Breaking bread, building bridges

This past Friday, as the setting sun shone into the high windows of Shaarey Zedek Synagogue, Cantor Leslie Emery opened a pair of sliding brass doors at the front of the sanctuary to reveal six scrolls wrapped in coverings embroidered with Hebrew letters.

Five of the scrolls contain the complete Torah — the first five books of the Hebrew Bible — handwritten with a quill and ink on parchment. Some of the scrolls are more than 100 years old. The congregation reads aloud from these scrolls several times a week.

“When we read the stories of the Bible, when we read the stories of the prophets, when we observe Jewish holidays, we’re actually recounting the history of our ancestors,” Emery said. Every Friday evening a rabbi and a cantor lead the congregation in a prayer service to welcome the Sabbath. This particular Friday was different. The service was part of an interfaith exchange. Half of those gathered in the room were Jews, the other half were Christians. Twenty-five members of the Charleswood United Church joined the congregation of Shaarey Zedek Synagogue for worship, followed by a meal. Next month, 25 members of the synagogue will do the same at Charleswood United.

“We’re not walking into each other’s buildings trying to persuade one another to join our religion. That’s not what it’s about,” Rabbi Carrie Rose said. “We want to be in fellowship, sharing what makes us tick, what makes us feel, what makes us special and unique.”

“We’re recognizing that there’s been some tensions and difficulties for the Jewish community in Winnipeg, and we want to be part of the resolution to that, to be neighbours and friends,” Charleswood United Rev. Michael Wilson said.