“Occupy Shabbat” is an activity organized by Noam Dolgin.
The activity itself is very simple. A group meets in the meditation tent at the Occupy Vancouver site. For 30 minutes, we sing the Kabbalat Shabbat/ma’ariv service, and for 30 minutes we discuss a Jewish text connecting Shabbat with justice. Approximately 30 people participate.
We do not stand on the steps of the Art Gallery. We do not use the PA system. We do not make a speech. We do not announce our presence. We do not round up people from the site to join us. We do not name our employers as sponsors or supporters.
We do explore what it means to “occupy,” that is, really “dwell” in Shabbat, the way the Torah does. In Torah’s world, Shabbat is fair labor legislation, environmental protection and a model for economic regulation. (Read about it briefly here.) The kaleidoscope of issues raised by the Occupy movement brings us back to this very literal reading of Torah.
Why go down to the site itself?
Nonviolent direct action can take many forms, including “symbolic protest” and “civil disobedience.”
A symbolic protest calls attention to a specific issue without breaking any laws. It’s most effective if the symbolism is easy to read.
In Vancouver, public economic dialogue has focused recently on homelessness and on the cost of middle-class housing.
A tent city in a space that is Vancouver’s protest space, expressive arts space, celebration space, and high-end tourist space clearly calls attention to our city’s most pressing economic issues.
Originally, the tent city was meant to show support for Occupy Wall Street, where a key message is, “this world belongs to us as well as to you, and we will bear witness until regulations and systems help protect us too.”
But Vancouver is a different city, located in a different country, where regulation is less of an issue. Here, the tent city takes on its own local meaning.
On Saturday, a young homeless woman died at the site, possibly from a drug overdose.
A medic volunteering at the site says he hopes this death will not shut down the site.
Some protestors say the loss calls attention to the problems of homelessness and addiction.
Homelessness and addiction knock on Or Shalom’s door, too. Occasionally someone spends the night in the green space of our garden. More often, someone comes to the door seeking food, money, a spiritual moment, and a respectful welcome. Rarely, someone with a drug-induced hallucination wanders into the lane, and we call a medic to help them.
Recently, we have improved Or Shalom’s gates, locks, and lights.
But when people’s needs shine brightly, the least we can do is contribute to the citywide effort to provide better services. We can lend ourselves to drives and donations, and use our communication skills to help make needs known.
Speaking only for myself: that is why I have responded positively to Occupy Vancouver’s symbolic protest — even knowing that some of the protestors read the symbols differently.
On Friday afternoon, however, just a few hours before Shabbat, the status of the protest was not clear. Was it still a symbolic protest?
The Vancouver Sun reported that the protestors were gradually complying with the fire department’s request to remove large tarps and unoccupied tents. CTV, on the other hand, reported that a spokesperson for the protestors called the tent city an autonomous zone, not bound by fire department regulations or directives.
If CTV had been correct, the protest would have become an act of “civil disobedience,” in which protestors purposefully break laws they consider unjust.
Noam and I agreed that if the protest had indeed become illegal, we would move the Shabbat service.
When we arrived, however, all the tarps had been removed, the space was organized, the mood was peaceful, and police officers were hugging protestors.
So we slipped into the tent to welcome Shabbat, in the fullness of all its meanings.
Photo: Vancouver Sun, Nov 6, 2011.
