PublicSpaceasSacredSpace What makes a public space sacred?

In the case of Occupy Wall Street, Zuccotti Park has come to represent human aspirationmembers from almost every strata of society striving to improve the collective status quoand that common goal combined with the generosity of spirit felt within the parks city block boundaries manifests a space that is sacred. This sacred quality is quite palpable. Various faith-based groups have heeded its pull. Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Native Americans, and Christians alike have been inspired to collectively observe and demonstrate their religious convictions within the political and very public context of Occupy Wall Street. On just one day in late October, a group of over 100 Muslims gathered for a Friday prayer rally, followed by a Jewish group of similar size that used Occupy Wall Street as the setting for its Simchas Torah ritual. The Muslims wanted to let the world know that they were active participants in a movement based on social justice from the beginning. The consortium of political and religious associations spoke through its action of prayer. Seated on knees on a large floor covering, the group evoked solidarity with one another but also with this multi-dimensional and diverse movement. Simchas Torah is the culmination in the Jewish calendar of the 3-week period of atonement and recognition of the new yearthe moment during which the Torah is the main attraction. For many, the days celebrations include dancing with the Torahpreferably in public. An hour later, a Jewish group of similar size celebrated Simchas Torah, a lesser known Jewish holiday that culminates a 3-week period of atonement and recognition of the New Yearand a day in which the Torah is the main attraction. I was there. I love the fervor that builds during this celebration and looked forward to combining my enthusiasm for horas with my enthusiasm for the OWS protest. The plan was to unfurl the torah scroll from both ends simultaneously until they met again on the opposite side. Participants holding the top and bottom of the parchment paper soon formed a huge circle, defined by the precise length of the scroll. Our spiritual leader began to run around the inside of the circle as he read from the sacred text, relaying highlights chronologically. Often, he couched his paraphrases in a social justice context, creating connections between our sacred history and the political movement on whose symbolic ground we stood. Eventually, we rolled up the scroll and danced with it. Performing this ceremony in such a public setting, made it inherently sacred. We infuse spaces to be sacred and then those spaces give us strength to

aim higher.

The plan for the afternoon was to unfurl the torah scroll from both ends simultaneously until they met again on the opposite side of the circle. Amichai asked us to form a circle. Immediately, a man walked over and expressed doubt about this being the whole Torah. I reminded him that the enormity of the space easily dwarfed us and the sacred scroll. Muslim wedding in OWS gives it the potential to become sacred a vital force in our own time balance of public vs private. Generous spirit of a space dedicated to common ground, communing, sharingwhether it is a glance or a conversation how well does it represent and encourage human aspiration. Ows celebrated the human aspirationit screams out the desire for the betterment of our society. Like the transition of an otherwise small and unobtrusive open space into a politically charged nexus for activism, Zuccotti Park, during its reign as headquarters for Occupy Wall Street, has often transformed into a sacred space. Public space as sacred space is not unheard of. In fact, because of its intense vitality, it has drawn a range of fervent behavior. Because of its sense of a generosity of spirit and as a place dedicated to the betterment of society, it has at many points, become a sacred space. ___________ Amichai Lau-Levie, founder and leader of Storahtelling, specializes in preserving the sanctity of a ritual while subverting it. His interpretation of Simchas Torah was no different. Amichai announced on Facebook that he would be showing up at Occupy Wall Street with a Torah, and that everyone was welcome. After wandering around Zuccotti Park in vain, I asked at the information desk if they had seen a man with a Torah. The woman on shift for the afternoon said no, but that I wasnt the first person to ask her that question. Finally, I found a person in the know and was led across the street to the Brown Brothers Harriman Plazaonce famous for its Isamo Noguchi red cube balanced on one point now infamous for spillover activity of Occupy Wall Street.