Rabbi Fred Greene of our neighbor Reform congregation, Temple Beth Tikvah, recently invited us to share in an opportunity for interfaith dialogue with several Roswell churches. His invitation caught me at the perfect time as we are about to embrace the message of the Holy Days which concludes on Yom Kippur afternoon with “Love your neighbor as Yourself.”
Rabbi Greene explained that the goal of the encounters will be “to open the doors to each of our houses of worship to welcome our neighbors in an act of discovery of who we are and what we think as religious communities.” With so much growth in Roswell, this endeavor is an effort to build bridges among neighbors by introducing how we worship.
Each congregation will invite up to twelve people to participate in this program. Each month, the group will visit a different church or synagogue for a worship service. After the service, the host church/synagogue will offer lunch for the participants of this program. Representatives of the clergy are expected to host the group when the program is held at his/her own congregation. During this lunch, participants will be encouraged to sit with others not from their own church/synagogue. After some time being together, a member of the clergy will begin to facilitate a conversation that will touch upon how they worship at that church/synagogue, how the denomination started, what makes their house of worship special, etc. There will be time for questions and comments. The cost and food is still to be determined. If you are interested in participating, please contact me.
It is our hope that through this encounter and conversation, Jews and Christians might better learn to see each other as bearers of traditions worthy of study and understanding, to appreciate similarities and respect differences. This new era of engagement and hope can help in the ongoing process of eclipsing centuries of enmity, but only if the real work is now done in the pews and in our homes.
Coincidentally, at the same time I was communicating with Rabbi Greene, I was contacted by Sherry Frank, the retired Executive Director of the Atlanta Chapter of the American Jewish Committee, about another interfaith opportunity which will take place after the first of the year. It is being brought to Atlanta by the Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies. It is called “Reclaiming the Center.”
Approximately one hundred participants equally divided between the Christian and Jewish faiths will engage in a focused text study about Sacred Texts, Prayer and Worship and Israel. The Institute will provide specific curricular materials.
As you reflect upon your goals for the New Year during the High Holy Days, I hope you will consider becoming one of the participants in these unique opportunities for outreach and understanding.
The Winokur family wishes you a Shana Tova.
Rabbi Harvey J. Winokur
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