Dear Reader,
Like you, I am horrified by the events unfolding in Israel and Gaza. First and foremost, we encourage everyone to send support to those in need. Jewish Funders Network has created this list of trusted NGOs that greatly simplifies this process. Charity Navigator also has a list of ways to help war victims.
What have we seen? How is any of this remotely possible?
The expression “man’s inhumanity to man” has resurfaced in my mind over and over again these past few days. And though the expression feels biblical, it is actually a line from the 1784 poem “Man Was Made To Mourn” by Robert Burns.
250 years on, a single line from a single poem about the plight of the poor is now a caution to us all to remember our humanity, and to speak out against injustice. It serves as a lasting reminder that while the innocents die and the warriors rage, the artists give voice to our values, and our suffering.
They also stir our hope.
Another biblically evocative poem, “Prayers for the Protection and Opening of the Heart” by Ya’akov Hakohen, translated by Peter Cole, attempts the latter:
May the Name send its hidden radiance
to open the gates of deliverance
to His servants—and shine in their hearts,
which now are shut in silent darkness.
May the great King be moved
to act in perfection and righteousness—
to open the gates of wisdom for us
and waken the love of old, the love of ancient days.
For those who feel only helplessness and grief, our creative community is doing what it can to provide solace and kinship. You’ll find some examples below, and we’ll share more as they will, surely, become available.
We stand with the people of Israel. We stand for peace. We have no illusions about our power to stop this unthinkable violence, but we believe in the transformative power of the arts to unite us when hope seems lost, and we pray that those in power heed the call: not just for protection, but for the opening of the heart as well.
Zayt mir ale shtark und gezunt – stay strong and healthy.
Z”l – may their memories be for a blessing.
Lou Cove
Founder and President
More here:
https://bycanvas.org/2023/10/12/jewish-arts-and-culture-for-hope-and-solace/