International
Holocaust Remembrance Day
Master of the Universe:
On this most solemn of occasions, we
open our hearts, minds, and souls to you.
As we remember the six million, the eleven million, the
indifference, and the evil;
As we honor the heroes, the martyrs, the survivors, and
the victims;
We ask you to soothe our souls, to amplify our
memories, to strengthen our resolve, and to hear our prayers.
We ask for your presence in our midst; for healing,
light, and love to soothe and ease our pain, as we commemorate the horrors that
were committed not long ago. Please, oh Holy One, be gentle with our souls.
We ask that you help us to forever remember the stories
we hear. As tales of the atrocities are shared, as we re-encounter the
unthinkable, we ask that these memories be strengthened and never fade, in the
hope that those who remember the mistakes of the past will not repeat them.
Please, oh Holy One, amplify our ability to remember.
We ask that you strengthen our will, that you help us
to ensure that the world does not again see such monstrosities. We say “never
again” and we dedicate ourselves to this principle, to the idea that justice
does not allow persecution, that genocide shall not be repeated, and that
vigilance is the responsibility of freedom, at all costs. Please, oh Holy One,
make manifest our resolve that these horrors remain but memories.
We ask that you answer our prayers. We pray that the
call of evil falls on deaf ears, that those who fight for freedom and justice
always prevail, that those who need protection do not become victims. We pray
that the lessons we learn from this darkest hour allow all humankind to better
itself, and to truly and nobly embody the idea that we are each made in Your
image. We pray for the souls of the millions and millions of victims of this
brutality; we pray that we honor their lives and their memories by observing
this day, and by doing everything in our power and beyond to make sure that no
such shadow again darkens our world.
Above all, we pray for shalom—for wholeness
and peace—to be in our midst, now and forever. Please, oh Holy One,
answer our prayers and bring us a world devoid of hatred, filled instead with
peace.
Ken yehi ratzon – may this be God’s will. And
may we all say together, Amen.
This prayer was originally shared at the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station’s 2014 Holocaust Remembrance Service.
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