Posts Tagged ‘Voting and elections’

 

For Wisdom During Israel’s Elections – 2022

Posted on: October 30th, 2022 by Alden

This week we will go to the polls in Israel. I’m reposting two prayers for wisdom of the electorate, updated to reflect the rising tide of racist, extremist factions that appear poised to win a significant number of seats in the Knesset, potentially gaining influence on Israeli politics, government, and life. The prayers include blessings for “all who reside within our borders” and yearns for “liberty and equality,” hopes and dreams worthy of our prayers. They also include some classic imagery about Israel from our liturgy and sacred texts.

For Wisdom During Israel’s Elections (For Voters)
G-d of Justice,
Protector and Redeemer,
Grant guidance to our nation
As we select leaders
To serve and to govern,
The leaders who promise
To bring prosperity to our land,
The politicians who promise
To protect our homes and secure our borders.

Grant us wisdom and courage
So that we entrust our government to visionaries,
So that we elect those who will serve our citizens –
And all who reside within our borders –
With honor and integrity,
To forge a flourishing and peaceful future,
A land flowing with milk and honey.

Save us from the forces of hate
That threaten our nation from within,
Extremists who yearn for power,
The emboldened self-righteous
Who would destroy democracy,
Undermine the judiciary,
Deport dissenters, denying human liberties,
And give unbridled power to the military.

Bless our Prime Minister and Knesset
With vision and strength,
Fortitude and insight.
May they lead us to a time
When liberty and equality
Reign supreme throughout the land,
So that a new light will shine forth from Zion.

G-d of Truth,
Source and Shelter,
Grant safety and security to all nations,
So that truth and harmony will resound
From the four corners of the earth.
Let the light of Israeli democracy grow,
Let it shine brightly,
A beacon of hope
For every land and every people.

For Wisdom During Israel’s Elections (For Non-voters)
G-d of Justice,
Protector and Redeemer,
Grant guidance to the citizens of Israel
As they select leaders
To serve and to govern,
The leaders who promise
To bring prosperity to the land,
The politicians who promise
To protect homes and secure the borders.

Grant wisdom and courage to voters
To entrust the government to visionaries,
To elect those who will serve Israeli citizens –
And all who reside within its borders –
With honor and integrity,
To forge a flourishing and peaceful future,
A land flowing with milk and honey.

Save Israel from the forces of hate
That threaten the nation from within,
Extremists who yearn for power,
The emboldened self-righteous
Who would destroy democracy,
Undermine the judiciary,
Deport dissenters, denying human liberties,
And give unbridled power to the military.

Bless the Prime Minister and Knesset
With vision and strength,
Fortitude and insight.
May they lead Israel to a time
When liberty and equality
Reign supreme throughout the land,
So that a new light will shine forth from Zion.

G-d of Truth,
Source and Shelter,
Grant safety and security to all nations,
So that truth and harmony will resound
From the four corners of the earth.
Let the light of Israeli democracy grow,
Let it shine brightly,
A beacon of hope
For every land and every people.

© 2022 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

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: Taken of me by a poll worker during the 2013 elections

For Wisdom during Mid-Term Elections

Posted on: November 1st, 2018 by Alden

Go out to vote. With wisdom. And encourage others to vote, as well. Early mid-term voting is open in most U.S. states. This prayer has a much different tone than my Psalm of Protest 12, sung on the eve of an election.

For Wisdom during Mid-Term Elections
G-d of Justice,
Protector and Redeemer,
Grant guidance to our nation
As we select leaders
To serve and to govern,
The men and women who promise
To bring prosperity to our land,
The men and women who promise
To protect our homes and our democracy.

Grant wisdom and courage to voters
To entrust our government to visionaries,
To consensus builders and peacemakers,
To those luminaries who will serve our citizens –
And all who reside within our borders –
With honor and integrity
To forge a flourishing and peaceful future.

Bless our current and future government
With vision and strength,
Fortitude and insight.
May this new government lead us to a time
When liberty and equality will
Reign supreme throughout the land.

G-d of Truth,
Source and Shelter,
Grant safety and security to all nations,
So that truth and harmony will resound
From the four corners of the earth.
Let the light of our democracy
Shine brightly,
A beacon of hope
For every land and every people.

© 2018 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com.

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Postscript: This is an adaptation of “For Wisdom during U.S. Primary Elections.”

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: island FM

Voter Suppression: Psalm of Protest 12

Posted on: October 9th, 2018 by Alden

This Psalm of Protest is to be “sung on the eve of an election.” The third stanza quotes verses from Psalm 94. The fourth stanza echoes those lines with a modern voice and a modern response: a call to action. See also “Psalms of Protest 1, 2 and 3,” “Psalms of Protest 4, 5 and 6” and “Psalms of Protest 7 to 10.”

Voter Suppression: Psalm of Protest 12
A psalm of protest,
Sung on the eve of an election,
Before the seats of power.

What malice,
What cynicism,
What blatant manipulation of democracy,
To perpetrate injustice and pervert the will of the people!
Voter suppression.
Gerrymandering.
Turning a blind eye to attacks from hostile governments.
Woe to the usurpers who gain power falsely.

G-d of retribution, (Ps. 94:1-2)
G-d of retribution, appear!
Rise up, Judge of the earth.
Repay the arrogant what they deserve.
Can a corrupt throne be aligned with you? (Ps. 94: 20-21)
Can injustice be framed into law?

