The ‘Sabbath of Sabbaths’desecrated at 9.31 am in the midst of morning prayers in a north Manchester suburb it could have been so much worse security volunteers holding-fast the door the arrival of armed police at 9.38 sealing the fate of the attacker still two congregants dead three wounded the rabbi’s white robe stained with […]
Yom Kippur one hallowed day for a reckoning ofall the days of the year crowded with words confessions pleas our souls’ calculations until hollowed out exhaustedfamished emptied of remorse regret we are ready to beginagain. That is the plan but how do we begin again? how can we be relieved of the burdens of the […]
Another New YearRosh Ha-Shanah ‘The head of the year’ while the heart of the pasttwo years is stillbleeding brokenby grieflossanguishday-by-devastating-daydestruction. Rosh Ha-Shanah cue for ‘shanah’ ‘change’ but nothing is changing. Sowhat should we dowith this New Year?what can we doto effect change? We can speak upand speak outwe can supportthe refusersthe resistorsthe co-exist-ersthe peace-with-justicemakers-and-seekerswho are […]
Cauldron ofdespairamid destructionhorizons of rubblebroken bodiessummer heatdissolvingevery sign offamished life. From pastto presentas we readthe ancient sacred book our screensdeliver lamentationsday after devastating dayin Gaza. How did it come to this?fury roaring throughinconsolable griefragingrevengefor the twelve hundred massacredin a single daythe two hundred and fifty-one wrenched awayfor depraved atrocitiesand sexual violence. Whenand howwill the horror […]
‘The season of the giving of our Torah’ The voice of the Eternal that spokein thunder on Mount Sinai overwhelmed by another thunder the roaring howl of war Eternal teachings shrouded in clouds ofdust hidden under mountains ofrubble a wilderness ofshatteredhomes schools hospitals no one and nothing can stand in this wasteland the people of […]
Another Pesacharrivesbut no Passoverthe memory ofliberationovertaken byanother godthe fortress stateand its henchmena state of perpetual warthe blood ofthe massacredon October 7desecratedthe young blood of the nation’s defenderssacrificedon the altarof the rightof mightthe remaining hostagesabandonedempty spacesat seder tablesnever to be filled. Meanwhilein Gazaa peopledoubly-oppressedfrom withinand withoutcrushedblood shedcries outfrom the rubbleno doorpostsno lintelsto offer a signno provisionsleftnot […]
Yom Kippur 5785Yoma‘The Day’Out of theDaylight ofEvery dayA cave of a dayGlowingIn the white-blankGlareOf EternityDrawing us inTo its mysteriesSearchingUs out in itsFierce gazeA spotlightInto our souls.And yetEven in the harshLight of scrutinyYomaThe DayShadowedBy the freight ofThe pastThe DayOut of timeBurdenedBy timesFurrowed in fearAnd tremblingTrappedIn an atticIn a cellarIn a ghettoCrammed with deporteesIn a campCloakedWith the […]
Festival of ‘Tabernacles’And ‘Ingathering’Season ofTemporarySheltersSet up in fieldsAt harvest timeThis yearReapingThe harvest ofTwelve months ofDestruction. Burnt-outHomes inShatteredKibbutzimVillage-islands ofCollectiveLifeLabourDemocracyTheirSurvivingBatteredInhabitantsScatteredTo liveTemporarilyElsewhere. AndIn anotherElsewhereFlimsy tentsTemporarySheltersIn the rubbleRuinedHomesSchoolsHospitalsOpen to the elementsTheir battered inhabitantsWanderersIn the wilderness ofConcrete and dustCarrying their livesOn their backsAs they bear the pain ofEndlessDisplacement.And all thisDevastationDefyingThe ever-presentGaze ofThe EternalSummonedBy our handsGraspingPalm-branchWillowMyrtleFragrant etrogAnd wavingNature’s bountyIn all directionsEastSouthWestNorthHeavenwardsAnd […]
Rosh Ha-Shanah 5785The calendarProclaims‘_Rosh Ha-Shanah_’But how can that be?The old yearHas not endedHijacked byHorrorThe new yearSuspendedOn the far side ofThe abyss.WordlessMy mindSearches forSoundsThe voices ofThe _shofar_The sharp blast of_T’ki’ah_The bellowingBoom-boom-boom of_Sh’varim_The rapid-nine-fire of_T’ru’ah._ButAs my heartbeat quickensAnd I try toListen to eachParticular inflectionAll I canHear is aDeafeningTumultThe thunderousClamour ofWar.When will it cease?The relentlessTormentingQuestionWe all share.HopeAlmost abandonedLet […]