Women of the Wall: The Next Chapter

Kotel. 7:00am. Friday May 10, 2013. Rosh Chodesh Sivan 5773.

The events of the morning were simultaneously amazing, crazy, scary and unbelievable.

The first clue that this Woman of the Wall service would be different from others I attended was the huge numbers of orthodox teenage girls who passed as we descended from the Jaffa gate toward the Kotel. We knew that there were several rabbis who had put a call out to the girls' yeshivot in order to get huge numbers of Haredim to come out to protest the ruling in favor of Women of the Wall, but that knowledge did not prepare us for what we were about to experience.

There were thousands upon thousands of people at the wall and its adjacent plaza. The massive numbers of people meant that the Women of the Wall could not meet at its usual spot on the women's side, rather, we met on the plaza that morning. The added bonus was that men and women were able to pray together. As soon as we found the group, we pulled out our tallitot, now totally legal, and we joined in the service. We were encircled by police.

But, who could pray? We sang and participated, yet, it is hard to concentrate when just steps away are police officers linked arm and arm to prevent people who might hurt you from getting too close. Because we were on the side of the plaza closest to the women's section, we were surrounded mostly by the yeshiva girls. Many of them had their prayerbooks out and were trying to go through the morning service. They were crowding in, giving curious or sometimes strange looks. Some engaged in critical conversation, but it wasn't until we were toward the end of the service that we had some spit balls and then a water bottle thrown our way. On the men's side, the incitement started much earlier, with people throwing coffee grounds and at one point, someone threw a chair.

My dad and me. First time we prayed at the Kotel together.

As the service wore on, the crowd made us more and more nervous. At one point, the police had pushed the teens way back, but then a crowd of men in black hats came rushing forward. Cheers from the crowds that had gathered on the balconies of nearby buildings hinted that the protesters were giving police a hard time. By the end of the service, it was clear to everyone that the only safe way we were leaving was in a pack.

People gathered on balconies and on top of buildings to watch.

Anat Hoffman reminded us to stay as close together as possible. The police made two lines to hold back the protesters and then more officers walked alongside us as we left the old city through the Dung Gate. People shouted at us, people threw water bottles and hard candy. And the scariest part was that they kept coming. Once we were through security, I thought we would be past the danger, but protesters were lined up through the exit and all along the street outside. A public bus pulled up and we boarded. As we drove away, the spitting started, and then people started to hit the side of the bus with their hands. Once we gained speed, they started throwing rocks.

Police insisting protesters stay behind the barricade.

I snapped this picture right after the man in the middle spit at the bus.

As the bus picked up speed, several protesters ran alongside hitting the bus and throwing rocks.

It was amazing to feel the protection of the police. It was amazing to be there with the men and women who support Jewish pluralism in Israel. It was amazing to know that after twenty five years, the State of Israel is beginning to recognize the rights of women and of progressive Jews.

It was crazy to see the number of people gathered to protest the presence of Jews in prayer. And even crazier to know that they themselves were all Jews.

It was scary to be witness to a mob scene. It was scary to see the disgust on people's faces. It is scary to know the power that the leadership of any group has to incite violence and hate.

The whole experience and the whole situation is just unbelievable.

In the past few days, I've heard a lot of talk about what happened and how people feel about it. Some are still very critical about the Women of the Wall and the way they have taken up this fight. Some have said that they should keep to the courts; that their splashy tactics to attract the media cheapen the message. Others complain that it is just an American movement and Israelis don't really care. Others say that they should leave the Wall alone and concentrate on more pressing issues like non-Orthodox weddings and divorces.

Yet, the strategy of Women of the Wall necessarily helped to get the entire Jewish world involved with the issue of women's rights and the rights of progressive Jews in Israel. Being able to pray at the Wall in the way in which you are accustomed to praying may not seem like a big deal to most people, but the inequality is symbolic of other ways in which women's rights are being subverted.

