The American Conservative movement’s rabbinic body, the Rabbinical Assembly, issued a special prayer on Monday for the safe return of the three Israeli teenagers who were abducted in the West Bank last week.
The organization condemned what it called a “despicable” attack and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
“We join with our Israeli brothers and sisters, our Jewish brethren around the world, and concerned governments and NGOs in condemning the kidnapping of three innocent students,” said Executive Vice President Julie Schonfeld. “In light of Israeli and American assessments that the kidnapping was carried out by terrorists, possibly Hamas, we also call for the full measure of justice to be brought upon the perpetrators of this cowardly attack once they are conclusively identified.”
“It is despicable that the enemies of Israel choose to attack her by striking at children and students of Torah, which represent two of our most precious values,” said Rabbinical Assembly President William Gershon.
The assembly also released a prayer, written by Tamar Elad Appelbaum, appealing for the safe return of Naftali Frankel, 16, Eyal Yifrach, 19, and Gil-ad Shaar, 16, who were abducted last Thursday night at a hitchhiking post south of Jerusalem.
The following is the text of the prayer:
“God of Israel,
Beneficent sovereign of all Creation,
enable us now to have true faith
and to pray and to call out to You
with plea after plea,
so that our cry might rise
to the very Gates of Mercy,
to Mercy itself.
And all reality shall be turned around
so that relief, rescue, and life
may be the lot of those young men,
Ya’akov Naftali ben Rahel (Frankel),
Gil-ad Micha’el ben Bat-Galim (Shaar)
and Eyal ben Iris Teshura (Yifrach).
Act on their behalf, Lord,
take up their cause without delay,
and may You grant them life and blessing forevermore.
So may it be Your will, and let us say: Amen.”
On Monday, the Jewish Federations of North America sent a letter of solidarity to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In the letter the umbrella group of American Jewish communal federations referred to “the complete solidarity of the Jewish community of North America with you, with the families of the abducted students and indeed with the entire people of Israel.”
“The entirety of the North American Jewish community stand shoulder to shoulder with the government and people of Israel,” the letter continued. “The three kidnapped teens are our sons too, and we join with Jewish parents around the world to offer our prayers, thoughts and solidarity with you as you stand up to terror and mount every possible effort to bring the boys home.”