As we gather together to mark this moment, may this new chapter be marked by compassion and kindness, openness and respect, scholarship and joy.

Baruch she’natan Torah l’amo Yisrael.
Blessed is the One who gave Torah to a people who are willing to wrestle with it.
We stand, like those at Sinai in a moment of covenant – of promise to God and to each other about what we will build.
This is a moment of opportunity, and anticipation of what is possible. We do not stand alone, but together in the creation of religious life. May we seize this moment together.

Modim anachnu lach.
We give thanks to You, joining together in gratitude for all that has brought us to this moment.
We give thanks for the generations who came before us: the builders, the dreamers, the quiet stewards of tradition and change. Those who, in their time, took brave steps in search of Progressive Jewish life.
We honour their legacy by continuing their work— by building a home for Torah that is inclusive and evolving, rooted in learning and bound by sacred responsibility.

Sh’ma koleinu, Adonai Eloheinu.
May each of us raise our voice Adonai, our God that You may hear it.
May Progressive Judaism be a house of study and a house of welcome, a Movement that values both tradition and transformation, where ancient words meet contemporary voices, and where difference is not feared but celebrated.
May our voices be heard by God and in the world.

Va’ani tfilati l’cha.
May we be as prayers to You in our sacred work.
May we be students of Torah and seekers of justice, guardians of ritual and creators of new meaning.
May we hear the Bat Kol, the divine echo, not only in books, but in each other.
May the words we write now be worthy of those who came before us, and inspiring to those who will follow.
As we step forward into this new sacred time, we say together the ancient blessing that binds past to present in marking new moments:

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha’olam, shehecheyanu v’kiy’manu v’higi’anu lazman hazeh.
Blessed are You, Eternal One, who has given us life, sustained us, and brought us to this moment of becoming.

Amen

• Prayer written by Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy
  Sunday 18 May 2025