Judith Sanders: A Mourner’s Kaddish

We must have forgotten thee,
   o Jerusalem,
because our tongues cleave 
   to the roofs of our mouths
and our right hands 
   have lost their cunning.
 
Our temple has been sacked.
   Only dregs remain
to sanctify the altar
   and kindle the eternal flame.
It would take
   a miracle.
 
By the waters of Babylon
   we lie and weep
when we remember
   that land flowing
with milk and honey
   across the Jordan.
 
We were to row ashore
   and dwell there
beneath vines and fig trees,
   our swords beaten 
into ploughshares.
   Instead, 
 
carried to captivity,
   required from us 
is song.
Praise and laud,
   exalt and extol,
with our cleaving tongues.

Copyright 2020 Judith Sanders

On October 27, 2018, at the Tree of Life – Or L’Simcha Congregation in Pittsburgh, the congregation was attacked during Shabbat morningservices. The shooter killed eleven people and wounded six. It was the deadliest attack ever on the Jewishcommunity in the UnitedStates.