Dog Day Afternoon at the Shul
Dogs, cats, birds, turtles and even snakes have attended Parshat Noach--the yearly Torah reading of the Noah’s Ark story--at B’nai Tikvah congregation in Westchester. This innovative service, “Celebration of the Animals,” began four years ago when veterinarian Elissa Beals, the rabbi’s wife, came up with the idea to make congregants’ pets a part of the Jewish community.
It has garnered quite a following, and recently won an award of excellence in the ritual category of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.
KAREN KARLITZ spoke with Rabbi Michael Beals about this unorthodox method of sharing spiritual growth.
As a spiritual leader, I must create liturgy that speaks to many people. I can’t just rely on tradition itself, but must give people a reason to come to shul. I must discover what is of interest to them, what they love.
I checked into classic Jewish text and found many stories that point to how important animals are, so I felt comfortable making this one of our programs. It is the only Judaic service of its kind anywhere, though there might be interest from other shuls now that we’ve won an award. (Some churches have a blessing of the animals.)
I do it right after religious school on Sunday, outside on the plaza. It takes place in the fall, with the yearly reading of the story of Noah’s Ark. What I really like about it is that there are some people who just aren’t going to come to synagogue and this gets them here. This year we had a threat of rain, so we had about 40 people, but in previous years, close to 100 came. That’s a lot of animals.
It’s about an hour and a half, just a simple service. Afterward, we ask people to talk about their pets, tell favorite stories about them. It helps bring the people into the service. Speaking of pet stories, our dog Yofi, a beautiful collie, has a Jewish identity. If you say “shalom,” she’ll give you her paw. And she knows the difference between kosher and traif (non-kosher). If you put a little treat in front of her and say, “traif,” she won’t eat it. She’s a very smart dog.
“Celebration of the Animals” is free and everyone is welcome. I think it piques the interest of many people. And while they might not attend a traditional service, some do come back for our special service the first Friday night of each month. It’s called a Musical Minyan, minyan being a quorum of people for prayer. We have guitar music and singing and following the service, a dairy vegetarian potluck shabbat dinner.
This program also received an award, a grant from the Jewish Community Foundation, which sponsors programs throughout Los Angeles that add to Jewish life. We use an innovative prayer book that children can understand, but that adults still find stimulating. It’s a wonderful evening, very spiritual.
We had to be a little flexible because in more traditional Judaism there is no music on the sabbath at all.
Another thing we do at our shul occurs at Yizkor, four times a year when we remember our loved ones who have died. Our congregants are also encouraged to remember pets who have died. Many are grateful for this opportunity.
Four years ago when I was looking for a congregation, it was very important to me that it be haimish, which means “just like home.” I am happy to say I have found that here.
For more information, contact the B’nai Tikvah congregation, 5820 West Manchester Ave., Westchester, at (310) 645-6262.
