‘It’s like feeling the arms of your creator just wrapped around you’: a visit to a special healing Shabbat

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Members of Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham gathered recently for their traditional Friday Shabbat service. But this particular service was different, as could be seen by all the people dressed in their finest pink – suits, dresses, ties, scarves, and kippahs.

The occasion was Temple Emanu-El’s annual Pink and Teal Shabbat, a service to invoke healing for those battling illness. 

Sylvia Wright started the service at Temple Emanu-El after she attended a conference and learned about Sharsharet, an organization that facilitates community and spiritual support for Jewish women facing breast and ovarian cancers. 

“The healing part of this service extends even further. It is for anyone in need of healing, whether from illness, emotional pain, loss, or simply the struggles of daily life,” Wright said.

Jan Hirsch was one of the women who participated.

“Last year, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. So I’m very grateful to be here to say this prayer tonight,” she said before her reading.

Given the special occasion, Rabbi Adam Wright (no relation to Sylvia Wright) pulled out a tallit, a special prayer shawl to form a covering for anyone who wanted to congregate under it for a  blessing. 

“We haven’t done this in a while,” he explained during the service. “But it’s going to be intimate and beautiful.”

Vicki Lugar said it’s a memorable moment.

“It’s really very loving. It’s like feeling the arms of your creator just wrapped around you and it’s just beautiful,” Lugar said.

After the service concluded, congregants came together for an oneg, a festive gathering to catch up and enjoy refreshments. 

One of the participants in the service was Roxanne Travelute, who is an internist and breast cancer survivor. When she was going through cancer treatment, members of the Temple Emanu-El community supported her with cards, meals and drove her to chemotherapy treatments. 

The experience has influenced how she shows up for her patients. 

“One of my patients just this week was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and she’s losing her hair right now,” Travelute said. 

Travelute offered her patient her old headscarves.

Sylvia Wright was proud of the service. 

“People come up to me and tell me they love it and it’s such a nice service,” she said. “It does help your faith and your soul. I think that’s beautiful.”

Vahini Shori is a Report for America corps member covering faith and culture for WBHM.

This reporting is supported by WBHM’s Local Journalism Innovation Fund. Find out more about the fund and how to donate here.