On Sunday night I went to the 80th Anniversary celebration for the Beth Jacob Synagogue. Founded in 1929, the Synagogue has had a long a fruitful ministry in the city. They marked the occasion by choosing to honor two longtime community servants. Sister Mary Ann Guertin and Stanley Israelite were recognized for their lifetime of service and gifts were given in their honor. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Senator Chris Dodd were on hand for the event.
I had a small part in the service and read a responsive psalm. Rabbi Charles Arian got a laugh from the congregation when he introduced me by saying that the Jews and Catholics were well represented in the service but they needed to have a token Protestant. I picked up the ball and said I was honored to be that token. I also shared the fact that it was another Rabbi from Beth Jacob who welcomed me to Norwich about 24 years ago. I then thanked them for embracing me and setting an example of what it means to be together in ministry.
Our congregation has always had a good relationship with our Jewish brothers and sisters. Rev. Douglas Howell, my predecessor, was very friendly with the Rabbi at Beth Jacob. We even did pulpit exchanges with them in the early 1980's. Go back a little bit further and you will find that Rev. Percy Kilmister was called "A friend of the Jews" in the Norwich Bulletin. Our congregation was always friendly with the Jewish families living on the West Side. The Orthodox Synagogue was located across the street and we stood as pillars of faith for all those who journeyed from downtown to the West Side.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment