Dear all,
A few weeks ago, the Central Conference of American Rabbis asked me to
co-officate one of the morning services for our annual conference, this year taking place in Israel. I was looking forward to leading in my typical style,
guitar in hand….
But we make plans, and God laughs, right?
A last minute schedule change found us at the southern section of the Kotel,
the Wall in Jerusalem, where just weeks prior new legislation permitted egalitarian services to take place (as opposed to segregated male/ female).
At first, I wasn't happy about the format. I never thought of the Wall as my spiritual center.
But as the 200 Reform Rabbis descended into this historic space, I realized
that we were making history. For the first time as a Reform Movement at the Wall, the voices of men and women wove together.
It was there that I heard God's voice.
I didn't plan some groundbreaking service. I just did what I did. I helped
create a worship space. And a community of voices crescendoed with spirit.
For this moment in time, we shaped history by embracing the future.
With love and shalom,
Rabbi Zach Shapiro
