Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Here are two prayers for this
memorial, the first is my own and the second from my friend, Alden
Solovy.
From Bondage to Freedom
• From the bondage of lies,
deliver us, O God,
and give us the freedom to pursue the truth…
• From the bondage of hatred,
deliver us, O God,
and give us the freedom to love all peoples as you love them…
• From the bondage of bullying and cruelty,
deliver us, O God,
and give us the freedom of kindness, gentleness,
and compassion…
• From the bondage of religious persecution,
deliver us, O God,
and give us freedom to stand in awe
deliver us, O God,
and give us freedom to stand in awe
of other people's faith...
• From the bondage of power,
deliver us, O God,
and give us freedom to serve the needs of others
before taking care of ourselves...
• From the bondage of tyranny,
deliver us, O God,
and give us the freedom of liberty
deliver us, O God,
and give us the freedom of liberty
shaped by justice and fair rule…
• From the bondage of war,
deliver us, O God,
and give us the freedom of peace
deliver us, O God,
and give us the freedom of peace
nobly achieved and mutually secured...
• From the bondage of slavery,
deliver us, O God,
and make us free to serve you
deliver us, O God,
and make us free to serve you
in serving one another…
• From the bondage of racism,
deliver us, O God,
and give us the freedom of being one family,
every person made in your image…
• From the bondage of torture and genocide,
deliver us, O God,
and free us to reverence, respect and honor
deliver us, O God,
and free us to reverence, respect and honor
the dignity of each human soul...
• From the amnesia that leads us
to forget and repeat the sins of the past,
deliver us, O God,
and give us the freedom to always remember,
deliver us, O God,
and give us the freedom to always remember,
to remember and never forget...
Protect us, Lord while we're awake
and watch over us while we sleep
that awake, we might keep watch with you
and asleep, rest in your peace...
Amen.
////////////////////////////////////////////////
Shoah
Memorial Prayer
Creator of all,
Source and shelter,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To those who perished in the Holocaust,
Our fathers and mothers,
Our sisters and brothers,
Our rabbis and teachers,
Our neighbors and children,
The named and the unnamed,
Whose lives were cut off by
Brutal, vicious, cunning and calculated violence.
May they find peace in the world to come.
Remember the survivors who have since passed away,
And the virtues of our people
Who’ve died at the hand of malice
In every generation.
We remember the works of their hands
And the messages of their hearts.
Bless the defenders of Israel with safety and strength,
And the righteous of all nations who provide
Protection, shelter and comfort to the Jewish people.
Let their deeds be a source of favor in heaven
And healing on earth.
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 days.
May the memories of all who faced these horrors
Be sanctified with joy and love.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.
Source and shelter,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To those who perished in the Holocaust,
Our fathers and mothers,
Our sisters and brothers,
Our rabbis and teachers,
Our neighbors and children,
The named and the unnamed,
Whose lives were cut off by
Brutal, vicious, cunning and calculated violence.
May they find peace in the world to come.
Remember the survivors who have since passed away,
And the virtues of our people
Who’ve died at the hand of malice
In every generation.
We remember the works of their hands
And the messages of their hearts.
Bless the defenders of Israel with safety and strength,
And the righteous of all nations who provide
Protection, shelter and comfort to the Jewish people.
Let their deeds be a source of favor in heaven
And healing on earth.
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 days.
May the memories of all who faced these horrors
Be sanctified with joy and love.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.
This is the centerpiece of a six-prayer Yom HaShoah
liturgy.
This prayer appears in Alden’s book:
Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.
This prayer appears in Alden’s book:
Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.
© 2012 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com.
Tonight's music is a plaintive violin solo,
background for a prayer for remembering
the victims of Shoah...
A Prayer for Victims of the Shoah: El Malei Rachamim
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