Rabbi Gila Caine's ordination

I love to sing, but in Israel today the voice of a woman is distasteful to many people. Always sensitive to my needs, my husband, was considering finding a progressive community. These days I don’t seem to fit in anywhere. Observant friends find it unacceptable that I “set my own rules”, and my secular friends find me hard to take as I seem to have taken up religion.

In nearby Kiryat Ono, my partner found Brit Olam, a congregation for Progressive Judaism. Though our views are different he agreed to join with me, and for the past weeks, we have taken part in their Kabbalat Shabbat. I never imagined that in this lifetime I would sit next to my husband, kippa on his head, sharing the Shabbat Zmirot and having him help me find my place in the Hebrew prayer book. I have always jokingly called him the greatest atheist in the world. I know he is doing it for me, that he is always by my side; however, he actually connects to the service because it reminds him of the Kabbalat Shabbat of his childhood in the Kibbutz. We are indeed one people, a fact that the extremists ignore.

The leader of the congregation is Gila, a young mother. In her drashot she includes works by modern poets, such as Shlonsky, which appeals to Amazia, for songs of praise are written in every generation.

On our first visit Gila offered me the privilege of blessing the candles. The following week she proposed that I bless the challot, and a week later she invited me to say Kiddush. I had an immediate sense of being embraced by the congregation, as opposed to the alienation I had experienced in my various forays into the orthodox synagogue.

In this congregation there is no curtain; families sit together and everyone takes part in the service. A girl celebrating her batmitzvah the following day was given the honor of opening the Ark. A little boy asked to light candles. The children learn to love their tradition and the Torah without any gender discrimination. Anyone can comment during any stage of the proceedings. In fact, our gentle rabbi encourages it.

When Gila informed the community that she would be officially ordained in Jerusalem, I

knew I would be there to support her. That a young woman should take on this role seems to me the embodiment of courage, and very timely, given the present intolerable attitude towards women in the capital. On Friday morning I drove to Jerusalem, together with two other members of the community, to attend the ceremony.

Adjacent to the King David Hotel, the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion is an impressive, tranquil campus among flowering trees and pools. We were gathered in an auditorium overlooking the city for the ordination of three rabbis, two of whom were women, and the academic convocation of a large number of graduates, both men and women. The program began with a processional and an opening song called One by One by H.N. Bialik, sung by Atalia Lavi. The woman facilitator who opened the proceedings remarked how refreshing it was to hear a woman’s voice in the capital that day.

I have never attended a more joyful celebration. Most of the time we were on our feet, applauding and cheering those being honored for their achievements. Our new rabbi received a special ovation. I watched her hand her little girl to her proud husband, yet she seemed like a bride as she stood before the Ark.

When I congratulated Gila, I presented her with a copy of my book Venus Empowered, with a dedication that she was invoking that energy with her achievement.

I came away from the ceremony with the certainty that in today’s world, the progressive form of Judaism is the most relevant for me as it espouses pluralism, modernity and social justice with a committed Jewish life. A woman is considered an equal in every field and is invited to raise her voice in joyful song.

Henceforth, this is my congregation and I will do my utmost to promote its values and to encourage others to embrace them.