Let My People Go ... To The Western Wall

Let My People Go … To The Western Wall

By Rabbi Charlie Savenor

In just a few days we will celebrate Passover, commemorating the Exodus from Egypt and the birth of our people. The process of freedom begins with Moses urging Pharaoh to “Let my people go!” This mantra called for the Jewish people to have the freedom to praise God in our own way.

On March 12^th I had the unique privilege of davening (praying) with over 350 people at “Wake Up for Religious Tolerance” in support of Women of the Wall. Every Rosh Chodesh (the beginning of the Hebrew month) these dedicated, brave women advocate for freedom of Jewish religious expression at the Kotel, assembling in the women’s section to pray, connect and celebrate their Judaism together.

The inspiring service at Town and Village Synagogue included Jews of all ages, from all movements. The mission was similar to our people's original call for religious freedom, “Let my people go!” However, this time the struggle is a private, existential one, located in our spiritual homeland.

To pray to God in our own way.

 

In just a few days, we will gather around the Seder table. The centerpiece of this experience, besides the Seder plate, is questioning, beginning with the well-known refrain, “Mah nishtanah?” How is this night different from all other nights?
 

As we approach Passover this year, four new questions have emerged for the Kotel, the State of Israel and Jewish community worldwide.

1) On all other days, we “break bread”as a sign of coming together, but today, why does the unity of the Jewish people feels like it’s crumbling like matzah?

The Kotel, considered by many to be Judaism’s holiest site, has become off limits to liberal Jews, especially women who want to wear a tallit, read Torah and even recite the Shema out loud. With every passing month, more and more women, like my friend Rabbi Robyn Fryer Bodzin, have been arrested for this act of prayer.

It feels heretical to state but sometimes, the Kotel feels like a sacred wall between the liberal Jews and the State of Israel.
 

2) During Passover we remember the leadership, courage and song of Miriam, sister of Moses. Tonight, why can’t we hear the voice of the myriad modern day Miriams at the Kotel?
 

After the Six Day War, we cried tears of joy when we heard the words: "The Kotel is in our hands!" With religious pluralism in Israel in question, is this still true?

Who is included in the word “Our?”
 

The tragic truth is that just a few decades later, the Kotel, an eternal symbol of Israel and Jewish life, has been rezoned as an orthodox synagogue. This new incarnation of the Kotel excludes the millions of liberal Jews who visit the Western Wall and want to daven in their own, authentic way.

Judaism is a heritage that honors its matriarchs. Miriam led the women in song at the Red Sea. Hannah created the paradigm for prayer. Esther inspired a community to action through fasting and introspection.

Today female voices have been silenced at the Western Wall. As a result, the Kotel has become a no-man's land - or a no woman zone to be more accurate - for most of Am Yisrael.

3) Visiting the Kotel can be a moment of tremendous joy, so why for many has this experience become a bitter one?

 

What’s happening in Israel is not just about the Kotel and the Women of the Wall. It is a symptom of a larger phenomenon of limited religious tolerance in Israel in general.

Twenty years I led a USY group on a tour of Poland and Israel. After a week of visiting death camps, we landed in Israel and our first stop was the Western Wall. As we started to pray in the back of the plaza, a handful of haredi (ultra orthodox) men gathered around us, calling us names like “goyim” and“Nazis”. They loudly demanded that we disband. One even spat in our direction.

As our staff made a circle around our group, thankfully, at this very instant, a handful of Kotel security guards approached our group. I was certain that the guards would tell the haredim to leave us alone.
 

Instead, with a tired shrug, they directed us to disband. Their frustrated expression exposed that they have done this before.

We came not to provoke, but rather to invoke God’s presence at a sacred site. What had been tears of joy after Poland were now sobs of sorrow and confusion in Israel.
 

4) On all other days we can sit or recline, so why must we stand up today?

For years the Israeli government has either been silent or given lip-service about the growing fundamentalist threat within its own borders and the need for religious pluralism. It was the same message I received from the shrugging Kotel guard nearly 20 years ago: it is just easier to go along, so no one gets hurt.

However, by remaining silent for too long, our homeland has sacrificed its inner peace. Even worse, the silence has been mistaken for permission to curse at, spit upon, arrest and detain those who do not conform to certain religious standards.

We can be silent no longer. We must stand up for religious equality in Israel.

For years we have stood with Israel. Now we need Israel to stand with us.

By some cruel twist of fate, non-haredi Jews have largely become spiritual refugees in their own land. What gives me hope is that Natan Sharansky, the most famous Soviet refusenik, now head of the Jewish Agency  understands what is at stake when Jews are barred from their homeland and its holy sites.

Passover is a time of hope in new beginnings. In the spirit of this great epic tale – the story of the birth of the Jewish People -- let us raise our voices as one and proclaim, “Let my people go!” … to the Kotel.

 

Rabbi Charlie Savenor is the International Director of Kehilla (Congregational) Enrichment for United Synagogue. He is currently writing a book on parenting. He can be reached at savenor@uscj.org. 

