My Davenning Experiences in Jerusalem

I realize that I have been remiss in not discussing my davenning (prayer) experiences this summer in much depth on this blog.

I walked to the Kotel HaMaaravi (the Western Wall, before the Six-Day War in 1967 often referred to as the Wailing Wall) on one of my first days in Israel. And I tried to pray there. I only partially succeeded - I prayed a few psalms from one of the well-worn siddurim (prayerbooks) there, and generally tried to get into the experience of praying at what so many consider to be the holiest site for Judaism, since it is the last remaining wall of the Temple. (Well, it was until further excavation and archaeology revealed the entire length of the wall to where it meets the southern wall at the area now called Robinson's Arch, and in the other direction, underground, the entire length until it meets the corner with the unexcavated northern wall.) The history and the billions of tears shed on the site, and the notes crammed into the crevices containing the most personal of prayers - all of it should by rights lead me to an emotional prayer experience, but it doesn't. I acknowledge the Kotel's simple grandeur but the large metallic separation between the men's and the women's side, the separate entrances for men and women, and the enforcement of haredi-only interpretation of Jewish law (the Women of the Wall meet there and are regularly arrested for the crimes of wearing tallitot (prayer shawls) or carrying Torah scrolls) all make the Kotel not very prayer-conducive for me. Having said that, I also attended Tisha B'Av services at the Robinson's Arch section and found that meaningful (see a previous post for more on that).

Do I really need to say that there is no city in the world that compares with Jerusalem for a variety and sheer number of prayer services? Every neighborhood seems to have its spectrum of services and study places, from tiny little shteibelach (small synagogues) to grand, impressive, formal congregations (I avoided the latter). I davenned at Moreshet Yisrael on my first Shabbat in Jerusalem (http://www.moreshetyisrael.com), a Masorti (Conservative) congregation that meets at the Fuchsberg Center, in the same complex where I studied in the Conservative Yeshiva; it reminded me of a lot of Conservative congregations that I have prayed at in the United States. That is not to say that it wasn't a lovely congregation, meaningful services, or not satisfying in its own way, it is just that I wanted to experience in Jerusalem prayer services that are, for me at least, a bit out of the box. However, I do recommend the services there. High quality prayer leadership, good singing, egalitarian participation - all elements I find important.

The Reconstructionist students in Israel also conducted two Shabbat morning services while I was here this summer. They were held in a room at the Hebrew Union College building (I helped to organize the July service, with a lot of help from Rabbi Anita Steiner - thanks, Anita!) and were welcome doses of Reconstructionist prayer, Torah reading, discussion, and camaraderie over lunch. Reconstructionism is a very tiny piece of the religious life of Israel, although I believe that the spirit of Reconstructionism underlies much of the renewal work that is going on here.

On one Shabbat, I davenned at Shira Hadasha (http://www.shirahadasha.org.il/english/), held in the Jewish Cultural Center on Emek Refaim, before going to my teacher Esther Israel's home for Shabbat lunch. The entire day was a beautiful experience. There is a modified egalitarianism in play at this Orthodox congregation - while there is a mechitza (division between the men's and the women's sections), women were among the Torah readers and teachers, and the curtains of the mechitza, which cleverly bisect the reader's table, were drawn for the d'var Torah (message from the weekly Torah reading), a message from a member, and announcements. I found all parts of the service to be meaningful, although I didn't catch much of the d'var, and I particularly liked the experimentation with egalitarianism. There is experimentation going on in parts of the Orthodox world, which I take to be a very good sign. Lunch with Esther and Amos and family was delicious, as was the discussion, and it was sweet meeting her lovely family. She is one of my favorite teachers from the summer, excited about Tanach and inspiring. (Having said that, I had many excellent teachers this summer at the Conservative Yeshiva - I wouldn't want to slight any of them!)

