Planting Trees at the Jerusalem Bird Sanctuary

Prior to my trip to the Holy Land a stop at a bird sanctuary next to the Knesset wasn't on the scheduled activity list. But after the shooting of 11 people in Pittsburgh at the Tree of Life Synagogue on October 27, the idea of honoring the victims became a part of the agenda of our pilgrimage organized by Mark Furlan and Dream Vacations.

Planting trees is a symbol and a duty in Israel. And planting trees in memorial of loved ones is integral to both symbol and duty. So we, the visitors from the United States would spend part of an afternoon planting 11 trees, one for each victim at the Sanctuary.

And so we did.

We pulled into the parking lot in our big bus and walked to the entrance.

Not to the Knesset, this time, alas, but to the Bird Sanctuary. We were met by some of the staff and ushered into a little office, gift shop and then a small lecture hall. There we met a Rabbi who gave us a broad history of the  holy significance of tree planting and then our spiritual leader, Fr. Francis Benedict had us pray, after the name of each victim,

Irving Younger, Melvin Wax, Rose Mallinger, Bernice and Sylvan Simon, Jerry Rabinowitz, Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Daniel Stein, Cecil Rosenstein and David Rosenstein. 

"Eternal Rest grant unto them O Lord and Let Perpetual Light Shine upon them. May the rest in peace, Amen. 

The joining in prayer of the Rabbi and the Priest and we Pilgrims was moving. And profound. And then the act of planting a tree for each individual sealed the significance of the connection between those of us living and those that were lost to us.

Then we were off to join the staff in a planting of 11 trees that will stand always, we hope, in memory of those who are no longer on earth. 

As we left a few young men wondered what we had been doing, and one of our number shared the moment with them. 

It was a meaningful unexpected part of an overwhelmingly powerful journey. 

And now I have found the Jewish Mourner's Prayer, El Malei Rachamim, to add to our Catholic Prayer. I have edited it only to make it for all of them, rather than for one person.

God, full of mercy, who dwells in the heights, provide a sure rest upon the wings of the Divine Presence, within the range of the holy, pure and glorious, whose shining resemble the sky’s, to the souls of (the victims of the Tree of Life Shooting) for a charity was given to the memory of (their souls).  Therefore, the Master of Mercy will protect (them) forever, from behind the hiding of his wings, and will tie (their souls) with the rope of life. The Everlasting is (their) heritage, and (they) shall rest peacefully upon (their) lying place(s), and let us say: Amen.

Amen, indeed.