Tag Archive for "terror" | To Bend Light

Posts Tagged ‘terror’

Prayer for the Jews of France

Posted on: March 19th, 2012 by tobendlight

A prayer for the Jews of France after today’s violence in Toulouse. Here is a link to a translation of this prayer into French, called “Aux Juifs de France.” See also: “At the Hand of Anti-Semitism: A Yizkor Prayer.”

For the Jews of France
Author of life,
Man has turned violent,
Cutting down children and their teachers
In Toulouse, France,
Our young and our leaders,
Our brothers and sisters,
Crushing lives,
Upending dreams,
Attacking hope with hatred.

Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To the victims of murder in Toulouse
Whose lives were cut off by violence,
An act of witless aggression
And calculated anti-Semitism.
Remember the survivors of this horror,
And the victims of any violence, suffering or despair.
Grant them shelter and solace,
Comfort and consolation,
Blessing and renewal.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Strength to rebuild,
Faith to mourn,
Courage to heal,
And devotion to each other.

Heavenly Guide,
Hand of love and shelter,
Put an end to anger and hatred,
Bigotry and fear,
And lead us to a time when no one
Suffers at the hand of another.

For the sake of our people,
And for the sake of Your Holy Name,
Grant the Jews of France Your protection,
Your wholeness and healing,
And Your peace.

Postscript: This is an adaptation of prayers I wrote in response to violence in Norway and attacks in Mumbai, which were based on two of my other prayers, “At the Hand of Violence” and “In Devastation.” Find related prayers in my “Liturgy for 9-11.” Ask others to pray for the Jews of France by posting a link to this prayer on your Facebook wall or blog.

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. Please take a moment to explore my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Photo credit: Soutien aux familles des victimes et à la communauté Juive de Toulouse on Facebook

To the Terrorist: We Stand Strong, We Pray for Peace

Posted on: March 12th, 2012 by tobendlight

Is it possible to pray for the terrorist? This is my attempt, written to commemorate 9-11 and reposted in 2012 as Israel faces a missile barrage from Gaza. This prayer is from “A Liturgy for 9-11.” To listen, click on the triangle in the bar below.

To the Terrorist
You who would hold the sky captive,
The sea prisoner,
The land in chains…

You who hide in caves,
Retreat to the wilderness,
Disappear behind false names and forged papers…

You who smuggle guns and arms,
Hide rockets in cities and bombs in homes,
Build weapons against the innocent and the bystander…

You whose designs are destruction,
Whose plans are fear,
Whose joy is hate…

You who harden your hearts
And wrap yourselves in death…
What evil has robbed you of your love,
Your compassion,
Your goodness,
Your humanity?
What lies have invaded your minds
So that you choose to die in order to kill?

We who love our lives and liberty
Stand firm and strong against terror.
We will defend our nation and our people.
We will protect our land and our homes.
And we pray for you to find hope and comfort
In lives of peace.

Postscript: This prayer was first posted on April 28, 2011, as part of my Liturgy for 9-11, which was written for the HUC-JIR continuing education blog Tzeh U’limad. It was reposted separately with audio on August 2, 2011. Here’s a prayer called “Israel: A Meditation” and one “For Peace in the Middle East.”

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 Source: WikiMedia Commons

At the Hand of Terror: A 9-11 Yizkor Prayer

Posted on: September 3rd, 2011 by tobendlight

This is a 9-11 yizkor prayer to be said in memory of a specific individual. This prayer has also been adapted into a general memorial prayer for all of those who lost their lives in the 9-11 attacks. Both prayers are part of “A Liturgy for 9-11.” To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows. This will appear in my forthcoming book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

At the Hand of Terror: A 9-11 Yizkor Prayer
Creator of all,
Source and shelter,
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]
Who died [in / during / because of]
The 9/11 attacks on the United States.
Remember the works of his/her hands
And the message of his/her heart.
Remember all those who were lost in the terror of that day.
Grant their families peace and comfort for Your name’s sake
And for the sake of those who perished.
Bring an end to violence and terror,
Speedily, in our days.
May the memory of _____________________ be sanctified with joy and love.
May his/her soul be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

Postscript: Here’s a link to “A Liturgy for 9-11,” which does not have audio. Here are links to individual 9-11 prayers with audio: “For 9-11 Survivors,” “To the Terrorist,” “At the Hand of Terror II: A 9-11 Memorial Prayer” and “Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders.”

