Larry, the lay leader of our Kehillath Israel of Brookline daily minyan,  posted a last-minute email message Sunday to a group of minyan regulars: “Richard has yahrzeit tonight for his late mother. It would be great if you could attend.”

My husband and I had just returned from a musical theater matinee and planned to have dinner at home. By eating a little on the early side, I could make the minyan. It was very doable and an opportunity to perform a mitzvah.

I arrived a little bit early actually. When I entered the building, a lovely young Israeli woman sitting in the lobby immediately greeted me, introducing herself as Shahaf. I happen to know many young Israelis as I’m involved in a project called Benenu (which I co-founded),  where we welcome and “adopt” Israeli graduate students from Harvard and MIT who are new to the Boston area. Initially, I thought I was supposed to know Shahaf in that context.

But I was mistaken.

Larry greeted me a few seconds later explaining that he had told Shahaf to wait for me so she could speak with me.

There was very little time as the evening service was set to begin in five minutes. Within that time, I learned that Shahaf is married to an American who just finished his master’s degree (I have no idea in what field), that she was in the process of completing her application for a work permit and was currently looking for work of any kind.  There was no time to really learn about her background, so we exchanged phone numbers and said we’d be in touch. In the meantime, I managed to introduce her to KI’s Rabbi Hamilton, who had just entered, and Leah, an Israeli ex-pat who spoke with her briefly in Hebrew.

As the minyan was about to begin, I invited Shahaf to join. She was happy to do so, explaining she needed to leave before the conclusion of the service. We sat together, following along in the Conservative prayer book. As it was the 17th of Tammuz, a fast day, we read from the Torah and I was asked to take an aliyah. A bit later, the rabbi invited Shahaf to perform the honor of opening and closing the ark. We were able to shmooze just a bit during the service. I had absolutely no idea what her knowledge or comfort level was, but it was totally her decision to stay awhile. After she opened and closed the ark, I whispered to her: “You see what can happen when you just show up at a Beit Knesset?” She smiled and concurred. Along the way, I explained to her the prayer for healing for ill friends and family (which she was puzzled about), and why we were reading from the Torah. When she left, I gave her a little hug, and Leah pursued her into the hallway continuing to engage with her in Hebrew for about five minutes.

It was only after Shahaf left and the service concluded that I learned the whole backstory. Apparently, when Larry arrived at the synagogue around 6:30 p.m., he encountered Shahaf hanging out in front of the entrance peering into the windows.  When he approached her to ask if she needed help, she explained she was Israeli and thought if she went to the synagogue, perhaps she might meet Jewish people who could both help her become more acclimated to the area and assist in her job search. So he invited her in as she did not seem to pose a security threat. Knowing that I was planning to attend the minyan, he invited Shahaf to sit in the waiting area until I came. All the rest is history.

I have no idea if I can actually help Shahaf. But I commend her for taking the initiative to just go to a synagogue where she knew nobody and didn’t even know the hours of operation. She took a risk, and I’m pleased to say that she fell into a warm and welcoming environment, where she even found herself performing the ritual of opening the ark, despite her “stranger” status. And perhaps that’s the most profound point of all: Shahaf lost that status from the moment she encountered Larry. “All of Israel are responsible for one another.” When you’re part of the Jewish people, it’s a family affair, and strange and wonderful things can happen, even at the daily minyan. It just never gets old.

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