Segregation between men and women in Israel began only in 1999. Now, it happens on streets and on buses. There have been segregated health clinics and water fountains. On certain Israeli radio stations, women's voices are not allowed. When Kenesset sessions are aired, the voices of female ministers are bleeped out. There are communities where women are made to wear clothing akin to the burkas under the Taliban. There are signs in front of synagogues that tell women that they have to hide behind cars if they are waiting for their husbands so as not to disrupt the study of Torah through their very presence. The Israeli ReligiousAction Center (IRAC) has been successful in combating segregation in many of these areas, and they are winning new cases all the time. However, even in areas where segregation has been deemed illegal, social pressures have women seemingly volunteering to sit at the back of the bus, quite literally.

On Jerusalem bus #56, a bus that starts in an Ultra-Orthodox community, goes through an Ultra-Orthodox community and then ends in an Ultra-Orthodox community, the buses continue to be gender segregated. IRAC has started a “Freedom Ride” wherein a group of people get on the bus at the first stop and all the women sit in the front bus with an empty seat beside them. This enables the Orthodox women to sit in the front next to another woman. They can take advantage of the situation and not be scorned for sitting next to a man or stealing a seat from a man. Sue Bojdak and I participated last week during the WUPJ (World Union for Progressive Judaism) convention last week.

It was a very interesting experience. I sat in the very front. Many of the women who came on the bus walked straight past me without a second look. But, I got many surprised glances from men as the bus slowly filled. At one point, an Ultra-Orthodox man put the two bags he was carrying on the seat next to me and then balanced on the armrest. When he got off the bus, a secular man smiled at me, sat down and said, “Ani lo dati" (I'm not religious). Another member of our party overheard a young girl saying, “Uch! Are they here again?” There was nothing subtle about the situation. We were disrupting the usual practice of men up front and women in the back of the bus. A practice that serves to emphasize the restriction of women's freedom and rights in some parts of the Ultra-Orthodox world.

My mom and me in our tallitot. Glasses broke prior to event.

So, this is not just about whether or not women can pray at the wall wearing a tallit. It is a small piece of a much larger issue of extremism within Judaism, where the basic rights of women are being violated. Why such virulence? In general, it is an extreme reaction to the threat they feel from the outside world. It looks like Haredim will begin to be drafted into the military. There are no Ultra-Orthodox parties in Natenyahu's government. The money usually earmarked for Haredi yeshivot is being reallocated. While the Ultra-Orthodox are still very powerful in Israel, that power is waning. And, when people begin to lose their power, they clamp down on whatever and whoever is still under their control. Because of the way that literal Jewish tradition is set up, women are most susceptible. 

As you might imagine, however, the influence of the contemporary world has the potential to better the situation of the women. Haredi girls learn the national curriculum that includes math and science. They are the ones who learn how to pay mortgages and open bank accounts. They are the ones who find work to support the family. A minimum wage job earns more that a stipend for studying in the yeshiva. It sets up a system wherein the men have to rely on the women in their lives. Thus, the threat is not only from the outside, but it is also coming from inside their communities as well. The women are thus in the perfect position to be the victims of the attacks brought on by fear.

So, yes, the Women of the Wall are about the freedom of prayer. And they are about protecting the rights of progressive Jews who are not equal in the State of Israel. And they are about protecting women, whether they agree with the ideology and strategy of Women of the Wall or not. And they are absolutely about breaking down the stronghold of power and authority that allows for a few individuals to subjugate and control others. This is what Jews have always struggled against; those who would mistake themselves for God and thus design the world according to their will and benefit. It is a struggle incumbent upon all Jews, through time, space, and denomination. Even when it is with each other that we must battle.

For a short video with highlights of the morning, check out The Times of Israel. And for additional photos, go to this site.

Taking part in the monthly Rosh Chodesh services has been a real highlight of my time in Israel. Even with all the varied emotions, I am grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of positive change in the Jewish State.

Only in Israel

A handful of things you would likely only see or experience in Israel:

The first ten times I walked past this, I thought someone had decorated the neighborhood recycle bin. Then, one day, I looked closer and read the sign.

It's a genizah for tefillin and mezzuzot. A genizah right there in the middle of the alley! The same alley, by the way, where people kasher dishes and burn chametz before Passover.




 These are pictures of corner stores in Jerusalem. 

