Salient Memories
March 12, 2009
Israel | Lifecycle
(1 comments)
By Rabbi Richard Winer
(Originally posted on Divrei Derech)
 Now that I've returned from the C.C.A.R. Conference in Israel, I consider the details that rise to the surface in my recollections.
One moment keeps coming back.
The day after the conference concluded, I returned to the Old City to explore further. A couple of us wandered through the alleys enjoying the sensory experience. We wound down through the Shuk and into the Jewish Quarter. As I stood waiting while my companion poked into one of the shops, an entourage came winding along toward the Wall. I gathered that they were on their way to celebrate a Bar Mitzvah. A youth walked along under a chuppah while a man who appeared to be the proud father led the group singing.
But there was more.
The father interrupted the revelry. From where I stood I could clearly here him recite the words of a prayer. It sounded spontaneous and directly from the heart. The father of the Bar Mitzvah was offering a prayer for the safety and welfare of the soldiers, and for their eventual safe return home.
As I look back on this recent trip to Israel, this image clearly stands as one of the most beautiful sights I've seen in the time I've spent there. It is a beautiful illustration of the Talmudic quote: Kol Yisrael aravim zeh b'zeh - All Israel are responsible for one another. (Shavuot 39a)
I was honored to witness this tender moment in the life of our people Israel.
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In regard to the quote, "All Israel (i.e. Jews) are responsible for one another." what did you learn at the CCAR convention about the status of the Jewish communities in France, Holland, the U.K., Belgium, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Hungary, The Czech Republic and in other parts of the World Jewish Community? Do you rotate your meetings to major Jewish centers around the world in order to strengthen our ties and and learn more about the various Jewish communities? In particular, what is happening in the new Reform seminary in the Netherlands? What is being done to remedy the shortage of Reform rabbis in the Europe?