In 2001, while driving home to BatYam, near Tel Aviv, twenty-six-year-old Alte Nechama Malka

(“Malkie”) Wachsman was killed in anaccident. Among the hundreds of visi-tors at the mourning house of her dev-astated parents in Bnei Brak, a friendof her mother’s observed that Malkie’sinitials, A.N.M., comprise the word“Amen.” Her parents later realized thatthe word Amen (derived from theopening words of Shema—“Kel Melechne’eman”) is the essence of emunah,or faith.

Halachically, one is required torecite 100 blessings a day, but respond-ing “Amen” to another person’s blessingis equivalent to reciting the blessingoneself. In response to her daughter’sdeath, Rebbetzin Sara Meisels, thedaughter of the late Bobover rebbe,Rabbi Shlomo Halberstam, decided toshare the importance and power of theword Amen with others. With theencouragement of Rabbi ChaimKanievsky from Bnei Brak, a group ofwomen in that community began torecite the Morning Blessings togetherto enable each other to respond Amen.These meetings have since generated asea change among mainstreamOrthodox women. Such groups nowconvene every morning beforeShacharit at the Western Wall and else-

where in Israel. In May 2006, an AmenTefillah Conference in Jerusalem wasattended by thousands of women, andparallel events took place in Canadaand Australia.

Rosh Hashanah 2005: the move-ment spreads to the United States.Three women launch an Amen groupin a heavily Orthodox New York Citysuburb. Today, some sixty women showup every morning to say Amen to eachother’s fifteen Morning Blessings. Thesewomen include wives, mothers andgrandmothers—some with considerablefamily responsibilities, some who haveday jobs or are enrolled in university.

It is not a new concept to sayblessings aloud to enable another torespond Amen, nor is it new forwomen to pray together in the morn-

Gael Hammer, a writer and teacher, is afounder of the Women’s Tefillah Group inSydney, Australia, and has representedAustralia at JOFA conferences in New York.She has participated in several Amen Tefillahservices.

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Women’sIssues

THE AMENPHENOMENON

Throughout the world, groups of women are gatheringtogether to share the importance and power of Amen.

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ings. What is new is that for many oth-erwise ordinary women, it is becomingalmost addictive to begin the day byresponding Amen to the blessings ofother women.

Sandra Michaels,* a housewifefrom Queens, New York, is one of thefew Amen regulars with small children:“I used to agonize that I wouldn’t beable join the Amen group until mykids are out of preschool, and catchingearlier school buses,” she says. “I hadheard wonderful things about [thegroup], and I really wanted to go.Then, one day I arrived at 9 a.m.,forty-five minutes after [the davening]started, to say Tehillim for my friend’sson-in-law who was undergoing sur-gery. I found I was able to daven, with-out any phone calls or other distrac-tions, and I felt such a connection toall these special women.

“It feels like all of our tefillot aregoing up together. It is very powerfuland very addictive. So now I go almostevery day. When my husband or olderchildren are home, I get the treat ofbeing on time and experiencing thewhole program. If not, I just catch thedavening and Tehillim. Usually thereare a few women who make a separategroup for latecomers, giving me achance to say my berachot out loud andanswer Amen to others.”

Toba Ben David, a professionalartist from Queens who has beenattending the Amen group for over ayear, speaks enthusiastically about herexperience as well: “Throughout mylife, davening has been a serious busi-ness, but not long ago I began feelingthat it needed a major overhaul.Someone invited me to attend a localAmen group but I was unsure if I want-ed to commit at that time. When I wasasked by the same person again, I felt itmight be a message. Davening with andbeing inspired by these women withtheir commitment to a Torah-true lifehas had a tremendous impact on me,and subsequently on my family. It is anexperience like no other.”

There is a magnetic energyamong the group, which attractswomen seeking spiritual camaraderie.While there have been women whohave attended only once or twice anddecided it is not for them, the grouphas grown considerably over the pasttwo years. Some of the women who ini-tially decided not to return have reap-peared at a later date, when they havehad a need to seek that sort of support.

