Conservative Currents: Judaism and equality - or lack thereof

The days of Passover command us to remember the story of the Exodus. One of the most fundamental messages of the Exodus is the idea that a nation has decided that "freedom" can take precedence over life itself. In fact, halakha tells us that maintaining our freedom to remain Jews is one of the very few cases in which we must be willing to give up our lives.

In the past, freedom of religion, in the sense of conducting rituals, was left to a small, elite group and the role of the religious leadership was crucial - that was the reality when man entered the modern age.

In that age, Judaism and other religions became more centered on the individual, and hence allowed for the demand for greater involvement in religious thinking and ritual. Nonetheless, even after organized Judaism underwent its first stage of reform, it remained very rabbi-oriented, and the role played by lay members of the religious community was limited. They were restricted to the audience, whose job it was to sit and listen. Children, for the most part, were not even allowed in the sanctuary, and a heavy, holy atmosphere prevailed.

Mitzvot were also traditionally incumbent only on adult males, meaning that the freedom to be a fully participating member of the community was denied to half of the population.

In the 21st century, many of us see it as the responsibility of Judaism to find a way that will allow everyone to participate in the ritual. To be sure, this is a challenge that is not without its difficulties, but that does not mean that it's not worth the effort. At my congregation Mayanot, we have always strived toward such a model. Our congregation was founded as an egalitarian community, and we have always worked to make it possible for every member - and visitor - to be an active participant.

Part of the process involves getting word out that everyone is welcome at our services. At Purim this year, we attracted more than 150 non-members to our Megillah-reading and celebration, and during the High Holidays, we generally draw a similar number, although often different people.

We work to enlarge the circle of people who are involved in leading services and reading Torah. We try to create meaningful activities for children of all ages, special services for very young children, and in addition, we are now working on increasing the participation and roles of children and youth in the main sanctuary services.

Also crucial to the Mayanot ethos is the creation of platforms for children with special needs, so that they too can be equal participants in all activities for children and youth, as well as in the adult services. Mayanot, it is always worth repeating, is fully open to anyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, level of observance, or socio-economic status. That is the Mayanot approach to freedom.

Nothing in our community is limited to a "chosen" group; everything is available to everyone, and we are actively doing our best to make this a reality. Therefore, I invite you to take some time before the Seder night to consider whether you think there are ways in which people may be prevented from full and equal participation within the community, and help to remove this obstacle in order to increase egalitarian involvement in synagogue life and ritual.