Reflection on our Faith House “Tour Bus” visit to a Romemu Shabbat, November 11, 2011
by Frank Fredericks, Faith House Community Development Administrator
A bit late, I briskly walked into the West End Presbyterian Church to escape the piercing cold that juxtaposed sharply to the unusually warm weather we’d been having this November. It was Friday night, and I was attending the third stop of the Faith House Manhattan Bus Tour, which were the Shabbat services with Romemu, a Renewal Jewish congregation.
As Medina, my fiance who had been patiently waiting for me, and I took our seats, I began to take in the music, which was different than any Shabbat service I’ve been to. As an evangelical Christian, that’s not many. First, I noticed that there were instruments playing to support the singing; a cajón, piano, and a Spanish-style guitar. While it may sound like an ensemble for a flamenco groove set at your local cafe, the free flowing singing, complete with impromptu harmonies and people dancing in the aisles, reminded me more of my home church in Portland, where I’m from. Perhaps the fact that we were in a church contributed to this feeling. All this distracted me, as I thumbed through the song book trying to keep up with the prayers and songs, which everyone else seems to have memorized. Yet, never did I feel like a stranger among the congregants.
At this point I looked over to Medina next to me, to find her equally as perplexed navigating the book, although as a Muslim she had a leg up on me being more apt at navigating from right to left, as the book’s pages commenced. I wondered if she felt as comfortable as I did, being a bit less familiar with Jewish traditions and liturgy. It was about that time when in between songs Rabbi David Ingber began quoting Rumi, followed by a song repeating the words, “Shalom, Peace, and Salaam.” After thumbing through the book trying to follow, I deduced this was spontaneous. A smile on her face confirmed her approval of the experience.
As services wrapped up, we were invited to join the congregation for a potluck dinner, which included a smorgasbord of casseroles, pastas, and Indian take out, all vegetarian. After stopping by the washing bowls to clean our hands, Medina and I sat at a long table near some young members of the congregation, one pursuing a career in acting, the other a phD candidate at New York University, my alma mater. After a final blessing, the challah bread was broken and past, while other’s began pouring the wine. Like a host with guests from afar, Rabbi Dabvid Ingber made sure to make the round and greet all of us visiting from Faith House personally. While looking down at the challah bread in one hand and the wine in the other, I came to the realization that it took a rabbi to quote Rumi in a church for me to fulfill my own requirement as Christian, my challah communion.