Photo Source: Boldly Go Solo photo of the 9/11 Living Memorial in Israel, a billowing American flag, partly surrounded on its circular plaza by the names of the more than 3,000 people who died in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. The waving flag is meant to resemble an eternal flame. Israel is the only country outside the U.S. that memorializes the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. It is outside of Jerusalem.

Response to 9-11 Prayers

Posted on: August 18th, 2011 by tobendlight

The response to “A Liturgy for 9-11” has been amazing. In the period leading up to the 10th anniversary of the attack, these prayers were read more than 3,200 times. Also:

Sacred Journey, a quarterly magazine published by Fellowship in Prayer, created a “spiritual practice” for its readers based on my “bending light” analogy and the prayer “For 9-11 Survivors.” In the summer edition, the editors ask that on 9-11 readers: light a candle, say this prayer and do an act of intentional kindness.
Odyssey Networks, the nation’s largest multi-faith media coalition, produced a video of the same prayer, “For 9-11 Survivors,” which appeared on a special 9-11 anniversary channel on its Call on Faith mobile application.
The Lookstein Center for Jewish Education of the School of Education at Bar-Ilan University included a link to “A Liturgy for 9-11” appears on a list of resources for Jewish educators.
A blog by Congregational Resource Guide included these prayers as a link in a posting called “September 11, A Decade On.”
The Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia included my 9-11 liturgy on a resources page.
The General Board of the United Methodist Church included the 9-11 Liturgy on a resources page. So did the church’s Baltimore-Washington Conference.
The Union for Reform Judaism posted these prayers on it’s website among the 9-11 resources.
Worship communities from across the U.S. contacted me asking for permission to reprint these prayers for congregational use.

In thinking about the original liturgy, I also make some changes. For public commemorations, I revised the two yizkor prayers to create memorial prayers. They are: “At the Hand of Terror II: A 9-11 Memorial Prayer” and “Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders.” I also reposted the prayers individually with audio, including: “To the Terrorist: A 9-11 Prayer,” “For 9-11 Survivors,” “At the Hand of Terror II: A 9-11 Memorial Prayer” and “Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders.”

Thanks to Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder, Ph.D., the editor HUC-JIR continuing education blog Tzeh U’limad, who asked me to write a set of 9-11 prayers as resources for clergy. Thank you for inviting me into your prayer lives and for allowing me to share these offerings.

For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new prayers, please subscribe. Connect with To Bend Light on Facebook and on Twitter.

At the Hand of Terror II: A 9-11 Memorial Prayer

Posted on: August 14th, 2011 by tobendlight

This is a memorial prayer for those who lost their lives in the 9-11 attacks. It’s adapted from a prayer that is part of “A Liturgy for 9-11.” The original prayer, “At the Hand of Terror: A 9-11 Yizkor Prayer,” was written to be said in memory of an individual. This provides a general memorial prayer for use in communal worship. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows. This will appear in my forthcoming book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

At the Hand of Terror II: A 9-11 Memorial Prayer
Creator of all,
Source and shelter,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To those who died in the 9/11 attacks on the United States.
Remember the works of their hands
And the message of their hearts.
Grant their families peace and comfort for Your name’s sake
And for the sake of those who perished.
Bring an end to violence and terror,
Speedily, in our days.
May their memories be sanctified with joy and love.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

Postscript: I’ve adapted another prayer for communal worship, resulting in a “Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders.” Here’s a link to “A Liturgy for 9-11,” which does not have audio. Here are links to individual 9-11 prayers with audio: “For 9-11 Survivors,” “To the Terrorist” and “At the Hand of Terror: A 9-11 Yizkor Prayer.”

