“Az Nashir - We Will Sing Again: Women’s Prayers for Our Time of Need,” is an anthology of prayers written by Jewish women in Israel addressing the unique experiences and urgent issues correlated to living in Israel today in a post-October 7th world. 

Written by female Torah scholars, teachers, spiritual leaders, activists, poets, writers, and masters of artistic expression, these prayers have given voice to the myriad of complex emotions, ideas, needs, and hopes that have arisen in our time. 

This siddur-companion follows in the footsteps of our ancestors, emulating a long tradition of Jewish women writing their own tefillot, techinot, and piyutim, an organic outpouring of our hearts, in our own mother tongues. 

Every prayer is presented in both Hebrew and English, side by side, to allow as many Jewish women as possible to access  the depths of these texts in their own language of calling out to the Divine. 

From prayers that engage directly with the new challenges that have arisen since the war began, to prayers that explore the interconnectedness between national tragedy and mundane, intimate moments, this book’s entries touch upon the fullness of our lived experience.

For example, the book includes prayers for:

• Release of the hostages

• Sending a child off to war

• Gratitude for a spouse coming home safely from war

• Surviving a rocket attack, parenting in crisis

• Loss of a loved one

• Wrestling with infertility, illness, pregnancy, dating, motherhood, and more, with national tragedies acknowledged alongside personal struggles

• Women’s mitzvot, such as candle-lighting, baking challah, and mikveh, at this challenging time.

• The challenges and blessings of Shabbat during wartime

• Mental and physical well-being under prolonged grief and pressure

• Grappling with a myriad of emotions such as anger, grief, hope, impatience, and more

• Personal growth in a time of suffering and in a time of miracles

• Expressions of emunah and bitachon

• Reaffirmation of Jewish identity in the face of antisemitism

And many more…

Az Nashir features incredible art inspired by the war, prayer, and life in Israel created by Israeli artists who offer more inspiration and beauty to this book.

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This anthology has been compiled and edited by Shira Lankin Sheps, Anne Gordon, and Rachel Sharansky Danziger, and it is published by The Layers Press, an imprint of The SHVILLI Center. 

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