Merri Ukraincik is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications online and in print. She is the author of the book I Live. Send Help.: 100 Years of Jewish History in Images from the JDC Archives. Her memoir Wondrous Things: On Finding Joy and Faith in the Messy Business of Being Human is in search of a publisher. Follow her at https://merriukraincik.substack.com/ or on Facebook.
Dennis Gura is a father, husband, and an engaged and serious Jew who tries to understand a complex and confusing world as best as possible. A native Angeleno, he has been deeply engaged in Jewish thought and experiences his entire life–the ethnic, the ethical, the secular, and the religious. He was privileged to study at Machon Pardes in 1982-83, and has since bounced around various LA synagogues and Jewish groups.
To God To my ancestors To anyone who will listen I ask and pray for this:
Bless me with a peace That’s deeper than happiness That makes room for profound sorrow That accepts pain and loss That’s not dependent on good news
Bless me with a peace That comforts me when I feel anguish That steadies me when I feel uncertain That expands me when I think small That finds a way through my fiercest resistance
Bless me with a peace That stretches beyond my horizons That heals even if I can’t explain why That offers delight as an everyday gift That allows me to see blessings
Bless me with a peace That is a refuge from torment That is an oasis from yearning That is a sanctuary from trauma That transcends all else But never denies all else
Bless me with a peace That renews my gratitude for life And that I can access Every time I let you in
Rich Orloff writes both poems and plays. His poems have been published in The Poet, Fragments (published by T’ruah), and Fresh Words magazines, and they’ve been presented at churches and synagogues, performed in theaters and schools, read at meditation and yoga groups, and spoken at events both lofty and intimate. Rich’s plays include the Purim-themed musical comedy Esther in the Spotlight (performed so far in New York, Toronto and Tel Aviv), the comedic revue OY! (over 50 productions in the United States – and one in Bulgaria), and many more, of all lengths, styles and subjects. Rich’s plays have had over two thousand performances on six continents – and a staged reading in Antarctica. More at www.richorloff.com.
I am the crying child, the one who wants to scream and scream and scream. Why is the world this way? Why so much destruction and hate? Why so much killing?
I am the children, looking at the destruction adults created. Aren’t they supposed to protect us?
I am the teddy bear, sitting alone. Abandoned. My child gone. Where is she?
We are the guards. The shields. We want to protect our children. But we are useless against the enormity of the danger.
I am the wounded player. We are all players in the game the politicians are playing with us. Wounded, hurt, screaming in pain on the ground.
I am the shattered window. I was once clear. The world looked clearer through me. Now I am broken, shattered into pieces. Although maybe only part of me. Are there still pieces not shattered?
I am the wounded knee. Will I ever feel whole again? Will I ever be healed? What will it take? Will I ever stop hurting?
We are the healers. We’ve come with a bandage, to protect the wound. But we cannot fix it. There will always be scars.
I am the fist, hitting the wall. Frustration. Anger. Let it all out.
I am the pirate, the enemy. Or am I the victim? I, too, am wounded, missing my hand. But I will move on, move forward. Wounded but not defeated. Life is still worth living.
Where does it hurt? All over. When I apply pressure, it hurts.
Where is the hope? I am looking for the hope. Searching everywhere.
Don’t worry. I am here. You found me. It will be okay.
A note from Haviva Ner-David on writing these words:
For my Soulwork course for Ritualwell, we explored four different “soul modalities,” one each session. On the first night, we did Soul Image Collage. Each person in the class made a collage.
A profound occurrence happened when I was creating mine. I chose my images (part of the process), pasted them onto the page to create the collage, and then I looked at the collage.
It looked so painful, hopeless, despairing — which was not surprising considering that I am living in the midst of a brutal war. But there was only pain; I could have sworn I had chosen a hopeful image or two.
I looked on the floor, the couch, my desk, but I found nothing.
Just when I was about to give up, I stood and noticed a clipping that had fallen between the couch and the desk. I picked it up, turned it over, and it said (in Hebrew): “Don’t worry. It will be okay.”
Yes, I had clipped those words from a kids’ magazine when I had done my image selecting. Wow!
I pasted the missing clipping onto the collage and wrote the words that appear above. (The prompt was, “I am the one who…”)
Here is Haviva’s collage:
—
Haviva Ner-David is a writer and rabbi. She is the founding rabbinic director of Shmaya: A Mikveh for Mind, Body, and Soul on Kibbutz Hannaton, in the Galilee, where she lives. She is a spiritual companion with a specialty in dreamwork and other Gestalt modalities (such as soul image collage, inner child work, and nature soul work) who companions a variety of clients of different ages and faith traditions, including (but not only) many rabbis and rabbinical students. She is the author of three spiritual journey memoirs, two novels, and one children’s book (with another soon to be published) — the only children’s book about mikveh. Haviva is also an activist, focused mainly on building a shared society of partnership between Jewish and Palestinian Israelis. She was born with a degenerative form of muscular dystrophy (FSHD), which has been one of her biggest life challenges and teachers, and together with her life partner, Jacob, parents seven children (one adopted and six biological). You can visit her website for more information about her work and books: https://rabbihaviva.com/
Last year I searched for my grandfather’s grave at Har Jehuda Cemetery.