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders

Posted on: August 10th, 2011 by tobendlight

This is a memorial prayer for first responders to the 9-11 attacks. It’s modified from “Yizkor for First Responders,” a prayer that I posted as part of “A Liturgy for 9-11.” This differs from the original prayer in three ways: i) the original was written to be said for an individual first responder, while this is for all first responders; ii) the original is adaptable to any event claiming the life of a first responder, while this is specific to 9-11; and iii) the original was written for private prayer, while this is written for communal worship. This appears in my new book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders
G-d of the selfless,
G-d of the strong and the brave,
Grant a perfect rest among the souls of the righteous
To those who died in service to others because of
The 9/11 attacks on the United States.
May their dedication to protecting life serve as a shining lamp of love
And the works of their hands bring us all merit in heaven.
Bless the souls of all who have died to save others,
Civilians and professionals,
The trained and the untrained,
In every age and in every land,
Men and women who answered the call of honor, duty and service.
May their memories be sanctified with joy and love.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

Postscript: Here’s a link to “A Liturgy for 9-11‘” Here are links to individual 9-11 prayers: “For 9-11 Survivors,” “To the Terrorist” and “At the Hand of Terror II: A 9-11 Memorial Prayer.”

Source: Wikimedia Commons

For the Women of Congo and Sudan

Posted on: August 6th, 2011 by tobendlight

This prayer is the result of a collaboration with my friend Rabbi Paul Kipnes. When Jewish World Watch asked Paul to write a prayer “For the Women of Congo and Sudan,” he asked me if he could adapt language from two of my prayers. Paul used pieces of both prayers and added his own words and a line of Hebrew. Then, we tweaked it together. The entire High Holiday booklet is available on the JWW site. It’s a lovely piece.

For the Women of Congo and Sudan
G-d of the survivors, mourners and witnesses,

Grant strength to those still held by physical, emotional and spiritual distress from the continuing violence in Congo and Sudan. Release them from visions of rape and death, from guilt or shame, from fear or anger. Bind their wounds with Your steadfast love.

Grant them shelter and solace,
Comfort and consolation.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Faith to mourn,
Courage to heal,
Devotion to each other.

Bless those who have healed.
Bless those who suffer.

Bless those who forgive.
Bless those who cannot forgive.

Bless those who speak.
Bless those who stay silent.

Baruch Atah, Tzur Yisrael, Oseh tikvah v’nechamah.
Blessed are You, Rock of Israel, Source of hope and comfort.

The prayer is adapted with permission by Rabbi Paul Kipnes from two prayers by Alden Solovy: For the People of Norway and For 9-11 Survivors, which are © 2011 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: As a writer, I’m honored that Paul sees something in my words that resonates for him. I am also pleased that he respected my copyright, asked for permission to both adapt my work and to publish the resulting prayer. It also appears on his blog Or Am I? See also, “Against Human Trafficking,” “Against Tyranny” and “Against Poverty.”

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. If you use or like this prayer, please post a link to Facebook, your blog or mention it in a tweet.

To the Terrorist: A 9-11 Prayer

Posted on: August 2nd, 2011 by tobendlight

Is it possible to say a prayer on behalf of a terrorist? I asked that question as I wrote “A Liturgy for 9-11.” Here’s my answer. To listen, click on the triangle in the bar below. Here are links to “For 9-11 Survivors” and “Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders” with audio.

To the Terrorist
You who would hold the sky captive,
The sea prisoner,
The land in chains…

You who hide in caves,
Retreat to the wilderness,
Disappear behind false names and forged papers…

You who smuggle guns and arms,
Hide rockets in cities and bombs in homes,
Build weapons against the innocent and the bystander…

You whose designs are destruction,
Whose plans are fear,
Whose joy is hate…

Postscript: Read the entire “Liturgy for 9-11,” including an overview of concerns that emerged in developing these prayers. It includes suggestions for other prayers that fit well with the themes of 9-11. It was written for the HUC-JIR continuing education blog Tzeh U’limad. Here are links to individual posts of “For 9-11 Survivors” and “Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders,” including audio.