Not all 24 hour places even bother to include the 6, it is just assumed that everyone would know that open all the time, 24 hours a day, never closes, would not include being open on Shabbat. It is just one example of the many things in Israel that are always, always, always the same...except for the times they are not. Another example that comes to mind is parking. Red and white curbs mean no parking, all the time, except, apparently, when you can park there. Just like on Shabbat when everyone parks in bus stops because the buses do not run. Otherwise, we aren't totally sure.  It could also be that Israeli's ignore the rules or don't care if they get citations. Just more of the basics of socialization that we all take for granted until we go and live somewhere else and are at a loss for the rules that no one bothers to write down because they are so obvious to everyone.



There was an amazing sight last Friday at Machne Yehudah, the open air market. Unfortunately, I was too overloaded with groceries to be able to reach a camera. It was of the man who sits in the same part of the market every single day and asks for money. On Friday morning, there was literally a line of people waiting to drop a few shekels into his cup. It is good to give tzedakah in preparation for Shabbat, but, a unique sight to have people lining up to do it. Only in Israel.
 

This, I suppose, you might see in and around New York, and perhaps even in parts of Los Angeles.

It is a salon, and in fact, the place where I got a haircut just a few days ago. It's a very nice place and very busy. Sometimes, you will walk by and see the stylists inside with round brushes and hairdryers, intently working on styling someone's hair. If you look closer, you will see that the hair is not always connected to someone's head, rather, it is sometimes sitting on a plastic head that is attached to the chair with a wire stand. There is a very large ultra Orthodox population in this neighborhood, and many of the women cover their hair with wigs rather than scarves or hats. The wigs are very high quality and some of them really beautiful. And, it makes sense, that, just as you take your clothes to the cleaner, you would take your wigs to be washed and restyled. But, I still did a double take the first time I saw it. While I am not going the way of the wig, truth be told, it would be a huge time saver to drop your hair off at the salon and pick it up later looking clean and fresh.


Here's a good one from the Old City:

Self explanatory. Though for the next few images, you need a little background.


When we first rented our car, the woman with the rental car company went through all of the various things that were covered under the extra insurance we purchased. Broken windows was not one of them. We asked, then, what happens if someone breaks a window to steal something out of the car? She looked at me as if I had asked what would happen if aliens landed on top of the car and made a dent in the roof with their spaceship. I guess that kind of thing doesn't happen so much in Israel. Then, her coworker explained that, actually, the windows would be covered if a Palestinian threw a rock at the car and broke a window. Thinking that the comment was another example of the lack of political correctness here, we left vowing to steer clear of anything that might damage the windshield.

And then, lo and behold, a few weeks ago, my husband, my in-laws and two of the kids were driving home from the Mt. of Olives and had a rock thrown at one of the back windows, shattering it completely. Luckily, no one was hurt. It was just a group of kids in East Jerusalem. One of them cheered when they got the window. Though the practice may be rooted in politics, this was really just malicious mischief.

When they went to the police station to file a report, the officer said it happens all the time. All the time. They got the paperwork done, and then the officer gave them a tour of the building, including the roof that has a view of the Dome of the Rock.

The rock, the tour, the view...only in Israel.


This is less "only in Israel" and more "never in the US".

A few days ago, we celebrated Lag B'Omer. In the days leading up to it, all of our kids had bonfires and picnics with their classes. There were bonfires everywhere. This one was for our daughter's first grade class. We were struck by the proximity of this raging fire to the play structure where all of our kids were climbing.

The fire was so hot, the kids could not get close enough to roast the marshmallows we had brought. Fortunately, they are not so insistent about the need for roasting.














And, the final picture for this entry is me, pulling my hair out.

Because, only in Israel does a Reform rabbi have to prove that she is Jewish in order to extend her tourist visa. More on that another time.

Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut

In Israel, it's personal.

There is nothing remote or symbolic about Yom HaZikaron, Israel's Memorial Day, for Israelis. It is the day when you remember specific people in your family, or your friends or in your friends' families. It is a day to remember the people who graduated from the same school you go to, or those who were members of the same communities to which you belong. Everyone is touched by the death of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to defend and protect Israel and those civilians killed in terrorist attacks.

