Women of the Wall

by Karen Leeds, Am Shalom friend and trip participant

The sights and sounds of Israel are amazing and inspiring, and others on the trip have been blogging about what we have seen and done.  I wanted to share with you one of the more meaningful and spiritual experiences I have had. 

On Tuesday, December 23rd, Rosh Hodesh (new month) Tevet, Rabbi Phyllis, Rabbi Steve, and I woke early to go to the Kotel (Western Wall) and pray* with the Women of the Wall.  

Why is this significant?  The men and women who visit and pray at the Kotel pray in different sections.  The men are allowed to pray together, read Torah, have b’nai mitzvot, etc.  The women are not allowed to bring a Torah to their section and are not supposed to pray out loud, so twenty-six years ago, the Women of the Wall was founded, and on each Rosh Hodesh (the beginning of a new month), women come together to pray.  They read Torah, either from a Torah smuggled in, or from copies of the Torah portion they need.  

About seventy-five women came together on Tuesday morning to pray.  They brought siddurim (prayer books), tallitot, kipot, chairs, and a stool and microphone for the women who took turns leading us. Rabbi Phyllis and I wore beautiful Women of the Wall tallitot.  (It was actually my first time wearing a tallit, but perhaps that is another blog post a certain rabbi will ask me to write.)  We sang and chanted and swayed and danced.  We joined hands; we put our arms around each other; we came together with one purpose.  People took pictures of us, and the police videotaped us from above. 

Why was it meaningful and spiritual?  There is someone awe inspiring about being at the Kotel itself.  There is something awe inspiring about being in Jerusalem.  There is something awe inspiring about praying with a group of women who have come together in an act that some might call civil disobedience, but which I choose to call social justice.  There is something awe inspiring about helping to make a difference.  

*And why the asterisk?  Rabbi Steve wasn’t allowed to pray with us.  He went to the men’s section of the Kotel, stood on a chair, and followed along via a headset and siddur.  He sang and chanted along with us.  He later told us that he sang loudly whenever other men came close to him. (Can you see his blue hat in this picture below?)