The recent elections in Israel and in America have been on our minds as we began our travels this week. Contemporary politics have not diminished the spiritual significance of this land of complexity that already has touched the hearts of our group. As we arrived in Jerusalem this week, the magnitude and meaning of our journey set in. One member of our group, Melissa Book writes, “being here even for a few days has made our prayers less abstract for me and more grounded.
Melissa continues, “Before I converted, I learned that our Jewish ancestors, upon my conversion, would become my ancestors. Coming out of the mikveh, I thought I would feel that connection but did not. During our first full day here, I felt that connection at the Haas Promenade overlooking Jerusalem and again at the Western Wall.”
This evening we will be welcoming Shabbat with our friends at Kehilat Har El, the founding congregation of the Reform Movement in Israel. Our voices join as one in the prayer of the Psalmist,
שַׁ֭אֲלוּ שְׁל֣וֹם יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם יִ֝שְׁלָ֗יוּ אֹהֲבָֽיִךְ׃ Pray for the well-being of Jerusalem; May those who love you be at peace.