The memorial at the Kotel

At my children's elementary school, memorials of alumni and students can be found at the main entrance. Each has a picture and a story. Some have books that were put together about the young person's life; something that has become common practice when a soldier dies. There are a dozen young smiling faces. Equally as powerful as their pictures is to see the gathering of people reading the stories and leafing through the memorial books. They were the children, the students. These people who died stood where they stood not too long ago, carrying their backpacks, playing football with their friends and learning from the very same teachers. For these first through sixth graders, the reality of life in Israel, at all levels, is already a part of their consciousness. I imagine it makes Israelis have to grow up faster than other kids.

The memorial at my kids' elementary school

I remember the last time I was in Israel for Yom HaZikaron. I went to Sultan's Pool outside the old city walls for a gathering. There was a big screen and the stories of those who had died that year were being told. I sat there with hundreds of Israels listening to the story of a settlement family of five, including a newborn baby, who had been murdered by terrorists just days before.  Hundreds of somber faces sat and mourned together.

At the same time, Yom HaZikaron brings up different emotions for others who live in Israel. This year, we went to the bridge that leads to the Jaffa Gate to be with people there when the sirens rang for two minutes of silence. Now, every other time I have been in Israel when the siren sounded, I've been in the heart of Jewish Jerusalem: Ben Yehudah, King David Street, King George Street. And, when the sirens sounded, everyone stood still, creating an overwhelming sense of shared loss. Today, right on the boarder between east and west Jerusalem, half the cars didn't even stop. Others blasted their horn and tried to drive around those who had gotten out of their cars. People walking ignored what was happening and kept right on going. 

During the siren right outside the Jaffa Gate

Not everyone in Jerusalem mourns the loss of fallen Israeli soldiers. Palestinians call the Israeli Day of Independence the Nakba, the Day of Catastrophe. When Israelis celebrate their independence, others mourn their losses of people, of their homes and their land. People's reactions to Yom HaZikaron certainly stand out as an example of how Jerusalem is terribly divided. Far from being comforting, the scene today was painful and disturbing. 

The complexity of life in Israel continues, for as soon as the sun sets on Yom HaZikaron, the music and dancing for Yom HaAzmaut begin. The losses are terrible, but going from mourning to celebration helps remind everyone of what the sacrifices were for. The only time I have ever experienced people to taking to the street and celebrating the way Israelis celebrate Yom HaAzmaut is when one of the local sports teams won a national championship. There is folk dancing at Kikar Safra, Jerusalem's Civic Center, fireworks over Independence Park a little past midnight, and thousands of people walking the streets with inflatable toys decorated with Israeli flags and wearing light up headbands.

Dancing in Kikar Safra

It is unbridled joy, the likes of which I could barely fathom on any given Fourth of July. On the other hand, it never once crossed my mind on a Forth of July that there is a chance that the United States might not exist to celebrate at the same time next year. Of course, it is highly unlikely that would be the case for Israel, but no one knows for sure what the future will bring. Enjoy what is now.

In Israel, it's personal. The losses are personal losses. The joys are about individual freedom. Perhaps that is why it is so intense as well. The intensity of both the sadness and the happiness are powerful and moving, and so telling of the reality of life in Israel. If you want to really know this place, come to experience Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut one year. It is an amazing time to be in Israel.

Shaving cream graffiti of Star of David in downtown Jerusalem

Yom HaShoah

Today at 10:00am, the sirens rang and all of Israel stopped what we were doing. For two minutes, Israel stood still in memory of the six million who were killed in the Holocaust.

Words cannot describe the power and beauty of those two minutes of communal and personal remembrance. It is a ritual unique to Israel that is a symbol of our unity as a people. No matter what our battles between each other at all other times, in our mourning, we stand in silence together.

May the memories of the six million, some of whose stories we know and others we do not, lead each of us to live lives of righteousness. May kindness, compassion and a love for all humanity guide our every action.  May we have the strength to protect each other and to comfort each other no matter what befalls us. May we have the wisdom to learn from the terrible mistakes of humanity in order to create a world more kind and more just than we have ever known. May we use the blessing of our very lives to bring blessing to all people.

May this be God's will.

Pesach in Israel

Shalom!

