For all our sins

Al chet shechatanu

For the babies in their beds
For the toddlers with their toys
For the families in their safe rooms

For the kibbutzniks in their courtyards
For the farmers in their fields
For the dancers in the desert

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For the maimed and the mutilated
For the abducted and the abused
For the famished and the starved

For the guards in their gatehouses
For the police at their posts
For the soldiers in their barracks

For all these fallen Sons of Israel
For all these darkened Stars of David
For all these exhausted Lions of Judah

Salach lanu, machal lanu, kaper lanu

For not protecting the innocent
And for not prosecuting the guilty.

For not freeing the captives
And for not comforting the bereaved.

For not calling out the antisemites who masquerade as anti-Zionists
And for not calling out the anti-Zionists who masquerade as anti-colonialists.

For underestimating the hate of our enemies
And for overestimating the love of our friends.

For thinking that by dividing we could conquer
And for thinking that by ignoring we could prosper.

For delaying accountability
And for evading responsibility.

For criticizing only the far right or the far left;
And for criticizing only this party or that party.

For loving our own comforts too much
And for loving our own countries too little.

For all these, salach lanu, machal lanu, kaper lanu
May we repent and may we be forgiven.

Barry L. Schwartz is rabbi of Congregation Adas Emuno in Leonia and director and editor-in-chief emeritus of the Jewish Publication Society. His latest book is “Open Judaism: A Guide for Believers, Atheists, and Agnostics.”