Arrangement & Audio © 2022 Alexander Massey
The events unfolding in Ukraine since February 2022 have been horrifying. I am so sad to see the disregard for the lives and human rights of Ukrainian people, and the destruction of the country and its natural environment. It can be hard, sitting in another country, to find a response that can make a tangible, positive difference. One of the things I wanted to do was keep alive our awareness of what is happening. We must not become dulled or deaf to the cries of the needy in this terrible conflict. I found this beautiful tune on YouTube; I believe it is a folk melody for a Ukrainian lullaby. And it seemed to fit beautifully with the words of Oseh Shalom from Jewish tradition. Putting these words together with the Ukrainian melody has led to its being sung in several Jewish communities, including for a Ukraine Appeal fundraiser with Aleph – the flagship organisation for Jewish Renewal in the USA – and Liberal Judaism UK’s national conference.