Passover is a very special time to be in Israel. While it can be a tough week at home, both because there is bread everywhere and most other people are eating it, and  because that fact offers a constant reminder that we are a tiny minority, in Israel, as you can imagine, it is totally different. Everyone is celebrating Passover in one way or another. Many restaurants serve kosher for Passover food or at least have matzah as an alternative to bread. And, everyone says Chag Sameach to each other. Of course, that is how we greet each other in the synagogue, but to have the store clerks, and the security guards and the random people walking down the street say it is a fantastic experience. It feels really good to be a part of the whole instead of feeling like you are outside it.

Maybe it is a little taste of what it is like to celebrate Christmas in the States and to hear everyone saying Merry Christmas. It used to really frustrate me that people would fight to say Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays. I wondered why people would work so hard to intentionally ignore all the minorities in the country. But, maybe now I can see it from others' perspective. It isn't ignoring us as much as it is wanting to feel that sense of wholeness and connection with other members of society. There were plenty of Christians and Muslims in Jerusalem who said Chag Sameach to me and I to them, and it felt good. So, at least for today, I intend not to begrudge anyone that positive feeling of saying Merry Christmas and having others say it in return. Especially if people can promise that by saying Merry Christmas, they are not denying my existence, just celebrating their holiday.

We'll see how I feel next December.

The one draw back to being in Israel rather than the US is obtaining a shank bone. I've never paid for a shank bone at home. Here, one butcher wanted me to pay 50 shekels for it and two others would only sell me the whole leg of lamb. Luckily, we have an aquaintence who was making lamb and had an extra bone.

Here are some things that you can see on the streets of Jerusalem before and during Pesach.

People bringing pots and pans to be kashered for Passover

Pots, pans and utensils dipped in the boiling water so they are kosher for Passover

Burning chametz

In the picture above, you can see that someone brought a lulav from Sukkot to burn with their chametz. Some believe that, because the lulav was used to fulfill and mitzvah, you should not just throw it away. Rather, you should use it for another mitzvah if possible. Thus the tradition is to use the lulav to start the fire in which you burn your chametz. 

Making Yemenite matzah

 Yemenite matzah is soft like pita. And, very expensive. 90 shekels (almost $25) for three pieces.

And this is a small grocery store a few blocks from where we live.

Chametz covered and unsaleable during Pesach

And on a completely different topic, here are a few images from Obama's visit last month.

Motorcade a block from our apartment

Greenpeace activists climbed the cables of this bridge early in the morning and were too high for authorities to reach.

They would not let us stand within a few hundred meters of the entrance to the President's house where Obama was visiting so he never got this message, but the kids had fun making the signs anyway.

Belated Chag Sameach!

The New Israeli Government and Obama Ba! (Obama comes!)

It is an exciting week with the new Knesset being sworn in and Obama coming for his first presidential visit to Israel.

If you are already in the loop on the ins and outs of the new government, pardon all the details.

From the start, many anticipated that Likud-Beiteinu, Netanyahu's party, would partner with Yesh Atid, Yair Lapid's party, and Habayit Hayehudi, Naftali Bennett's party. Yesh Atid is in the left-center and Habayit Hayehudi claims it is solidly on the right. They heavily disagree when it comes to issues of settlements and the peace process. Yesh Atid actually didn't focus on these issues too much on the election, but Bennett is the one who said that he fully supports the creation of a Palestinian State, just not in the middle of the Jewish one. Yet, they agree about the economy and reforming the government. Bennett and Lapid's biggest similarity, however, is that they both believe it is time to end the Ultra-Orthodox stronghold on all issues of religion, that some of the wealth that has thus far been directed solely to Ultra-Orthodox schools and institutions be shared and that the Ultra-Orthodox must be obligated to national military service. This last similarity was enough for them to tell Netanyahu that they would only join the government together. And, together, they have 30 seats.

But, the partnership potential looked a little shaky for a while. Israeli media reported that Lapid had some outrageous demands, in particular that Yesh Atid get the Ministry of the Interior and Education and that the number of ministers shrink from 30 to 18. In addition, he refused to be in a government with any Ultra-Orthodox parties; a significant demand as Shas, and Ultra-Orthodox party, had been a part of Netanyahu's last coalition. Those issues lead Netanyahu to try to form a majority with some of the Ultra-Orthodox parties.

