Over the years I have been privileged to participate in a
number of Jewish Passover—Seder—services. I have been a guest at synagogues,
and at the home of a Rabbi. The church I served held such a service for our
members each year. We used the Haggadah (words and actions for the service) supplied
by the local synagogue. The typical service is based on the contemporary
implications of a retelling of the H
flight from Egypt, and centers on a symbolic meal.
This year again our community Seder was held, not at the
local synagogue, but at the Islamic Center, and was sponsored by the “Working
Group on Middle East Peace.”
Leaders of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious bodies have come together in recent years to plead for mutual acceptance in a world where religious hostility seems to be epidemic. Community Seders may be common, but this is the only one I know about that is held yearly on the grounds of a Mosque. If you know of others, let me know.
Leaders of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious bodies have come together in recent years to plead for mutual acceptance in a world where religious hostility seems to be epidemic. Community Seders may be common, but this is the only one I know about that is held yearly on the grounds of a Mosque. If you know of others, let me know.
Instead of trying to describe the distinct nature of the
event, let me offer a couple of the introductory quotes from the text of the
service. These passages clearly show the underlying purpose of having this
Jewish rite held in a Muslim setting with Christian participation.
How good and pleasant
to dwell together as one, from Psalm 133. In Hebrew “Hine tov umah nayin, shevet, achim gam yachad.” All songs were introduced
in Hebrew, under the direction of our brilliant local Cantor, and repeated in the various languages of those in the
assembly.
LEADER—(The cantor.) “At
this sacred moment, Muslims, Christians and Jews gather together with other
members of our diverse community to free ourselves of the ancient plague of
darkness… It is important to acknowledge that the texts and teaching of all
faiths are vulnerable to manipulation by violence extremists … All our
religious traditions share the basic values necessary to create a world where
tolerance and peace prevail. … We come to celebrate the message of
freedom—through which must come truth and reconciliation.”
Short readings were offered from Moses, Jesus and Mohammed. While
the service tried to be faithful to the Jewish nature of the feast, in the
background throughout were two clear albeit quietly articulated concerns. (1) The
widespread anti-Islamic vituperations, whose sole purpose is to spread suspicion
and bitterness. (2) The desperate need for a solution to the Near-East crisis,
ultimately culminating in two nations side by side.
So while the world is plagued by bitterness, division and bloodshed,
for us in this city the Seder was a testimony that the hatred stops here, and
that for us there must be exhibited a better path to solving seemingly
unsolvable problems. While there may be those around us whose distrust rules
their lives, and where even American foreign policy takes one side against the
other, in this community there are hundreds of peace-makers calling for a
different agenda. And our local “Working Group for Middle East Peace” in this
service is living out what the heart of all authentic religions hold—We are one
people.
In the middle of the joyful service, we were reminded once
again of the horror of religious bigotry with news that a white supremist had
just murdered several people at a Jewish Center outside Kansas City. The irony
was that all three of the murdered victims were Christians. Hatred has no
boundaries.
Charles Bayer
No comments:
Post a Comment