Danielle Berrin reports July 17 for the Jewish Journal’s new blog The Calendar Girls:
Throughout the service, there was a tinge of nervousness in the air. The music was louder than usual. Craig Taubman sweat a little more. Rabbi Brian Schuldenfrei thoughtfully tried to pronounce each guest’s name correctly, but slaughtered most of them anyway. All eyes were on the visitors and I wondered how they were feeling as they experienced this lively, musical romp through the Sabbath. I couldn’t help but think, if this is the first or last time they ever set foot in a synagogue, is this a good representation of Judaism? What will they remember? What will they think about how we pray?
Dr. Umar Ahmad Kasule, one of the visiting scholars, responds to Danielle:
Yeah! That was a great night for me as a person who had my first time in the Jewish temple that day. Indeed I shall want to remember the Jews as freindly people and not as trouble shooters in the middel east, a picture that I have always hitherto seen and known. Thank you Craig and the congregation who sang for peace. The African word for peace that was sung that night was "MIREMBE" from an East African language known as LUGANDA spoken in UGANDA.
Egypt’s Osama Yusuf posts:
Thank you Danielle..FNL was indeed a unique experience for me and hopefully it won’t be the last time I set foot in a synagogue. I really enjoyed the hospitality and the sense of solidarity among the members of the temple..Umar: I really liked the "Mirembe" part, mine was not that fun though, I was taken off-guards by Craig 🙂 I also would like to thank Rabbi Brian Schuldenfrei for the copy of Siddur Sim Shalom..
Well, I wish we had more time after the service to go into interfaith rather than political dialogue. I agree with you that there was a tinge of nervousness in the air even after the service, like the question on why we hate the Jews and what are we going to do about that with our governments..I believe that there are many stereotypes that need to be addressed in a nervouse-free atmosphere.
Question: Is it pathetic or noble that non-Orthodox Jews are so eager to pray with non-Jews (particularly blacks), including representatives of groups usually hostile to the Jews? In my view it is pathetic and noble, like me, like love itself, like Air Supply.
