| In 1980 Bev and I, together with a small group of friends who were dissatisfied with the alternatives in West Rogers Park where we lived, formed a new minyan (prayer group). It was lay-led, and men and women took equal parts in conducting the services. That group, which is now called Mah Tovu, still exists and is still my religious home. Very early on, Bev designed a beautiful cover for our Torah reading table. It is embroidered with the design of a tree, and all around the edge are leaves. As each child of the congregation reaches their bar or bat mitzvah, one of the leaves is embroidered with their name and the date. When people who grew up in our midst come home to visit, they often come up to the reading table to see their name written there. Two days ago I got a message from Noam Zuckerman, who grew up in our minyan, and now lives here in Jerusalem. He and his wife Liraz are members of a group which is much like ours was in its early days. It meets in their neighborhood, and is teeming with young children. Noam wanted to show me the new cover for their congregation's Torah reading table. It is inspired by the one that he grew up with: At the center is a tree, and around the edge is a border, ready to be filled in with leaves as their children come of age. There is little that is more moving and inspiring than seeing the growth of seeds you have sown. |
| Created on 18 February 2025, updated on 18 February 2025 by Samuel Ethan Fox |