Nathan Weisbord.
Section C25, row 2, location 47.
But couldn’t find him.
Once, I was able to run my hand over Hebrew letters incised into the stone.
Once I was able trace the date of his death from the Spanish flu: October 1918.
But now he is twice buried.
This time in a jungle of tangled weeds and branches.
Buried by neglect that afflicts old Jewish cemeteries like this one.
Cemeteries passed down to owners unwilling or unable to maintain what was entrusted to them.
We are the caretakers of our ancestors.
Responsible for remembering them and reciting their names.
It’s not easy for many of us to find our roots.
Nature unchecked reclaims its own.
Paths to our history are blocked by twisted roots.
And burned records.
And toppled gravestones.
And the rubble of cemeteries in the old country.
The last time I visited Har Jehuda I was a volunteer.
One of many warriors, armed with rakes, hedge trimmers, and bare hands.
Working to clear the paths, section by section.
We have not yet reached my grandfather’s grave.
But we are persistent.
We Jews.
That’s how we survive.
I had hoped to accomplish much as a volunteer.
Bus alas, my ability to twist and bend
Had gone the way of my youth.
So I sat down and continued weeding and trimming on the ground.
But when it was time to leave, I found myself stuck.
Lacking the strength to get back on my feet.
So I wrapped my arms around the nearest gravestone.
A monument to man named Joseph Feingold
Who died in 1948.
And he helped to lift me to my feet.
As Jews, we are responsible for each other in life and in death.
And as I honor my ancestors, they will continue to lift me.
Natalie Zellat Dyen began writing humor pieces and essays for newspapers while working as a technical writer. Since turning to fiction, her work has appeared in a number of publications including, Philadelphia Stories, The MacGuffin, the Schuylkill Valley Journal, Willow Review, Alternative Truths: Endgame, Jewish Writing Project, Damselfly, CERASUS Magazine, Every Day Fiction, and Neshaminy: The Bucks County Historical and Literary Journal. Her short story collection, Finding Her Voice, was published in 2019. Her debut novel, Locked in Silence,a work of historical fiction, will be released on February 1, 2024.
Mel Glenn, the author of twelve books for young adults, is working on a poetry book about the pandemic tentatively titled Pandemic, Poetry, and People. He has lived nearly all his life in Brooklyn, NY, where he taught English at A. Lincoln High School for thirty-one years. You can find his most recent poems in the YA anthology, This Family Is Driving Me Crazy, edited by M. Jerry Weiss. If you’d like to learn more about his work, visit: http://www.melglenn.com/
Dennis Gura is a father, husband, and an engaged and serious Jew who tries to understand a complex and confusing world as best as possible. A native Angeleno, he has been deeply engaged in Jewish thought and experiences his entire life–the ethnic, the ethical, the secular, and the religious. He was privileged to study at Machon Pardes in 1982-83, and has since bounced around various LA synagogues and Jewish groups.
If you’d like to read more of his work, visit his Substack page, where this poem first appeared (and is reprinted here with permission of the author):https://dennisgura.substack.com
Should we unclasp the Jewish stars around our necks?
Yank the mezuzahs off our doorposts?
Straighten our hair?
Change our names?
Ask friends if they would hide us?
Are we overacting?
Are we underreacting?
How did our ancestors know when it was time to leave?
Is it time to leave?
Needless to say, there is nowhere to go.
Lesléa Newman has created 85 books for readers of all ages including the dual memoir-in-verse, I Carry My Mother and I Wish My Father and the children’s books, Gittel’s Journey: An Ellis Island Story, The Babka Sisters and Ketzel the Cat Who Composed. Her literary prizes include two National Jewish Book Awards and the Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award. Her newest book, Always Matt: A Tribute to Matthew Shepard, a fully illustrated book-length poem celebrating the life and legacy of Matthew Shepard, has just been published. For more information about Lesléa, visit her website: www.lesleanewman.com .
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Tzivia Gover’s most recent book, Dreaming on the Page: Tap into Your Midnight Mind to Supercharge Your Writing, combines writing, spirituality, and dreamwork. Her poems have been published in dozens of journals and anthologies including The Mom Egg Review, The Naugatuck River Review, and Lilith Magazine. She shares her poetry and reflections as she reimagines the life of the biblical matriarch Sarah in her Substack newsletter, “The Life of H” https://tziviagover.substack.com.
Lesléa Newman has created 85 books for readers of all ages including the dual memoir-in-verse, I Carry My Mother and I Wish My Father and the children’s books, Gittel’s Journey: An Ellis Island Story, The Babka Sisters and Ketzel the Cat Who Composed. Her literary prizes include two National Jewish Book Awards and the Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award. Her newest book, Always Matt: A Tribute to Matthew Shepard, a fully illustrated book-length poem celebrating the life and legacy of Matthew Shepard, has just been published. For more information about Lesléa, visit her website: www.lesleanewman.com .
The Jewish Writing Project 