And then, almost as an aside, the first deal was struck between Likud-Beiteinu and Tzipi Livni's party, Hatnua. She wound up with two departments, Justice and the Environment, the latter of which is most fitting as she ran as the "green party." Following that announcement, there were reports that Shas was to join Netanyahu's government any day.

Then, late last week, it was announced that the government had been formed with Likud-Beiteinu, Yesh Atid, Habayit Hayehudi and Hatnua (68 seats). After going back and forth, both Netanyahu and Lapid compromised on a number of things and the coalition was formed. Yesh Atid got the Ministries of Finance and Education among others. A key assignment for Lapid's party was the Ministry of Education which controls the money that goes to all educational institutions, including the Ultra-Orthodox ones. They did not get the Ministry of the Interior and the government did not shrink to 18 ministers as Lapid wanted, but, apparently it was enough. In addition, Lapid got a majority with no Ultra-Orthodox party, and the agreement states that new legislation on enlistment of Haredim will come before the Knesset within 45 days.

The biggest victor in all this, however, may well be Habayit Hayehudi and Naftali Bennett, who somehow made himself indispensable to both Netanyahu and Lapid. Bennett is credited with being the bridge between the two. It was reported in the papers that he told Lapid that if he didn't take this deal, he would go into negotiations with Netanyahu and the Ultra-Orthodox parties. The same sources said that he told Netanyahu that if Netanyahu didn't agree to this, Bennett would maintain his agreement with Lapid and stay out of Netanyahu's government.

Habayit Hayehudi will head five ministries: Economy and Trade, Diaspora and Jerusalem, Religious Affairs, Housing, and Pension Affairs. As head of Religious Affairs, they could bring about reform to laws of conversion and could create civil marriages, which would take control from the Ultra-Orthodox. As head of the Housing Ministry, Bennett's party oversees construction of new settlements and, as you can read in Habayit Hayehudi's platform, they wish to make settling in the entire current State of Israel a national priority.

That Naftali Bennett is quite a politician.

As you can imagine, the Ultra-Orthodox parties are not happy. Shas in particular is furious. The media reports that they now vow to form a solid bond with Labor as a part of the opposition to bring this new government down.

Yet in many other parts of Israeli society, there is definitely a sense of excitement that there is a real possibility for change. If nothing else, not having a single Ultra-Orthodox party in the coalition will seriously alter the conversations. And for us, that has the potential to change the status of all non-Orthodox religious movements in Israel, which is, of course, a very big deal.

For those of us on the outside, it feels like the topic of peace should be the most crucial issue facing Israel. Yet, for Israelis, their biggest concerns are those of their daily lives, just like other "normal" countries. To help understand that, Anat Wilf, a former member of Parliment, stated that the real issue with the peace process is not identifying the borders, but the fact that there is no one on the other side who is really willing to negotiate any kind of peace. When that opportunity comes, she said, it doesn't matter who is in power, they will take the opportunity to make peace. Left, right or center, Israel will make peace when peace is an actual option. However, that opportunity has not come. Thus, the government will focus on its internal issues to better the lives and affairs of its people. 

All this happens just days before President Obama arrives in Israel. Jerusalem is covered in American, Israeli and Jerusalem flags. The official logo of the visit "Unbreakable Alliance, Obama in Israel 2013" is displayed on posters throughout the city. Whole sections of the city will shut down for security purposes. Different organizations have all kinds of activities planned, some about the relationship between the countries and others just for entertainment. It is similar to a holiday celebration. Being here, you know how important the United States is to Israelis. It feels like the king is coming to visit our small village.

I must say that I have never been so excited for the President to visit the city where I live. I never once considered standing in line for hours just to get a glimpse of him when he has visited the Bay Area in the past. However, here, we are watching his schedule closely and hope to be a part of the excitement. He will visit the residences of both President Shimon Peres and Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday the 20th, and both of those locations are within a ten minute walk from where we live. So, if you happen to be looking for us on that day, we will be walking the streets of Jerusalem waving our American and Israeli flags with pride.

More with The Women of the Wall

Happy Nisan!

The participants of the WRJ Convention and three Ministers of the Knesset joined the Woman of the Wall for the Rosh Chodesh service this morning. The number of women wearing tallitot seemed to have quadrupled since last month. There were also at least two women wearing tefillin.