The fellowship in the groupgrows as the women share each other’sjoys and sorrows. Henya Tauber, a sin-gle mother who teaches preschool,explains that the group provides herwith a forum for spiritual support.“[The Amen group] wasn’t something Iwas looking for,” she says. “Someonesuggested I would belong there reli-giously, and it has really been so. I havebeen included in the semachot of sever-al members of the group. They havebecome my ‘spiritual’ friends! The rea-son it works for me is because it’s everysingle morning, same time, sameplace—like coming home.”

The format for the Amen grouphas evolved over time. Currently, fif-teen blessings are said by a leader, andall respond Amen. Individuals thenstand to say their blessings aloud, withthe group responding Amen to eachone. A short lesson follows the bless-ings, then a reading from a book onguarding one’s speech. Finally,Shacharit is finished individually andcharity is collected.

The women seem to benefitfrom each other’s presence. Not boundby numbers or by time, Amen groupsadd a deeper dimension to the fellow-ship of prayer.

Amen supper gatherings, calledMe-Ga-Esh, are also held on or closeto Rosh Chodesh, the night of the newmoon. At the suppers, five types offood and drink are served separately,allowing each person to say the appro-priate blessing over each food, and forall to respond Amen. Me-Ga-Esh is anacronym for the order of blessings saidon various foods.1 (Maga esh alsomeans “touch of fire” in Hebrew.)

Those who have young families canparticipate in these suppers more readi-ly than in morning Amen groups.

The first New York Amen groupevolved out of a shemirat halashonstudy group. Aviva Michaelson, a RegoPark lawyer, one of the group’sfounders, had been to two celebrationsin one family, eighteen months apart,and noticed a significant but elusivedifference in the same women guests.Apparently, sometime between the twocelebrations, the women had begun ashemirat halashon study group becausetwo children in their community hadbecome critically ill, and a rabbi sug-gested that learning the laws of guard-ing one’s speech could be helpful.Michaelson realized that these women’sconversations were, indeed, different atthe second celebration—the womenwere more careful about what they saidand spoke more kindly. Michaelsondecided to start a shemirat halashongroup in her own community.

The publication of Just One Wordby Esther Stern (Feldheim, 2005)emphasized how the word Amen canopen up the Heavenly Gates and bringabout positive changes. This publica-tion inspired the group to grow to thenext level.

What had perhaps the mostimpact on the group, however, wasRuth Jacobs’ trip to Israel. Jacobs, aparticipant of the shemirat halashongroup, attended the Amen grouporganized by Rebbetzin B. Kanievskyin Bnei Brak. Jacobs was deeplyinspired by the rebbetzin and the groupof righteous women she encounteredthere. Upon returning home rightbefore the Yamim Noraim, the Days ofAwe, she encouraged her shemirathalashon group to begin saying berachotaloud, as is done daily in Bnei Brak.“We reasoned it was Rosh Hashanahand we were doing it for teshuvah,repentance, for the past year,” saysJacobs. “We didn’t anticipate that itwas going to become [as big] as it istoday.”

The Amen group began with tenwomen. Malka Levy initally offered her

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* All names and identifying details have beenchanged to respect the group’s wish for privacy.

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home to the group for the ten daysbetween Rosh Hashanah and YomKippur. She has been hosting itever since.

Levy was especially interested inhosting the group because of her expe-rience the previous summer. VisitingIsrael, she decided to go to the Kotelevery morning for Shacharit. On thefirst day she did so, she witnessed anunusual sight. “It was very quiet at theKotel before 7 a.m. … But I noticedwomen coming towards me. I learnedthat they had arrived at 5 a.m. I decid-ed to join them. It was amazing. Theplace was filled with women who hadgotten up really early to be there.

“Then I noticed a group ofwomen in a circle. They were sayingberachot aloud and responding ‘Amen.’Another group of women was sayingPerek Shira. Yet another group was …explaining the meanings of the prayers.I was so moved. I wanted to bottle thefeeling, the inspiration, and bring ithome. And I wanted it to last with meevery single day of my life. How doyou perpetuate that? After returningfrom Israel on that spiritual high, yourlife becomes mundane again.

