Friday, April 13, 2018

Remembrance 5778 - for the Shabbat after Yom Hashoah

Eternal God,
Creator and Sustainer of us all,
We come together once again
To remember those who perished
Because of who they were
Having preserved the faith of Israel
In their time
Inherited from many generations before
Only to face a new, diabolical force
of bigotry and cruelty
That perpetrated not only prejudice
But begrudged the lives of the people
Whom they despised
To the point of depriving them of
their very existence.
There were Jews and Christians
and Muslims and others
Who were able to places themselves
In the role of support, resistance and rescue,
And, eventually, a to become a broader network
dedicated to resettlement and renewal
in new lands, in new homes,
once the tragic years had come to an end.
We know that You, God of compassion,
Could not break through stiffened hearts
To change their actions from evil to good,
But there were many who let You into their souls
To perform acts of courage
That acknowledged the presence of
Your sacred image in every person.
And so, even now,
We need You, loving God,
To help us break through hardened hearts
To calm the fears harbored by some towards those
who are different from them in any way
To remind everyone that we all face challenges
And that no one group is to blame
Even while demagogues attempt
to create lines of division
Through dehumanization and ridicule
based on half-truths
That work to solidify separations from which 
they derive their power.
May we answer those attempts to sow discord
with understanding, cooperation,
respectful dialogue, and unity.
May Your Oneness, O God, encompass all of us
And bring us hope for a future in which
people throughout the world can thrive
in the shining light of freedom.

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