A Prayer for Burying “Bring Them Home Now” Dog Tags*
Rabbi Menachem Creditor
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Mekor HaChayim, Source of all Life,
We stand today with trembling hearts,
bearing these small pieces of metal —
once cold, now warmed by years of tears
and hope and holy sweat.
For two years, these dog tags rested upon our hearts,
carrying our brothers and sisters,
our children and elders,
whose faces we carried into every prayer,
every dream, every moment of waiting.
We wore them as shields of faith,
as promises never to forget.
Each clink and gleam was a heartbeat of Am Yisrael,
a whispered “Bring them home. Now.”
Now, as we return these amulets to the earth,
we do not discard them.
We lay them gently, as we would lay a loved one,
trusting that memory is eternal,
that love does not rust,
that sanctity can dwell in metal, in tears, in time.
Holy One, let this burial be a bridge —
from pain to promise,
from captivity to compassion,
from symbol to action.
May the ground receive these sacred tokens
as we continue to carry their spirit in our souls.
May every name engraved here
shine in the heavens as a light that can never be extinguished.
And may the world never again need such amulets,
for all Your children to be free,
safe in their homes,
whole in their hearts,
together in peace.
Amen.
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*Other rituals will surely arise — songs, prayers, art, and silence — each guided by the wisdom and imagination of artists, rabbis, and ritual leaders who help us make meaning in the wake of sorrow and hope. Let us honor both the moment and the movement — the courage to create holiness even as we live toward wholeness.
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