Exploring Judaism
- January 28th, 2010
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December 5, 2009 I arrived at Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation about twenty minutes before the Erev Shabbat worship was to start. I was greeted as I entered and given a prayer book called a siddur. People began arriving more steadily but many stayed in the large foyer chatting with friends and family. As congregates shuffled in, I noticed that they were predominately older and almost completely Caucasian. Everyone was well dressed and appeared to be at the very least comfortably in the middle class. I estimated the total attendance at seventy-five people just before the service began. This evening worship, set to begin at 6:00 PM, represents a typical Friday night service at the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation. There is also a Saturday morning worship that Rabbi Milkew explained is less popular than the Friday worship. The sprawling complex also houses an elementary school and offices for the many staff and clergy that it must take to run the Congregation. The IHC is located around 64th and Meridian Street on Indianapolis’ North side. This part of town appears to be somewhat affluent, but there are also nearby neighborhoods that represent homeowners in a much lower income level. A few minutes before the worship was to begin, I started to hear music that slowly got louder and louder. One female Rabbi and one female Cantor stood at two separate podiums, one on each side of the altar at the end of the room. Rabbi Milkew would later explain to me that a Cantor is a member of the clergy that is responsible for and classically trained in music. The sanctuary at the Indianapolis Hebrew College is a beautiful, tall, and cavernous space filled with earthy red and brown tones. On the left side of the main wall, three words on plaques were hung high on the wall. Rabbi Milkew explained that all three plaques represented the same word: “kadosh” meaning “holy”. On the right side of the main wall an ornate metal symbol was hanging on the wall. A three-person choir sat high up overlooking the stage and altar. On center stage was a huge column with doors that slid open, which completely dominated the altar. Inside were 3 hand-written Torahs, one dating back to before World War II. The service started with the Cantor walking up and down the main aisle singing while also demurely waving at people she knew in the congregation. After a few minutes, she made her way back up to her podium and Rabbi Milkew began the service by welcoming everyone and announcing that there would be two family events celebrated at this Erev Shabbat Worship. A young couple was officially naming their daughter, and a young man was being called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah. The Rabbi then began reading as the congregants followed along in their siddur. At times we were directed to read aloud with the Rabbi and at other times the Cantor sang the hymns alone. Her voice was incredible and her singing was probably the highlight of the visit for me. After about 20 minutes, the singing and reading was paused so that the family celebrating the Bar Mitzvah could come on stage and lead a prayer. The Bar Mitzvah recited a prayer and soon we were back to reading from the siddur while sometimes standing and sometimes sitting. After approximately 20 more minutes of reading and listening to the Rabbi read, the second family event was ushered onto the stage. A young couple with a very new baby was joined onstage by both sets of grand-parents. Rabbi Milkew later explained that it is their tradition to name female babies during the Friday night worship. The grand-parents and parents read aloud a prayer and then announced the girl’s name: Wrigley Sarafina Rubenstein. After the extended family left the stage, the Rabbi then explained to the congregation that it is customary to say a prayer for those struggling with illness on Friday nights. I learned from Rabbi Milkew later that “healers are revered” by the Jewish people. The “mi shebeirach”, a prayer of good health, was recited to help heal any Temple member who was sick or hospitalized. Although there was no actual sermon, what came next was a bit of a surprise to me. Rabbi Milkew told the congregation about a political news story regarding female reform Jews in Israel being arrested for reading the torah in public at the Wailing Wall. The Rabbi expressed genuine frustration about the oppression of Reform Jews by Orthodox Jews in Israel. She continued by clarifying that the Orthodox Jews were of course “brothers”, but that their oppression should stop. Rabbi Milkew then read the names of Temple members that were grieving the loss of a family member. She asked that we all support those who are dealing with the incredible sense of loss felt by the family of the recently deceased. The service ended with another round of reading and following along in the siddur as the Rabbi and the Cantor walked down the main aisle and exited to one side. Overall, my experience at the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation was a positive one. I got the sense that Judaism puts an incredible emphasis on community and takes a great deal of pride in their history. Many references were made to Jewish ancestors and the history that the Jews have endured. Rabbi Milkew explained to me that her Temple focuses more on “teaching, not sermonizing”. To my surprise, she followed up by stating “the Bible cannot be taken literally”. This progressive view of Judaism, and religion in general, was refreshing and comforting. I suppose the fact that I was talking to a female Rabbi is a clear indicator of why Rabbi Milkew feels so passionately about this progressive ideology. I could tell that the sense of community and connection with a higher purpose that congregates at the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation felt was powerful. Additionally, the practice of holding life-cycle events during normal worship services serves an important purpose. I realized that similar to marriage, family events like naming a baby or becoming a Bar Mitzvah are an attempt to strengthen desirable attributes by affirming them in front of the congregation. The commitment to raise your child well, be faithful to your partner or to responsibly move into adulthood can be strengthened considerably by these practices. Most of all, this experience further solidified my view that all traditions, religions, and cultures must be respected. We are all just people, trying to survive and build a life filled with friends and family that will remember our names when we are gone.