Pray that, during this time commemorating the Palestinian Nakba (1948 catastrophe) that Khalid in Gaza and all in Palestine and Israel might experience God’s justice and peace, that they might know healing and wholeness. Pray for a resolution to the ongoing conflicts. Pray for wise, just and committed leaders who can find the way forward.
Let us join with Rabbi Brant Rosen in his Jewish Prayer for Nakba Day:
Receive with the fullness of your mercy the hopes and prayers of those who were uprooted, dispossessed and expelled from their homes during the devastation of the Nakba. Sanctify for tov u’verakhah, for goodness and blessing, the memory of those who were killed in Lydda, in Haifa, in Beisan, in Deir Yassin and so many other villages and cities throughout Palestine. Grant hesed ve’rakhamim, kindness and compassion upon the memory of the expelled who died from hunger, thirst and exhaustion along the way. Shelter beneath kanfei ha’shekhinah, the soft wings of your divine presence, those who still live under military occupation, who dwell in refugee camps, those dispersed throughout the world still dreaming of return. Gather them me’arbah kanfot ha’aretz, from the four corners of the earth, that their right to return to their homes be honored at long last. Let all who dwell in the land live in dignity, equity and hope so that they may bequeath to their children a future of justice and peace.
Ve’nomar, and let us say, Amen.
https://ritualwell.org/ritual/jewish-prayer-nakba-day/
Context: Commemorating the Palestinian Nakba
The Nakba ("Catastrophe"), marking the 1948 displacement of 700,000+ Palestinians, is remembered annually on May 15 as an ongoing reality rather than just history.
Commemoration Activities: Palestinians participate in widespread marches, vigils, and educational events to honor the over 700,000 refugees displaced in 1948. Sirens sound for 75 seconds (corresponding to the number of years since 1948) or more, and oral histories are shared from survivors to younger generations.
Symbolism of the Key: Many Palestinians hold onto the physical keys of homes destroyed or lost in 1948, which remain a powerful symbol of their demand to return to their original cities and villages.
Ongoing Nakba: Many Palestinians today, particularly in Gaza, refer to the current war, home demolitions, and land confiscation as a continuation of the 1948 Nakba.
Narrative and Identity: The Nakba is central to Palestinian national identity. It is remembered as a time of forced expulsion, massacres, and the destruction of over 500 villages.
https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/JVP-Nakba-Fact-Sheet.pdf