The vibe, starting from the approach to the Wall, was very different from last month. There were four soldiers standing on the plaza in front of the women's side. When we (my mom and I; my dad stayed in the plaza and peered over the back wall with the other male supporters) joined the group, it looked like the police, who were warning people that they would be arrested last month, had gathered in a protective circle around the women. I looked over the machitza (the separator between the men's and women's sections) and saw soldiers lined up along the barrier facing the men on the men's side. Last month, there was a feeling of being vulnerable. This time, I felt very protected.

And yet, there was far more protest this time. There was a woman who was yelling almost throughout the entire service, reading passages from her prayerbook as evidence that we were doing something wrong. Another woman yelled that we should be ashamed of ourselves. Another, I imagine at a loss for words in her discomfort, just yelled.

The men's side had even more "excitement." There was a man blowing shofar to drown out the sounds of the women (and men who were with us) praying. Others were shouting that we weren't really Jewish. Others who said that we didn't know what we were doing and should have the men teach us the real way to pray. At one point, a number of older haredi men joined hands and together tried to approach the mechitza and were stopped from getting too close by the soldiers and police.

It was during Hallel, the special prayers in praise of God that you say on Rosh Chodesh (as well as other holidays), that the biggest group of men seemed to join together to sing as loudly as possible in an attempt to overpower the singing from the women's side.

But, none of the protesters could stop us from praying in the way we wanted.

I found I was less distracted today and was more able to actually pray. The service was very moving. And so, I sang my heart out. I sang my heart out to proclaim my legitimacy as a human being and as a Jew. I sang my heart out in support of all people who feel oppressed and constrained by others who wish to impose a particular lifestyle on them. I sang my heart out today because it felt so good, and I am positive that the universe was affected by the sounds of our prayer.

And, in all honesty, I sang my heart out to sing louder than the Jews on the other side. Jews who live differently, but who cherish our tradition as much as I do. It was us against them. All of us using the sacred words of our people as weapons of our protest.

Singing Oseh Shalom this morning was a new experience for me. The words of the song are magnificent (May the one who makes peace above, make peace for us and for all Israel, and let us say: Amen) but I admit that I have wished at times that our ancestors were a bit more inclusive and added the whole world into this prayer for peace. But, today, looking at everything that was happening, I understood why the prayer is written the way that it is. Within our people, we need a prayer that urges us recognize each other, understand each other and accept each other.

Please, please God, make peace within Israel.

There were no arrests made today. We were told that the morning started as it usually does, with tallitot being confiscated and people being warned that they are breaking the law of holy sites and they could be arrested and serve up to six months in prison. However, then one of the officers got a call from the chief of police who said no arrests today. Why? The group suggested that maybe it was because of Obama's visit. Anat Hoffman fantasized that Michael Oren called the chief and asked him, as a favor, not to arrest anyone because he's had it with all the irate American Jews on his back for this. Someone else thought maybe it was because the government is trying desperately to build its coalition. Others suggested it might have because of the three MKs (members of the Knesset), all of whom were wearing tallitot, who could not be arrested. Ultimately, we don't know why. But, it meant that we had a lovely Torah service near Robinson's Arch (the Southern Wall). My mom even had an aliyah. Everyone departed feeling good.

 Me and Anat Hoffman after the Torah service near Robinson's Arch

I will remember this morning, from now on, every time I sing Oseh Shalom. It expresses for me two truths. The first is the uplifting power and thrill of praying with the Women of the Wall. The second, is the heartache of praying with the Women of the Wall, for its monthly service highlights the ongoing strife Jews have with each other. Those truths must be held together. On the one hand, I am so grateful to Anat Hoffman and all those who, for over twenty years, have led this struggle on my behalf and on the behalf of all Jews around the world who live and pray in ways that are not respected by other Jews. I am grateful to the Women of the Wall for allowing me to be a part of one of the most moving services in which I have ever participated. And, I am desperately grieved by the fact that the Women of the Wall needs to exist to fight for my rights against other Jews who would deny them.

And so, for all people, for my people and for myself, I pray for peace. May the ordering principle of the universe, the One that guides the very flow of existence that extends far beyond us on earth, help us find peace; peace within us, peace between us and peace in the world around us.

Kein yihi ratzon, may this be God's will.