Between Darkness and Light: Resource in Ukranian
Voices Together 808 Between Darkness and Light has already become a favorite in some communities. It is an anthem of love in the face of hardship, articulating the ways we walk a path between darkness and light. Composer Daphna Rosenberg describes the creation of this song:
“In May 2006, I was on my way to an Israeli-Palestinian gathering in Nazareth to commemorate the Israeli Day of Independence and the Palestinian Nakba. That morning I received a phone call from my friend Maureen Amelia Brodie who told me about a session of [an interfaith prayer meeting] "The Journey" that she had with a Bedouin woman from Bir El Maksur in the Galilee named Manal Hreb. In that session Manal received very powerful words in Hebrew and Maureen asked me to write music for them. I was at my parent's home in Haifa, I picked up my guitar and within minutes the melody ‘came down.’ When I met Maureen in Nazareth, she heard the song, created a dance for it, Manal translated it to Arabic, I translated it into English and that same evening we were a big group of Israelis and Palestinians dancing and singing to the words and music of this song in 3 languages in the beautiful St. Gabriel church of Nazareth.
Since that day I have been and am still singing the song in concerts, in Israeli-Palestinian gatherings, at Holocaust Day Memorial ceremonies, on Hanukah (the Festival of Lights), in hospitals and also just to be reminded of the great power that love has in the midst of great darkness!”
In 2021, Jane Grunau of Langley Mennonite Fellowship shared a story about singing this song in Ukrainian with the help of a member of their community:
“We are using VT 808 - Between Darkness and Light throughout Lent. Last week we listened to Oksana Druchynin sing a verse in Ukrainian in the context of all the written languages. It was extremely powerful. Oksana is the Manager of the Mennonite Centre in Ukraine, who fled to Canada with her children a few weeks ago.”
She continues:
“It would be very powerful for us all to know that, at the moment we are singing this text of hope and collective responsibility, many others in churches throughout the land, were also singing the same song. But, by singing this text in Ukrainian, (and now Russian), I also do not wish to remove the original intent of this song, which was written with the pain of the Middle East at its core ... Rather, I hope we can use it as an inclusion of yet another people in need of our prayers.”
Manal and Daphna have given permission for this song to be shared with the Ukrainian addition for congregational use. Manal said, “I would be happy if this song spreads on the world and [touches] people's hearts.” Marilyn Houser Hamm, who corresponded with the writers added, “I feel this work is a tremendous call to prayer and to our prayers for peace at a time when words are not enough.”
Houser Hamm and Grunau encourage communities to use the song on May 14, in solidarity with the May 15 annual peace gathering in Israel/Palestine.
Let us also sing this song as a prayer for those experiencing violence around the world - in Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, and beyond.
Oksana and Jane created this phonetic text for the Ukrainian translation, which is included available as a PDF here. Clare Schellenberg, from Winnipeg, MB, is also featured in a YouTube video singing the song in 5 languages: Arabic, Hebrew, English, Ukranian, and Russian. The video is available on the Anabaptist Worship Network YouTube channel.
We hope this resource may be one way for your community to pray for peace around the world, in Ukraine, Israel, Palestine, and the many other places that war has divided.