National Guardsmen from Utah asked Jewish protesters to sing a prayer. Image by Twitter

By Helen Chernikoff June 4, 2020

At the request of a National Guardsman from Utah, protestors sang a canonical Jewish plea for peace at protests outside the White House on Tuesday night, according to video from the scene.

“Shalom rav al Yisrael amcha, tasim l’olam,” sing multiple voices out of the frame, as three Guardsmen watch and one in particular grins throughout. “Grant abundant peace over your people Israel, forever,” the prayer beseeches God. It’s part of the Amidah, Judaism’s central prayer, said three times a day, and also often sung separately.

One of the protesters, Joshua Rosen, 27, later wrote this piece for the Forward about his experiences.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

At the 8-second mark, the clip features a singer breaking into an enthusiastic refrain — “Tasim l’olam!” — and then it cuts off just as one of the group starts to suggest another song.

Members of the National Guard, who have identified themselves as coming from Utah, are having short conversations with protestors at the White House. Here is what happened when one particularly friendly Guardsman asked a protest-goer to sing a prayer: pic.twitter.com/kXYTcgS9lX

— Rebecca Tan (@rebtanhs) June 4, 2020

Helen Chernikoff is The Forward’s senior news editor. Contact her at [email protected] or follower her on Twitter @thesimplechild

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism so that we can be prepared for whatever news 2025 brings.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount