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Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner’s prayer for Pittsburgh

.וְהִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה לַאֲבוֹתֵיֽנוּ וְלָנֽוּ. שֶׁלֹא אֶחָד בִּלְבָד, עָמַד עָלֵיֽנוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנֽוּ

V’hi she’am’dah la’avoteinu v’lanu
Shello echad bil’vad amad aleinu l’challoteinu

It is God’s faithfulness which has stood by our ancestors and by us. Not just one has stood against us to make an end of us.

In every generation, there are those who rise up and attempt to destroy us.
In every generation, we refuse to surrender. We are defiant.
This is the message of those haunting words from our Passover seder.

When they try to stir up hate, we’ll love our neighbours as ourselves.
When they try to rip apart our communities, we’ll say “how good and how pleasant it is to
live together in peace”.
When they try to silence our voices, we’ll raise them up like a great shofar.
When they try to stamp out righteousness, it’s justice, justice that we’ll pursue.
When they try to prevent us from aiding the vulnerable, we’ll open our hands and care for
those in need.

This is our pledge to our murdered brothers and sisters

זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה

Zichronam livracha

May their memories be a blessing

וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַצִּילֵנוּ מִיָדָם

V’ha-kadosh baruch hu matsileinu miyadam

Yet the Holy One sustains us despite their power

And so, together with the divine, we will defiantly ensure the future of our generations to
come.

כֵּן יְהִי רָצוֹן

Kein y’hi ratson

May such be the divine will and let us say. Amen.

 

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