On this most solemn of occasions, we open our hearts, our minds, and souls to You, O Holy One:
As we remember the six million, the eleven million, the indifference, and the evil;
As we honor the heroes, the martyrs, the survivors, and the victims:
We ask You to soothe our souls, to amplify our memories, to strengthen our resolve, and to hear our prayers.
We ask for Your presence in our midst; for healing, light, and love to soothe and ease our pain, as we commemorate the horrors that were committed not long ago.
Please, O Holy One, be gentle with our souls.
We ask that You help us forever remember the stories we hear. As tales of the atrocities are shared, as we re-encounter the unthinkable, we ask that these memories be strengthened and never fade, in the hope that those who remember the mistakes of the past will not repeat them. Please, O Holy One, amplify our ability to remember.
Above all, we pray for shalom—for wholeness and peace—to be in our midst, now and forever.—AMEN.
(Rabbi David Katz)