In advance of Pope Francis's Peace summit taking place this week, our colleague Burt Visotzky, Appleman Professor of Midrash and Interreligious Studies at JTS and director of JTS's Milstein Center for Interreligious Dialogue has composed the following prayer:
Adonai open our mouths to sing Your praises.
On this weekend when His Holiness Pope Francis prays for peace with Presidents Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas,
When the Jewish community has just celebrated receiving Your Torah; the Catholic community celebrates the Feast of Pentacost; and the Muslim community counts down the days to Ramadan;
We "pray for the peace of Jerusalem."
We join our voices in prayer with other People of the Book to pray together as one:
for peace between Israel and Palestine;
for peace among all humanity;
and for fulfillment of the words of your prophet:
"Nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war anymore."
Lift high the Menorah and shine Your light upon all who pray for peace.
Amen