Lessons from LIMMUD NY

Recently my family and I attended LIMMUD NY, a four day Jewish learning experience. Over 850 people participated in what was essentially the educational equivalent of a delicious buffet with something for everyone.

A big part of the excitement at LIMMUD comes from the fact that multiple sessions run concurrently, so people need to choose what they will attend. It is not uncommon to hear participants bemoan the fact that there are so many excellent choices they don't know what to do. "Do I go hear Danny Gordis or Ruth Messenger? Vanessa Hidary or Eli Valley?" 

The creative tension from these conversations was inspiring. In an age of soundbites, it was refreshing to decide how to spend a quality 60 to 75 minutes of Torah Lishmah (study for its own sake). Going to what you want also infuses the conference with an open quality. LIMMUD calls this "learning without limits". 

LIMMUD, which means learning, was the brainchild of Clive Lawton of the UK. This powerful experience has several pillars that contribute to its success. The first one is an open environment that welcomes meaningful engagement. No labels, no boundaries, just learning. While most people come to learn, many were there as volunteers. In fact, every speaker volunteers, for no speaker is paid. This conference constitutes an egalitarian effort that is actualized by all those who attend. 

The only leadership label is that of "connectors", volunteers who have been asked to start conversations, introduce people and to keep the discussions going in the hallways, over meals and in the elevators. By the way, elevators are the best places to make new friends.

Another pillar is empowerment. As mentioned above, participants are responsible to make their own schedules. So much so that no announcements were made during the 4 days. Schedules were readily handed out and available via a schedule app. This empowering atmosphere is similar to making your own playlist on your iPod. Just like finding the right song on your playlist, at LIMMUD it is commonplace for participants to float from session to session until they find what speaks to them during that time slot. 
 
I was deeply impressed that people came because they just wanted to be there. The spirit of openness, sincere curiosity and amazing choices were simply amazing. And it helped that my kids loved Camp LIMMUD, which was run by incredible staff who were trained by Ramah Nyack!

One eye-opening experience for me was the large number of Conservative Jews in attendance. United Synagogue conventions have become smaller over the past decade than in previous years. Similar to trends regarding the UJC GA, some have claimed that these declining numbers can be attributed to changes in leadership, membership, priorities, volunteerism, the movement in particular and American Judaism in general.

Interesting enough, at least half of the LIMMUD NY participants come from the Conservative Movement, including their executive director, David Wolkin, who studied at JTS. In fact, the largest synagogue group came from Tifereth Israel, the Conservative congregation in Glen Cove, NY, with 17 people. The number of people who officially registered as Conservative is 28%, and from observing who went to what service on Shabbat and multiple conversations about affiliation, I believe this number to be over 50%.  That hundreds of Conservative Jews came simply to learn is a a sign of vitality. 

What does this mean? It means that people will attend a conference when they believe that it will be personally meaningful. LIMMUD NY was not inexpensive, yet people came. People will travel, volunteer, study, be open to new ideas if the experience speaks to them, inspires them, and is essentially about them. If a conference will enhance their lives, nurture their souls, expand their minds, they will come.

As you may know, I work for United Synagogue and I am working on the program component of our next conference on October 11-15 in Baltimore. We are planning an unforgettable gathering  to mark the 100th birthday of United Synagogue and the impact of Conservative Judaism.  This "Centennial Celebration" is already coming together.  We are delighted that Rabbi Harold Kushner, Vanessa Hidary, Rabbi Brad Artson, Clive Lawton (mentioned above)  and other dynamic North American thought leaders from both within and outside Conservative Judaism will be with us.

Deeply inspired by the LIMMUD model, we are creating an experience that will attract participants because the topics and takeaways are directly related to today's challenges and opportunities.  Moreover, the tagline of this conference, "The Conversation of the Century", bespeaks our commitment to convene open, relevant discussions and workshops instead of speeches by "talking heads". 

Recognizing the need for different and new voices, the Centennial will feature presenters, facilitators and speakers from all world reflecting a mix of generations and genders. 

The only part of LIMMUD that was not exceptional was the services. Rabbi David Ingber's service on Friday night was the one prayer highlight. It seems that the program is called LIMMUD (study) and not "Tefilla" (prayer) for a reason.

At the Centennial Shabbaton we will feature multiple services on Friday night and Shabbat morning. Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann will lead a spiritual service with her Mishkan Chicago davening team, Hazzan David Propis will lead a cantorial service, Dale Shatz - the backbone of "Friday Night Live" - will conduct a musical service, and Yehuda Solomon of Moshav Band will lead a Carlebach service. The Centennial will be for services what LIMMUD is for study. I already can't decide which service to attend!  

With these prayer options and dynamic learning opportunities, we are confident that we are creating a powerful experience that will attract not only those who consider themselves Conservative Jews, but also anyone who is interested in and committed to a vibrant future for North American Jewry and worldwide.

The lesson from LIMMUD is: Empower people with fantastic choices that are relevant in their lives and they will come ... and come back again.