April 25, 2002

New D.C. minyan Traditional group aims to offer 'welcoming space for women'

by Paula Amann
News Editor

Amid the quaint brownstones of Dupont Circle, traditional Judaism is taking root.

Last Shabbat, a new minyan held its fourth biweekly Shabbat morning service at Luna Books on P Street near the corner of 17th Street, which has been drawing an average of 70 people, organizers say. The lay-led services rely on all-Hebrew, Orthodox liturgy using a variety of prayer books.

The fledgling congregation, which has yet to settle on a name, is attracting people from Orthodox and Conservative synagogues, as well as the unaffiliated. Already overflowing its current space, it is slated to move to the District of Columbia Jewish Community Center in late April.

"People are coming for many different reasons," said co-founder Adam Szubin, 29, who remains a member at the Orthodox Kesher Israel, the Georgetown Synagogue. "I was looking for a community that was traditional and took Halacha seriously and was also committed to egalitarianism and providing a welcoming space for today's women, many of whom are extremely learned and have a great deal to share."

Co-founders Jessica Lieberman and Beth Tritter belong to the District's Conservative Adas Israel Congregation and Kenneth Geruchim is affiliated with Kesher Israel. All four organizers live in the District.

"We all acknowledged early on that no one had a monopoly on what 'right' was and built a community based on that," said Tritter, 27.

She lauds the minyan's services, which, she says, manage to start on time and flow smoothly, even as they offer the opportunity for a deeper religious experience.

"We've managed to create a service with a lot of ruach [spirit] and a lot of kavanah [spiritual focus]," Tritter said.

As it bridges its varied constituencies, the minyan has opted for both full participation by women -- they lead services and read from the Torah -- and gender-separated seating, with a center aisle taking the place of the traditional mechitza, a physical barrier that divides the sexes in Orthodox shuls.

Lieberman, 33, seems proud of the result.

"For us, it's quite experimental because there aren't other congregations where women have such a large role and have separate seating," said Lieberman, who says she has already read from the Torah at services.

Organizers cited the strong participation by women as a strength of the new minyan.

"We've made a conscious effort to encourage prayer out loud in both sections, so that women's voices are being heard," Szubin said, later adding, "The idea came from several women who felt they would prefer to daven among other women, that there's something special about women's voices raised in prayer together."

He noted that while the bulk of participants are singles in their 20s and 30s, the Dupont Circle group has also welcomed a few families.

"It's important for us to have families and children as well as the young professionals and students who are our mainstay," Szubin said.

From the outset, the minyan has placed a premium on Jewish learning. A set of classes taught by graduate student Ethan Tucker, a D.C. resident, on women and prayer helped clarify the group's stand on female participation.

Upcoming classes are slated for this month and next in Torah trope and leading services, Szubin noted.

"We all feel strongly that we want this congregation to continue learning together," Lieberman affirmed.

A catered luncheon on Saturday, May 4, for instance, will feature as speaker Szubin's father, Zvi, a rabbi and retired professor of ancient comparative law.

As they look to the future, the minyan's founders hope to cultivate a warm, friendly atmosphere, even as they grow.

"It's replicating a feeling of a close-knit community where people really know each other," Lieberman said.