“So when my good friend RuthJacobs asked if we could get together inthe mornings to say Amen, I emphati-cally said, ‘Yes, and use my home forit.’ This was just what I wanted—tostart my day with that feeling. I amnot an early riser but in Israel I couldnot wait to begin davening at theKotel. I didn’t recognize myself. Andmy davening was like Neilah, theClosing Service on Yom Kippur, everysingle day.”

Levy feels honored to be hostingthe Amen group. “I am blessed that it isin my place,” she says. “It is a reason forme to get up in the morning joyfully.”

Initially, the group met at 6:30a.m. in the Levys’ library because theorganizers were afraid that if the meet-ings would take place later, participantswould not be able to attend because ofother responsibilities. After Sukkot, itbecame clear that a 6:30 a.m. startcould not be sustained, and the time

was changed to 8:15 a.m. But thosewho needed to meet earlier protested,so a second and third group were start-ed in two nearby communities.

Word about the Amen groupsspread, and the original group began tooutgrow the library. In the group’s newlocation in the Levy’s basement, a wall-sized photo mural of the Kotel wasinstalled. These days, on RoshChodesh, up to three hundred womenoften arrive, and the space seems elas-tic. Five smaller separate groups quick-ly form in different corners of the largeroom and begin reciting the blessings.Women come from all over, some trav-eling for up to forty-five minutes.

“And in the rain of Amen, Amen,Amen, Amen, Amen, I am moved totears,” says Levy. “If we average twohundred and fifty women saying Amenfifteen times and then add those whosay the blessings aloud individually,that means at least two hundred andeighty thousand Amens come out ofthis room on Rosh Chodesh.”

On Rosh Chodesh, the womenalso sing Hallel, the special psalms forthe festivals, offering an opportunityfor women with beautiful voices tolead the singing, a rare joy for bothsinger and participants. A speaker isthen followed by a small breakfast.

Amen groups are not interestedin publicity; even my request to inter-view the participants was regardedwith hesitancy. Women find out aboutsuch groups via word of mouth. Theoverall feeling at an Amen group isone of modesty and profound humili-ty in the presence of each other and ofthe Creator.

The movement seems to havepassed its tipping point and membersnow take ownership of it. One womanorganizes the Rosh Chodesh speakers;one looks after the books and tapesavailable to borrow; there is a commit-tee to distribute the tzedakah. In fact,the original New York group recentlyraised a remarkable $9,000 for youngcouples and families in need.

Chaya Brandwein, an accountantwho regularly attends the Amen group,

admits that she was hesitant aboutattending at first. Nevertheless, shestarted going and is thrilled that shedid so. “Being a shy person, I wasn’t socomfortable beginning my morningwith women I don’t know. But havingthe opportunity to say Amen to onehundred berachot a day was the pullfor me.…

“Why do women leave theirhomes in the early morning and raceto be there on time? I can’t explain itother than to say that there is kedushahin that room that just gets you in,emanating from the bond these womenhave created. And the bond embracesyou with ahavat Yisrael. … Unless youhave been there, you just can’t imaginewhat an effect the Amen group canhave on your life.” �JA

Postscript:Amen groups have now crossed

the globe. Rosh Chodesh Me-Ga-Eshsuppers have now been celebrated inSydney, Australia, and may soon be heldin Melbourne.

For further information aboutAmen groups, contacttheamengroup@yahoogroups.com.

Note:1. When bread is not served at a

meal, certain foods and their blessingsare given precedence. Traditionally,each blessing also represents a particu-lar request or prayer. ME–Mezonot(baked goods other than bread), repre-sents the prayer for parnassah or ade-quate income; G—Gefen (grape juiceor wine), represents the prayer for shid-duchim, or those needing to findspouses; A—Ha’adamah (berries andvegetables from the earth), representsthe prayer for longevity; E—Etz (fruitsfrom trees), represents the prayer forchildren; and SH—Shehakol (every-thing not covered by the other bless-ings), represents the prayer for any-thing the person wishes to pray for.

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