People of conscience,
People of conscience, appear!
Rise up to reclaim the ballot box,
Repay the deceitful,
Reject them and deny them office.
Will a corrupt government stand?
Will injustice be left unanswered?

Rise up, you of faith,
You of hope.
Rise up, to stand stalwart
Against threats to democracy.

© 2018 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com.

New here? Subscribe here to get my newest prayers by email.
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Postscript: See also “For Wisdom during Democratic Elections.”

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: Dayton Daily News

#MeToo, No More: the 11th Psalm of Protest

Posted on: September 30th, 2018 by Alden

This Psalm of Protest is to be “sung by brave women with a chorus of honest men.” It was inspired by the bravery of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testifying before the Senate, and that of Ana Maria Archila and Maria Gallagher confronting Sen. Jeff Flake in a Senate elevator. The psalm alludes to both Dr. Ford’s testimony and the moment when Ms. Gallagher tells Sen. Flake to look at her. See also “Psalms of Protest 1, 2 and 3,” “Psalms of Protest 4, 5 and 6” and “Psalms of Protest 7 to 10.”

Psalm of Protest 11: #MeToo, No More
A psalm of protest,
Sung by brave women,
With a chorus of honest men.

Brave Women: What willful ignorance!
What blatant deceit!
That you in the halls of power detest us with disbelief.
That you loath us with scorn.

Look at me.
Look into my eyes when I speak.
Look at us,
The hundreds, the thousands,
The myriad beyond count,
As numerous as the stars in the sky.
Silenced by trauma.
Silenced by fear.
Silenced by you.
No more!
Me too. Me too. Me too.

Honest Men: We believe.
We know.
We have been silent too long.

Brave Women: What arrogant pretense!
What feigned sympathy!
That you in the halls of power
Dismiss us with false words of feigned understanding.

We have been raped,
Fondled, pushed, grabbed, groped,
Forced into corners,
Forced onto beds,
Drugged into submission,
Abused, beaten,
Left cold and alone.
Look into my eyes when I speak.

Honest Men: We believe.
We know.
We have been silent too long.

Brave Women: We tremble, terrified,
The trauma seared indelibly into the hippocampus,
The laughter and the disdain,
The violence and the anger,
The violation and the abandonment.
We demand to be heard.
We demand to be seen.
We demand justice from halls of power.

Join us, brave women.
Join us, honest men.
Together, in one voice, declare:

All: Me too, no more!
Not in the courts.
Not in the White House.
Not in our lives.
Not in the lives of anyone.

Brave Women: And we will lead the way.

© 2018 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com.

New here? Subscribe here to get my newest prayers by email.
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Postscript: The call of justice is not enough. Men and women must be part of co-creating a better world, a world with no space for sexual assault, emotional degradation, personal harassment or rape.

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: Fred Klonsky

For Wisdom During Israel’s Elections

Posted on: January 16th, 2013 by tobendlight

Today, we in Israel will elect a new government. Here are two prayers for wisdom of the electorate. The first is for voters, followed by one for non-voters, recognizing that Jews throughout the world have a personal stake in this election. The prayer includes blessings for “all who reside within our borders” and yearns for “liberty and equality,” ideas that take on political weight in context of the challenges here. They are also hopes and dreams worthy of our prayers. The prayer also includes some classic imagery about Israel from Jewish liturgy and sacred texts.

For Wisdom During Israel’s Elections (For Voters)
G-d of Justice,
Protector and Redeemer,
Grant guidance to our nation
As we select leaders
To serve and to govern,
The men and women who promise
To bring prosperity to our land,
The men and women who promise
To protect our homes and secure our borders.

Grant us wisdom and courage
So that we entrust our government to visionaries and statesmen,
So that we elect those who will serve our citizens –
And all who reside within our borders –
With honor and integrity,
To forge a flourishing and peaceful future,
A land flowing with milk and honey.

Bless our Prime Minister and Knesset
With vision and strength,
Fortitude and insight.
May they lead us to a time
When liberty and equality
Reign supreme throughout the land,
So that a new light will shine forth from Zion.

G-d of Truth,
Source and Shelter,
Grant safety and security to all nations,
So that truth and harmony will resound
From the four corners of the earth.
Let the light of Israeli democracy grow,
Let it shine brightly,
A beacon of hope
For every land and every people.

For Wisdom During Israel’s Elections (For Non-voters)
G-d of Justice,
Protector and Redeemer,
Grant guidance to the citizens of Israel
As they select leaders
To serve and to govern,
The men and women who promise
To bring prosperity to the land,
The men and women who promise
To protect homes and secure the borders.

Grant wisdom and courage to voters
To entrust the government to visionaries and statesmen,
To elect those who will serve Israeli citizens –
And all who reside within its borders –
With honor and integrity,
To forge a flourishing and peaceful future,
A land flowing with milk and honey.

Bless the Prime Minister and Knesset
With vision and strength,
Fortitude and insight.
May they lead Israel to a time
When liberty and equality
Reign supreme throughout the land,
So that a new light will shine forth from Zion.

G-d of Truth,
Source and Shelter,
Grant safety and security to all nations,
So that truth and harmony will resound
From the four corners of the earth.
Let the light of Israeli democracy grow,
Let it shine brightly,
A beacon of hope
For every land and every people.

© 2013 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Here’s a link to a general version of this text, upon which I built this prayer, prior to the 2013 Israeli elections. Reflecting my two citizenships, click for prayers for Israel, as well as Veterans Day prayers, Thanksgiving Day prayers and “A Liturgy for 9-11.”

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: Aliyah Magazine

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