Annoucing the Publication of "As We Speak These Words: Poems, Prayers and Art for a Liberated World"

About two or so years ago, I told my dear friend and colleague Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb that I was interested in collecting many of the prayers and poems I had written over the years in one singular volume. Lynn is - in addition to being an accomplished story teller, activist and educator - a very gifted artist and many of her books feature her gorgeous artwork and illustrations. And so I asked her: would she possibly be interested in working with me on this new project?

Thus began a wonderful collaboration that has now resulted in the publication of our new book, As We Speak These Words: Poems, Prayers and Art for a Liberated World, a collection of over 30 new prayers and poems in a volume we describe as “subversive new Jewish prayer book, contemporary illuminated manuscript and spiritual call to action.”

Our book is at heart a conscious expression of the radical, liberative dimension of Jewish prayer: a tradition that consistently and regularly calls for the spiritual/political overturning of the status quo. This liberative legacy is, we fervently believe, particularly critical in the current moment. As I write in my Introduction, “what do we make of the Jewish prayer tradition in the age of Zionism, when our sacred tradition has become so thoroughly enmeshed with militarism and state violence?” In her Introduction, Rabbi Lynn answers my question: “For the sake of accountability to those bearing the brunt of harm, we must be thorough in removing genocidal narratives embedded in within our liturgical scripts as part of our solidarity and resistance to Zionism. We need new prayers that reflect the values and vision of a global beloved community that seeks to transcend any and all calls for revenge, triumphalism and othering.”

The prayers and poems in As We Speak These Words are presented in five sections: “Shabbat,” “Holidays,” “Blessings,” “Prayers for Justice” and “Prayers for Gaza.” Each chapter contains prayers I’ve written for use in Tzedek Chicago and for the rapidly emergent Jewish community that is creating and living out a Judaism beyond Zionism. These prayers were not written as a didactic exercise: they are first and foremost, meant to be prayed. Since prayer in Judaism is almost exclusively an active, regular and collective experience, it is my genuine hope that these volumes will be opened again and again, becoming dog-eared with repeated usage.

Some of the pieces in this volume have been used as substitutes for traditional prayers; others have been used as supplemental readings. I’ve also written poetic new renderings of Biblical Psalms, Jewish life cycle blessings and prayers/invocations for public protests and gatherings. While it’s not exhaustive, we hope our book will point the way toward new possibilities for Jewish prayer; nascent pathways that are nonetheless rooted in sacred Jewish past. We envision this volume as a new kind of Jewish prayer book, inspired by the radical movements throughout history that have prayed in service of justice and liberation.

Throughout the course of creating this volume, Rabbi Lynn and I agreed that her artwork should be in active conversation with my words of prayer. The tradition of illuminated prayer manuscripts is indeed an ancient one; in our book Lynn has updated his tradition to include synagogue folk arts, scribal arts, protest art – in particular Palestinian art of resistance – to provide a visual expression for the words on the page. For the image that introduces the Shabbat section, for instance, Rahbi Lynn created a piece that responded to the references in my prayers that drew on the notion that Shabbat represents “a taste of the world to come.” Lynn explains that her painting is “a visual midrash of the future that incorporates the oud, red poppies, the proverbial lamb and the water of life.” A table superimposed on the moon “features a multifaith community of ancestors blessing our hope for a future we want to see.”

I choose to close our book with a selection of my Jewish prayers for Gaza out of my firmly-held belief that Israel’s ongoing genocide is the central moral challenge of our time – and that our Jewish rituals and traditions simply must meet this challenge head-on. I actually started writing these prayers shortly after Israel’s military onslaught began in October 2023. I originally composed them with little thought as to how they might be used in a practical sense – or if would ever even use them at all. I quickly came to realize however, that prayer was a medium that allowed me to express my moral conscience more directly and effectively than any didactic op-ed or blog post (of which, admittedly, I wrote plenty).

In the end, the prayers in this section represent a tentative attempt to articulate a Jewish spiritual/moral response to a genocide that Israel continues to perpetrate in the name of Jews and Judaism even as I write these words. It's my fervent hope that this section of prayers will soon become obsolete, serving only as a historical record of a monstrous crime against humanity – and the powerful Jewish solidarity that presaged the liberation of Palestine.

This Judaism of solidarity is the essential context for our new prayer book, which is ultimately a product of the rapidly growing movement to create a Judaism beyond Zionism. It's been such an honor to hear over the years from members of this movement who’ve reported to me that their communities have been using these prayers in their services and Jewish rituals – and it means a great deal to me to be able to present so many of them now together in one volume.

We’re also thrilled that our new book is being distributed by Pushcart Judaica which, like Tzedek Chicago and Rabbi Lynn’s Shomeret Shalom, are part of the founding minyan of the newly launched Jewish Diaspora Movement (JDM), a constellation of communities, Jewish organizations, grassroots groups and initiatives actively building a liberative, diasporic Judaism. As Rabbi Alissa Wise, the founder of Rabbis for Ceasefire and co-founder of JDM wrote in her endorsement of our book, “As We Speak These Words reminds us that our yearning for liberation is inherent to our tradition…This collection of images and words calls us to recognize our responsibility to remain in relationship with the wisdom and ways of our ancestors, while carrying that inheritance forward toward a redeemed world in our own time.”  

Our first printing of 500 books is available here. If you live in the Chicago area, please join us at our book launch on Sunday, November 22, 11:00 AM, co-sponsored with Jewish Museum Chicago, for a very special program that will incorporate performance, art exhibition and vendors, book signing, and an art/poetry workshop. We're also organizing a Zoom session as well as an in-person program in the CA Bay Area - both for December – please stay tuned for more information soon. And please consider bringing us to your community!

Heartfelt thanks to my dear friend and comrade, Rabbi Lynn, to artist and designer Sol Weiss, who lovingly formatted the copy and to Ollie Emmes Schwartz of Pushcart Judica, who is ensuring our book ends up in the hands of those who desire to pray its prayers. Chazak, chazak, ve'nitchazek - may we all continue to find strength in our sacred, creative collaborations.