Rabbi/Cantor Meeka Simerly

Memorial Day may not be a Jewish holiday per se, but the concept of remembering and honoring our brave military people who risk, and sometimes give, their lives in service to the rest of us is certainly a Jewish value.

I’d like to invite you to join our congregation this evening,  Friday 5/25/18 at 6:00 pm, as we offer a special prayer in honor of our fallen soldiers, by the open ark.

I’ll add here Rabbi Dr. Laurence Milder’s prayer, which I find very powerful:

We are united this day in a solemn act of gratitude: to those who have served in our nation’s defense, to those who have risked their personal safety to save the lives of others, and above all to those who have died serving this country. Their sacrifices are forever remembered by us and by our children for generations to come. We do not forget.

 

Our hearts go out to those serving today in our armed forces, and to their families. In all our many faiths, we are united in this: our prayers are with those who serve our country today. We ask God that they may return speedily and in good health and safety to their loved ones.

 

And may God grant each of us the wisdom to uphold this nation’s virtues, that it may continue to serve as a beacon of liberty and harmony between peoples, for all the world to see. Amen.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Meeka