K’lal Yisrael - Praying for Pluralism

June Torah Service: Police Station Aliyah      Following the detainment of two Women of the Wall supporters, the group traveled to the police station where both detainees were taken. We held our Torah service near the station to show our support and to be present when the two were free to leave. Close to one of the police station's bathrooms, we also hoped our singing and chanting could be heard by our WOW members.   =)           I had been given the honor of being called up for an aliyah (the chanting of the blessings before and after the reading of the Torah), and I was proud to be doing it. I felt as though I was representing all of the women who similarly wanted freedom of religious expression. I also felt as though it was in support of our detainees, letting them know that we were still continuing on with our prayer schedule. We would not let any setback get...

A Little Victory Thursday, June 21, 2012 – Rosh Hodesh Tamuz      This past week, I experienced my first Rosh Hodesh service with Women of the Wall. I woke up early, excited to arrive at the Kotel for the 7AM service. Tallit in hand, I stood in the back of the women's section just about ready to pray, not knowing what was in store. After being handed a siddur, I placed myself in the middle of the cluster, surrounding myself with the women of the wall. Similar to the stones of the Western Wall, separated enough to fit a prayer into but united enough to withstand time, the Women of the Wall are an enduring group. While each woman came from a different background, we all joined together for a common purpose: freedom of religious expression.      I had heard about recent detainments for wearing a tallit, a prayer shawl, and while I was a bit apprehensive, I was ready to stand up f...