Jewish Prayers for Gaza

Now is the time to break our silence
to let go of our fear
to face up to the truths
we’ve known to be true all along.

Now is the time to face down
the cynical uproar of those
who justify the unjustifiable
who explain away the massacre of innocents,
the destruction of families
the abject dehumanization
of an entire people.

Now is the time to say out loud
and without apology
that our place is with the oppressed
and not the oppressor
to call out those who worship
the false gods of vengeance and cruelty.

Now is the time to call out
those who wield this terrible power
who profit from the blood of others
to proclaim our unabashed solidarity
with those who dwell in tents that offer no shelter
who travel to safe zones that offer no safety
from the incessant rain of fire from above.

Now is the time
it’s still not too late
to find the words we are willing to say
to determine who we truly are
and where we truly belong.