your wholeness and healing.
May they find hope and grace.

Heavenly Guide,
Source of love,
Guard the children of Newtown.
Grant them Your shelter and solace,
Blessing and renewal.
Put an end to anger, hatred and fear
And lead us to a time when
No one will suffer at the hand of another,
Speedily, in our day.

© 2012 Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: This prayer is an adaptation of “After a Deadly Rampage,” which is an adaptation of “For the People of Norway.” Sadly, the number of mass killings made it clear that we need a more generalized prayer. Please also see “At the Hand of Violence,” a prayer for memory of an individual victim, and “For Bereaved Children,” for the brothers and sisters of the young victims.

If you use this prayer, please click “like” on this page and subscribe. Please take a moment to post a link to your Facebook page, your blog or mention it in a tweet. Thanks. For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!

Photo Credit: The Candles Spot

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