I went to
Yom Kippur Kol Nidre Service last night for the first time in 35 years. I attended at the reform temple here in
Davenport, Ia. I had met the Rabbi a
number times at inter-faith meetings. I
don’t know why I attended. The last time
I went to any Jewish service was about 7 years ago when in Orlando the reform
temple was having a Kaballah service. I
had been reading about Kaballah and wondered what a service would be like. The service was mostly singing in Hebrew, and
the people were generally unwelcoming to me as a guest. The last time I went to
Kol Nidre service I was 18 or so. I had not been to Temple in a few years and
out of respect to my parents I decided at the last minute to attend. I did not have a ticket though, and asked to
be let in. They did not turn me away, but the Rabbi, at the beginning of the
service made a point to comment sarcastically how many people just show up at
the last minute without a ticket and expect to be let in. I didn’t let the door hit me on the way out.
I have talked to other Rabbis over the years and they often have this same
disdainful attitude toward unpaid visitors. Now 35
years later, here I am again, an unpaid visitor, who at the last minute decided
to go to services. Some observations
follow:
- · There was a police officer at the entryway. A reminder that I am not in New York anymore and that Jewish people are in a deep minority here which I assume creates some fear.
- · No one asked if I had a ticket. (I did call in advance and ask if visitors were welcome)
- · The people in general were friendly and welcoming and willing to strike up a conversation.
- · They service book is now written left to right as opposed to right to left when I last went. I actually do think going from right to left in some way helps train the brain differently.
- · There is at least an attempt for some inclusive language in the prayer book compared to how I remember it as a youth
- · There is little transliteration of Hebrew to English in the prayer book, so if you cannot read Hebrew (which I don’t anymore) you cant follow along
- · There seemed to be a lot more Hebrew in the service than I remember (this could be my memory)
- · The s have become t at the end of many Hebrew words
- · Chants of prayers had different tunes than I remembered (not unusual or surprised by this)
- · There were some prayers and songs that I still remember by heart from when I was 17 years old.
- · The sermon was excellent, much better than I remember ever hearing as a youth. This probably has more to do with age, and where I am in my spiritual life than anything else. But the sermon was one that I think could easily have been given in a Unitarian Universalist congregation and was very relevant and moving. The sermon also included a guided meditation which was excellent. It was clear that the congregation was uncomfortable with the guided meditation, but I found it powerful.
- · There was a lot of talk about God. I understand this due to the theology, but it was ongoing and unending. Rarely using the word God in Unitarian services made hearing it constantly somewhat unusual. In some ways by constantly using and repeating the word, seemed to minimize the meaning of the word for me. Further reflection needed on this topic for me.
- · There were words used like grace, and holy spirit that I had always thought of as specifically Christian that were used in the liturgy.
- · I was a little surprised by a lack of reverence by the attendees. Maybe I am remembering this with a child’s memory, but this was always a serious time in my family. Last night, throughout the service, people were chatting, and a few even walked out early. I tried to imagine they were ill and had to go to the hospital. I could never imagine leaving a Kol Nidre service early except for something that extreme.
- · There was a hauntingly beautiful cello performance of Kol Nidre.
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