closeicon
News

Chief Rabbi composes prayer for Manchester victims

The prayer has been distributed to rabbis and Jewish communities around the country, with the recommendation that it be recited this coming Shabbat.

articlemain

The Chief Rabbi has composed a prayer in memory of the victims of this week’s terrorist attack in Manchester, mourning for those who were murdered and asking God to “grant consolation to their families in the depths of their grief”.

The prayer has been distributed to rabbis and Jewish communities around the country, with the recommendation that it be recited this coming Shabbat.

In a message released the day after the attack, which took place on Monday evening, Rabbi Mirvis talked about the “immense grief and pain as we mourn for those who have lost their lives in the city of Manchester.

“The devastation of these attacks, both at home and abroad, is becoming all too familiar but so too is the remarkable resolve with which we react to them. There are already reports of hotels providing free accommodation to young people last night and of taxis turning off their meters to get them back to their loved ones", he said.

“This attack, intended to inflict maximum carnage on innocent young lives, is the purest evil. But our reaction defines who we are as a country. When we are attacked by hate, we respond with love. Nothing and no one can divide us".

The full text of the prayer for the Manchester victims can be read below:

 

[Avinu Shebashamayim] Heavenly Father, Master of the universe,

We stand before You in prayer and supplication, stunned and shocked by the brutal and merciless atrocity committed this week in Manchester - a heartless desecration of Your precious gift of life and an affront to the values of peace and democracy.

We mourn for those who were murdered and pray that You will grant consolation to their families in the depths of their grief. Send a speedy recovery to the injured and peace of mind to all who have been traumatised by this act of barbarity.

Help us, Almighty God, to promote reconciliation and respect between the faiths and their adherents in this land, so that we may live in peace and security, working together for the good of all.

May the love of unity, compassion, justice, peace and harmony prevail over the forces of darkness who use terror to achieve their perverted goals.

Grant us the resolve to live together under the tabernacle of Your peace, as it is written, “they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks...”

May this be Your will and let us say, Amen.

Share via

Want more from the JC?

To continue reading, we just need a few details...

Want more from
the JC?

To continue reading, we just
need a few details...

Get the best news and views from across the Jewish world Get subscriber-only offers from our partners Subscribe to get access to our e-paper and archive