A New (Different?) Song

After many jokes and a few feeble attempts, Mendy and I took the plunge. We decided we're going to Shira Chadasha. Not to be confused with Shir Chadash, a shul on Emek Refaim that davens Carlebach and is overflowing with women, Shira Chadasha is a shul on Emek Refaim that davens Carlebach and is overflowing with women. With one little catch. Shira Chadasha is an Orthodox shul that has women leading the service and reading from the Torah. The davening is cut into different parts, some of which are obligatory and some of which are not. The obligatory parts the men said and the rest was read by women. The Torah reading is also divided, the beginning is read by men, and the rest by a women. The haftora is also read by a women. At night, kabbalat Shabbat is lead bya women, and then Maariv by a man.
We wanted to go Friday night, but neither of us knew where it was. So Friday night we went to Shir Chadash, and someone told us where Shira Chadasha was. So bright and early Shabbat morning we went on our adventure. When we arrived, I was firstly surprised by the normalcy of the place. Everyone was wearing a plain tallit with a normal kippa, there was a lot of old and young people, very typical. The mechitza was very high, about seven feet tall, and went from front to back, with more room on the womens side then men. The bima was evenly placed on both sides of the mechitza, as was the aron hakodesh. on top of the bima was also a mechitza. Davening was normal til laining. Then a girl opened the aron, and another girl started singing "Shema Yisrael.." I'll admit it, I had to bite my lip to hold back from laughing. Then they took the Torah through the womens side, then passes it to a guy and it went through the mens side, and got to the bima. The male gabbai called up a man, then another, then another. then all of a sudden, "Taamod, Rivka bat Shmuel V'Leah"*. They also switched baal koreh, and a woman got up to read. I never thought of the reading as being a song until then. Then they called up a chattan, and after him they called up the kalla. I think I would have felt very uncomfortable if I would have gotten an aliyah with Shany, but whatever. The mishabaraichs were all "misheberach at haavot v'et ha'imahot". The only liturgy that was changed is one part that says "Them, their wives and children", which was changed to "them and them and their families". A girl read the haftorah, then a guy did hagba, and then a guy davened mussaf. After davening a girl made kiddush, and everyone went out to eat. The main image that is staying in my head is a lady's hand, with purple nail polish, resting on the Torah. That aside, and listening to a girl singing haftora aside, it was a very typical davening. I dont think I would go there again, but mainly because it takes too long.
*name has been changed