Tug3

Melise Tug
Professor Suzanne Jacobs
World Religions HUMA-2300-002-Su14
7/5/14

Judaism Field Trip Write Up
Before I went to the service on Saturday at the Kol Ami Congregation, I was very curious
as to what exactly the worship would be focused on. I have never had any close friends or
acquaintances that were Jewish so I also was curious as to what the people would be like. What
intrigued me most was their scriptures. From the pictures we saw in class the Torah was very
large and looked heavy. I had never seen anything like that, my church experiences had always
had smaller books so I was looking forward to getting to see what it looked like in person and
how it was integrated into the service.
When I arrived at the building, I wouldnt have pegged it as a place of worship if I hadnt
had my GPS telling me to turn into the parking lot. I didnt see any statues, elaborate paintings or
golden identifiers like the temples we visited before. Besides the size of the building, it was
fairly large, it was plain and seemed humble almost. This was definitely intentional, as their
beliefs focus on traditional and modest presentation, being humble, and focusing on God not
material things like gold or statues.
Inside the temple the space in which the service was held was fairly plain, no bright
colors or elegant pictures. The walls were brown brick and nothing was really eye-catching
around the areas where the people sat. This was because the focus wasnt supposed to be on the
area around the people. In the front were two sliding doors that had a beautiful stained glass
image of a tree. The tree was the brightest, most colorful attraction in the whole room. Behind
the glass doors was the Torah scrolls, so the reason everything else had muted colors was to draw
your focus to the Torahs and keep it there.
The service itself was lovely, hearing the sung Hebrew verses was fascinating. Also some
people in the congregation joined in at appropriate times. The ceiling was raised up so high, Im
sure that the building was built specifically like that so that the voiced of the Rabbi and the
congregation would echo and resonate, it really sounded great! As Rabbi Ilana was reading I
realized how much time and effort she must have put into learning the language because its
influx of pitch was so intricate and subtle.
One observation I noted was that all of the men were wearing the Yamakas on their
heads. I knew Jewish people wore them, but I still wasnt sure why only the men did, and what
their purpose really was. After the service we had the opportunity to ask questions to one of the
ushers, unfortunately I cant recall his name as we weren't allowed to bring writing materials
with us. He explained to us that men wore the Yamakas to keep them reminded that God is
above them and always watching them. It also reminded them to keep their minds focused and to
not allow your thoughts to wander or become unclean. He said women are naturally a little more
spiritual than men, so their minds dont tend to drift as easily, that is why usually only men will
wear them. However it is not unheard of, because at the service I did see one woman wearing a
Yamaka.
Overall it was a really great learning experience because it showed me how their beliefs
were carried out in real-world congregations. It was interesting to see and hear how the members
interacted with one another, hugging and greeting eachother like a family. Very heartwarming to
see how much they cared for each other! They were all very nice and welcoming as well to us
students.