On Saturday night, Ashkenazi Jews began reciting the pre-Rosh Hashanah penitential prayers known as slihot. Joshua Berman takes a close look at the raw, striking, and disturbing imagery used in one of these prayers:

Medieval Ashkenazi communities lived under the constant threat of sexual violence against Jewish women, a terror so pervasive that in the 11th century, the Italian poet Solomon ben Judah ha-Bavli penned a liturgical piece portraying Israel as a bride who had been raped. The tradition is rich with stories of women who chose martyrdom over defilement, but ha-Bavli’s composition is unique in its exploration of the inner life of a sexual-trauma victim.

For this bride, virginity is tied to a sense of bodily autonomy and personal identity. Her rape shatters this autonomy, leaving her with a profound sense of violation and loss. The future she had envisioned with her groom was taken from them, dashing her dreams and plans, leading to a sense of despair or hopelessness.

This is the only slihot prayer in which Israel is cast as a victim of sexual assault, and, significantly, it is also the only one where Israel’s sins are never mentioned. These two facts are deeply connected. Ha-Bavli’s piyyut, [liturgical poem], is not simply a cry for mercy, it is a protest. It is a demand for justice, rooted in the understanding that, in rape, the victim is never to blame. Israel stands before God not as a sinner seeking forgiveness but as a victim crying out for justice.

Considering the current state of Israel-Arab relations, Ghaith al-Omari writes

First and foremost, no ceasefire will be possible without the release of Israeli hostages and commitments to disarm Hamas and remove it from power. The final say on these matters rests with Hamas commanders on the ground in Gaza, who have been largely impervious to foreign pressure so far. At minimum, however, the United States should insist that Qatari and Egyptian mediators push Hamas’s external leadership to accept these conditions publicly, which could increase pressure on the group’s Gaza leadership.

Washington should also demand a clear, public position from key Arab states regarding disarmament. The Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas endorsed this position in a June letter to Saudi Arabia and France, giving Arab states Palestinian cover for endorsing it themselves.

Some Arab states have already indicated a willingness to play a significant role, but they will have little incentive to commit resources and personnel to Gaza unless Israel (1) provides guarantees that it will not occupy the Strip indefinitely, and (2) removes its veto on a PA role in Gaza’s future, even if only symbolic at first. Arab officials are also seeking assurances that any role they play in Gaza will be in the context of a wider effort to reach a two-state solution.

On the other hand, Washington must remain mindful that current conditions between Israel and the Palestinians are not remotely conducive to . . . implementing a two-state solution.