We met just a few days after a momentous election here in the US, at a time of some new hope and much fear and trepidation. New possibilities for real change are open, and the powers that be are clearly becoming more vicious. Major systems that sustain our world have gone down this week, and war and slaughter continue.
Our liturgy was all about the strength of community in times when we need to be grounded, to be held, and to be supported to take action. We did two series of communal blessings, as well as adrienne maree brown’s wonderful Radical Gratitude Spell. We bound ourselves to our wholly wild and raging love for this world by honoring the beautiful yes of trees. And as is our practice this year we said kaddish for those killed by ICE.
Our torah leader was Alicia Ostriker, who shared her insights into the story of Sarah and Hagar. She showed how, at that moment, Torah does something unexpected and radical by forcing readers to have empathy for Hagar, lingering with her story and her terror for her child, even though Jewish tradition would go on to see “the descendants of Ishmael” as an enemy. Though there are many places in Torah that urge total destruction of the “other,” these moments of empathy also exist. You can read her essay on this and many other insights in her new book “Turn It & Turn It: Post-Secular Essays & Poems.”
We also benched gomel at the request of member Miriam Geronimus, who just spent ten days helping to harvest olives in the West Bank.
Today’s Liturgy – click here to download
From Miriam Geronimus – links to information about her trip to help harvest olives in the West Bank with Rabbis for Ceasefire
URGENT ACTION STEPS in support of Ghassan, leader of the olive farmers’ coop, who was arrested right before the delegation arrived and faces endless months of detention without charge
Email ambassadors: http://tinyurl.com/releaseghassan
Sign the petition: http://change.org/freeghassan
Talk back from the delegation: Monday Nov 23, 12-1pm ET
Click here to register for link
Miriam’s Report Back, Tuesday Dec 15, 7-8:30pm ET
Click here to register for link :
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Mc4BpF5eSqabu9EgG0fGKg
A short video about life in Burin, the village Miriam visited, and their Kite Festival:
https://www.onesmalldetail.blog/dispatch-from-palestine-kites-of-burin/
Music from Today’s Service
Breathe by Batya Levine
The Leaves Believe, lyrics from Lucille Clifton, musical setting by Karen Escovitz/Otter
You Do Not Carry This All Alone by Alexandra “Ahlay” Blakely