Desert island texts: Prayer Book for Jewish Members of HM Forces
If you were cast away on an island with just one Jewish text for company, which would you choose?
This week Neil Janes, of the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, selects: Prayer Book for Jewish Members of HM Forces
A YOUNG man in 1940, a private in the Pioneer Corps, is issued with a Prayer Book for Jewish Members of HM Forces. The book survived the war and was given to me by my grandmother. The young man in question was my grandfather of blessed memory, and the prayer book is a treasured volume. My grandfather had relatively recently arrived from Nazi Germany.
He was an enemy alien, by virtue of his birthplace, and therefore, initially part of the Pioneer Corps. I never talked with him in great detail about his wartime experiences, though I have read some of his memoirs. The prayer book itself is short, a reflection of the exigencies of war;. The midrashic teaching, that there is a time to lengthen and shorten one’s prayers, was surely created for times like these. On my desert island, I imagine energy will be better spent saving my life in deeds rather than praying for salvation.
The composition of the prayers is deeply moving; I would find it difficult to write prayers in times of such deep crisis. Drawing on traditional motifs from the liturgy, this prayer book speaks to the inner spirit of human kind. More than the prayers, in being cast away with this book, I will be reminded of the troubles that have befallen my people and humanity. My family witnessed devastation yet, with great nobility, people began to rebuild.
They did not despair. Can you imagine concluding prayers for those fallen in battle ‘nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more’, only to go back to battle? These young soldiers did and then went on to work for peace. I’d hope the prayer book might remind me of my own capacity for strength and resourcefulness to tend to the future once again, as my grandfather did before me.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