Kehillat Kol Haneshama (http://www.kolhaneshama.org.il/Eng/kolhaneshama) on Rehov Asher at the end of Emek Refaim was one of the congregations that came highly recommended by other RRC students. The singing there is beautiful, and the kabbalat Shabbat (welcoming the Sabbath, Friday night) services in particular are quite spiritual. The senior rabbi, who began the congregation, Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman, is a welcoming, charismatic, yet warm presence, with an excellent voice for davenning, and his teaching as well as his prayer leading is excellent. I really appreciated being able to understand his divrei Torah delivered in Hebrew - it is not so much because my Hebrew has so much improved from my stay in Israel, sadly, but more because of his American accent and more accessible rate of speech. I by no means caught every word, but I was able to understand at least 75% of what he said, which for me was really a revelation. The associate rabbi, Ezra Ende, who led most of the service on the sabbaths when Rabbi Weiman-Kelman was not there, is also an excellent, spiritual presence, also an inspiring shaliach tzibbur ("representative of the congregation"; that is, prayer leader) and teacher - see my previous post for more about Rabbi Ende.

I also davenned at kabbalat Shabbat services in Talpiot when I visited with the Jakars (Philip, with his fine tenor, beautifully leads a large part of the service at Mishkenot Arnona, the little Orthodox congregation that meets in the next building over) and at Kehillat Yedidya (http://yedidya.org.il/new_site/index_eng.php ) when I visited with my friend Haim Watzman and his beautiful family. Yedidya in particular is a very interesting congregation - modern Orthodox, with a mechitza, but also a more progressive feel. It was founded by immigrants from English-speaking countries, and some Europeans, and some Israelis (I lifted that from the website) and has a particular interest in social justice and promoting democracy in Israeli society - that was clear not only from the website but from the congregation itself. The feeling was warm and the singing was beautiful. Were I ever to daven regularly in a modern Orthodox congregation (which I really don't see happening!), I would want it to be like Kehillat Yedidya. I also visited a local Conservative congregation, Mayanot, that meets in the Alliance Israelite building on Rehov Betar. Nice, small, homey congregation - the davenning was good and the people were friendly after the service at the kiddush.

When Phyllis came to Israel to visit me (and Israel, of course!) for two weeks, we spent the first few nights in Tel Aviv, so I had the opportunity to attend the Beit Tfilla Yisraeli (http://www.btfila.org/?site_lan=en) service, held on the boardwalk at the namal, the old Tel Aviv port. It meets every Friday night during the summer, with hundreds of people in pink plastic lawn chairs facing the Mediterranean as the sun sets into the sea. Between the setting, their own prayerbook (which contains pertinent "secular" music as well as the prayers), the inspiring, musical, beautiful services led by Esteban Gottfried,  a wonderful singer, a six-piece band, and some warm sharing by the assembled congregation of what they were thankful for during the past week, this was a beautiful, prayerful, and aesthetically pleasing experience. I have an interview with Esteban Gottfried coming up - stay tuned!

However, the experience of prayer that I found the most enlightening, and probably the most beautiful, was that of the monthly Nava Tehila (http://www.navatehila.org/35897/About-Nava-Tehila1) kabbalat Shabbat services. In some ways, the service resembles the one at the Tel Aviv port, but Nava Tehila predates that one by quite a bit. Rabbi Ruth Gan Kagan has led it since its inception, and between her spiritual direction, warm and welcoming presence, and her gentle guidance, and the ethereal singing and musical contribution of her Levites (as she calls them in a completely serious way) is almost indescribable. Services, which are to be found in the Kol Haneshamah building, are held one kabbalat Shabbat per month - each service is a little different from the next, each with its own theme and focus, and while the most traditional Jews might be uncomfortable with the non-shomer Shabbat aspects of the service (that is, Nava Tehila does not observe the ban on the playing of musical instruments - Orthodox people might also reject it due to the egalitarian participation, female rabbi, mixed seating, etc.), the service is the perfect opportunity for prayer, communal singing, meditation, and deep prayer. A future post will feature an interview with Rabbi Gan Kagan.

When I leave Israel on Sunday, surely one of the things that I will miss most is the many opportunities for davenning, and I hope that I can bring forward to my rabbinate some of the spiritual energy that I observed and experienced here this summer.