For 9-11 Survivors

Posted on: July 30th, 2011 by tobendlight

In late April I published “A Liturgy for 9-11” written for the HUC-JIR continuing education blog Tzeh U’limad to provide clergy with resources for the upcoming 10th anniversary of the attack, originally posted without audio. As promised, I am now reposting these prayers individually with audio. To listen, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows. This will appear in my forthcoming book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

For 9-11 Survivors
G-d of the survivor,
G-d of the mourner and the witness,
Grant solace and peace to those still held by physical, emotional and spiritual distress from the attacks of 9-11. Release them from visions of death and destruction, from guilt or shame, from fear or anger. Bind their wounds with Your steadfast
love. Lift them on Your wings of kindness and grace.

Blessed are those who have found peace.

Blessed are those without tranquility.

Blessed are those who speak.

Blessed are those who stay silent.

Blessed are those who have healed.

Blessed are those who suffer.

Blessed are those who forgive.

Blessed are those who cannot forgive.

Blessed are You, Adonai our G-d, Source of strength for survivors of violence and tragedy in every land and in every age. Blessed are You, Rock of Israel, Source of hope and comfort.

Postscript: Click here to read the entire “A Liturgy for 9-11,” including an overview of concerns that emerged in developing these prayers. It also includes suggestions for other prayers that fit with the themes of 9-11. Here are links to individual 9-11 prayers with audio: “For 9-11 Survivors,” “To the Terrorist,” “At the Hand of Terror II: A 9-11 Memorial Prayer” and “Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders.”

For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new prayers, please subscribe. Connect with To Bend Light on Facebook and on Twitter.

Prayer for the People of Norway

Posted on: July 24th, 2011 by tobendlight

On July 22, 2011, a brutal bombing attack and shooting spree rocked Norway. On April 16, 2011, the killer went on trial in Oslo. This prayer was written in the days after the violence. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

For the People of Norway
Author of life,
Man has turned violent,
Cutting down youth in Utoya, Norway,
Our children,
Future leaders,
Brothers and sisters,
Crushing lives,
Upending dreams,
Attacking hope for tomorrow.

Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To the victims of murder in Utoya
Whose lives were cut off by violence,
An act of witless aggression.
Remember the survivors of this horror,
And the victims of any disaster,
Any violence, suffering or despair.
Grant them shelter and solace,
Comfort and consolation,
Blessing and renewal.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Strength to rebuild,
Faith to mourn,
Courage to heal,
And devotion to each other.

Heavenly Guide,
Hand of love and shelter,
Put an end to anger, hatred and fear,
And lead us to a time when no one will suffer at the hand of another.
Grant the people of Norway Your protection,
Your wholeness and healing,
And Your peace.

Postscript: This is an adaptation of a prayer I wrote in response to recent attacks in Mumbai, which was based on two of my other prayers, “At the Hand of Violence” and “In Devastation.” You’ll also find related prayers in my “Liturgy for 9-11.”

Ask others to pray for the people of Norway: post a link to this prayer to your Facebook page, your blog or as part of a tweet. Please subscribe. For reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” Thanks.

Posts Tagged ‘terror’

Prayer for the Jews of France

To the Terrorist: We Stand Strong, We Pray for Peace

At the Hand of Terror: A 9-11 Yizkor Prayer

Response to 9-11 Prayers

At the Hand of Terror II: A 9-11 Memorial Prayer

Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders

For the Women of Congo and Sudan

To the Terrorist: A 9-11 Prayer

For 9-11 Survivors

Prayer for the People of Norway

“Alden has become one of Reform Judaism’s master poet-liturgists…" - Religion News Service, Dec. 23, 2020

“Mesmerizing, spiritual, provocative, and thoughtful, Alden was everything you would want in a guest scholar and teacher.” – Rabbi Denise L. Eger, Congregation Kol Ami, Los Angeles, and Past President, CCAR

**"Alden Solovy has become one of the most revered liturgists of the last decade…" - Jewish Post & Opinion, March 29, 2023**

“Alden left everyone feeling inspired.” – Cantor Jeri Robins, Shabbat Chair, NewCAJE6

Your contribution helps support the creation of new prayers available to all on this site.