אָנוּ קוֹרְאִים Anu Korim

I join IKAR’s online morning minyan throughout the week and lead on Sundays.
One Sunday in January I asked our minyan members for the words and phrases and ideas and feelings on their hearts as we turned to praying for the hostages held in Gaza, the people of Gaza, Israelis, Jews, Palestinians, and everyone in the Land. Within moments words began to populate the chat - words that held pain and hope and despair and questions. So many questions. I asked, and I told them I asked, with the intention of taking the words and thoughts and adding my own and crafting a prayer. I wrote Anu Korim.

Anu korim, Adonai, 
Ayeka?
We cry out, Adonai,
Where are You?
You who they say hears our cries,
You who they say frees the captives.
Ayeka?
Where, God?
Where are You?

Do you hear them?

The babies and the children and the grown-ups held hostage?
The pregnant and the birthing women of Gaza, the children, the babies, the men who only want their loved ones safe?
The soldiers, weary and wounded?
The people of Israel?

Do you hear the sound of us?
We are here,
in the Garden,
knocking on Your gates.
All of them.

We are scared.
We can’t believe this is where we are
and 
we can.

We are sad.
And we are
so
very
angry. 

Ayeka?
Where are You?
Our bloods are calling out to you from the ground,
our voices choked with dust,
our hearts broken,
broken open and just
broken, and
stretching to hold all of the things we don’t understand.

Adonai, Eloheinu, shema koleinu.
We need another bite of the fruit.
We want to bless you,
we are holding onto this bracha with the skin of our teeth,
Baruch atah Adonai 
Eloheinu melech haolam, 
matir asurim.
Blessed are You who frees
all of the captives.