Tales From a Garden Minyan

Borehamwood and Elstree enjoyed at least 7 different pop-up garden services during summer 2020. Here is the story of one of them.....  

Lockdown - pasta shortages and soughdough proving. The maximum 6 people per garden rule came into force on June 1st, 2020.  At last, a chance to socialise with a few friends, and partake in tea and cucumber sandwiches on the patio. Admission strictly via the side gate.

For those looking to start an outside minyan, it was simple: 6+6=12.

Within hours, garden minyanim sprang up. Fence panels were removed and privit bushes pruned to create a neighbourly link. Back garden owners and renters, armed with WhatsApp (and a weather app), began to juggle who would attend the services. Late additions, pleas for Bosman transfers and last minute drop outs needed to be managed. 13th (or even 14th) men sometimes hovered outside the gatepost to stay within the letter of the law.  No permissions were asked. "Don't ask, don't tell"  - for very different reasons to the US Military.

After attending my son's garden minyan in Edgware to mark my father's yartzeit in early June, it felt right time to set one up with our friends next door. My neighbour, Barry, tragically lost his sister Debra to Covid in March. A number of local community members had also lost close relatives during lockdown. Under government guidelines, visitors could not enter the shiva house to comfort them, and only a few at a time could visit in the garden. After hacking some hawthorn bushes, our first Friday evening service on June 14th included 7 men who were mourners. Under leaden skies, we could pray together as a small minyan. No masks needed, we could sing, and the mourners could say kaddish. Despite having been sunny for the previous few days (and the whole of May), it rained a little bit as evening fell. In fact, it rained to different degrees on each of the next 3 Friday nights we got together. The rain got a bit heavier once or twice, and we carried on under a willow tree - no rain stopped pray.

Preparations needed to get things ready for services were not the usual activities. First, a few flourishes of the secateurs. My green wheelie bin was filiing up with old branches and twigs to improve access and remove a less salubrious part of the hedge. Pews on my side comprised green plastic garden chairs. After a Friday afternoon scrub and wipe dry, they got turned upside down to keep off birds and possible raindrops. Cushions provide a little extra padding.

Remarkably, we managed to borrow a family owned sefer torah to start full weekly Shabbat morning services. Ladies were always welcome to join, seated behind an arboreal mechitzah. We even celebrated a couple of bar mitzvahs. All stood for the prayer for the Queen. Kiddush including socially distanced whisky and cake completed proceedings.  

We have always tried to keep to the prevailing government guidelines. On one occasion, a police helicopter flew over - you would have thought they have more important things to do on a Saturday morning. I had visions of the flying squad arriving to confiscate the Pimms.  

Our 2 family cats, Tabby and Simba, made appearances at various times, and have provided plenty of entertainment (sometimes too much). Simba generally only joined us for Friday nights; he likes to run under the chairs. Tabby is a rescue cat who grew up in a mosque, so a prayer service is probably familiar. Unfortunately, she does rather like to hunt birds. During the leining for Matot-masei, while the children of Israel were being commanded to attack the Midianites, she decided to capture a blackbird. This caused a few minutes of the remaining flock sending out loud warning calls which was a rather surreal moment. 

Post 4th July, places of worship started to reopen and up to 30 people were allowed to gather outdoors. Some fence panels were put back in place as ad hoc alfresco services were needed less. As soon as the United Synagogue restarted Friday night services, we stopped our Friday service as it would greatly impact their attendance. We carried on weekly Saturday mornings. Some prefered to return to shul, and new people came along, a few becoming regulars. Importantly, people who were shielding or disabled could always be included. 

 

Services carried on throughout the summer with a number of guest leiners and service takers. We had plans for up to 60 people for Rosh Hashana, but a week before, the introduction of the rule of maximum 6 per household including garden looked to be the end of the minyan, and the end of this blog.....

.....but readers, minor miracles do happen. 

We learnt of a process to apply for outdoor religious services through the country council in line with new national guidelines for the high holy days. Dowloaded the form, took photos, carried out a covid risk assessment and sent it off to Professor Jim McManus, Director of Public Health in Hertfordshire. Permission was received with 2 days to spare. We were very grateful and fortunate to live in Hertfordshire as many other authorities turned down all appications for outdoor religious activities A number of other local religious services were also permitted, as well as the Shofar on the Street. 

 

Rosh Hashana: 2 days of majestic warm sunshine. Around 12 men and 8 women in each garden. Complete service, but semi-skimmed to remove most additional prayers in small print. We had sent letters to the neighbours to inform them of our plans. When the 100 shofar blasts sounded, windows were opened to hear better instead of objects thrown. We were joined in particular by a number of younger people and some older congregants who would not get into mainstream synagogue services with limited capacity. A truly memorable experience under awe inspiring blue skies.

Yom Kippur: Cool and cloudy, but thankfully dry. During the day, a red kite hovered overhead, a red admiral perched on a tallit, and 8 cohanim blessed us.   

Succot: Buckets of rain, Buckets of tears

Got all them buckets comin' out of my ears (Bob Dylan) 💧

Met Office researchers stated that Saturday 3 October was the wettest day for UK-wide rainfall since records began in 1891, 

Shemini Atzetet: In cricket parlence, the garden was a bit of a pudding after a wet week. Singing hallel without masks made a big difference. Praying for rain (but not for us) was poignant; we only suffered a few drops.

Simchat Torah: It rained overnght, but a sunny morning. A Lot of scroll rolling having just the one. Some whisky was consumed.

Shabbat Bereshit: We have kept going from Korach to Genesis, from sun hats to thermals. This marked the end of our special permission for services as the leaves turned yellow and brown, and wetter and colder weather was setting in. We finished with a l'chaim.

Huge thanks to the many people who helped us with the leining, taking services, speaking, donation of kiddush as well as rabbinic support. We have held around 30 services, and welcomed more than 100 different people due to simchas, weekend visitors and yom tov services. If restrictions continue in religious establishments during 2021, we may resume when the weather and outdoor rules permit. Hopefully we can all get together indoors under more normal conditions in the near future.