Last Monday was my second Rosh Hodesh service with Women Of the Wall (I went three months ago during Rosh Hodesh Shevat), but this time was a completely different experience.  It could have been for the obvious reason, the potential arrest.  It could have been because I was just more aware of what was happening around me.  Or it could have been because this time I was working.

My name is Gabriella Mervis, and I am the new intern with Women Of the Wall.  I first decided to connect with the organization after a horrific Yom Kippur incident during which I innocently wore my Tallis at the Kotel (admittedly, as an American, I didn’t even know it was illegal) and I got harassed by a woman claiming to work there.  I felt humiliated, upset, and saddened by the lack of religious freedom in Israel.  Searching for an outlet to express my anguish and disappointment, I immediately knew I wanted to be involved with the work of Women Of the Wall.

But, enough about me and back to Monday’s Rosh Hodesh Iyar service.  Perhaps because I was standing slightly separate from the group (doing the picture-taking duties that interns tend to do) with a different perspective, I noticed so much of what was happening around me.

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