A Meditation from Spring, 2004

Why Temple Israel and Coral Gables Congregational Church are Worshipping side by side on this Good Friday/Passover Shabbat

We have never received so much mail over anything. The movie, “The Passion of the Christ,” has had every copier of every Jewish defense agency and every rabbinic organization on overload for weeks. Christian publishers have inundated us with “how tos” discussing every aspect of the movie, long before it came out. By the time we talked to each other, we were both annoyed. It had become difficult to differentiate between the promotion of the movie and the reaction against the movie. We tried to duck but finally realized we could not. After a few e-mails back and forth -- “What can we do together?” -- Temple Israel invited Coral Gables Congregational Church to its sanctuary on Good Friday, April 9.

Because interfaith relations in Miami have been friendly for decades, in large measure because of the excellent work of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, now the National Conference of Community and Justice, we decided we could take our friendship a step beyond a panel discussion. We could worship, respectfully, together as a signal that Christians and Jews can live without hate, especially on these days during Holy Week and Passover.

This is a small signal to project against the modern day Passion play: two congregations worshipping together in Miami against 2,800 screens across America. Passion plays have a history of provoking violence on Good Friday. It used to be Jews stayed home in Europe to avoid the mobs of anti-Semites. Today, hopefully, we have matured. Passion plays can bring out Christians and Jews to share with each other.

Jews could have produced a counter-passion play of their own. Rabbi Akiba, the greatest of the rabbis of the second century, was killed by the Romans at the stake, the flesh ripped from his body with rakes of steel. Akiba died a hero’s death, words of God on his lips, but far better he should have lived another twenty years to teach another generation of students. The world would have been better for it. And better a movie depicting the teachings of his life rather than the horror of his death.

So, rather than produce a counter-passion play, we are worshipping together on Good Friday evening. At 6:45 a Christian service of Good Friday at Temple Israel, followed at 8 p.m. with a Shabbat service, with both choirs and both congregations present. Why?

Reason One: We know the difference between anti-Semites and Christians. Christians see the message of Jesus in his life, not his death. We know Jesus as a preacher of love and tolerance. We hear in his teachings an echo of the most passionate expressions of the prophets. We remember that Jesus was a Jew.

Reason Two: We want to experience the best of each other’s faith in liturgy. Jews need not fear Christians or Christians Jews. Each of us has a profound faith to contribute to civilization as a whole.

Reason Three: We want each community to experience the worship of the other, each faith standing in its own light.

Reason Four: We want something positive to come from this entire furor – a teaching of love and acceptance rather than hate and fear.

The public is welcome to attend both services and to enjoy a little sign of a big reality: God teaches love, not hate. God is about life not death.

Temple Israel is at 137 NE 19th Street, near the new Performing Arts Center.

[At the time this was published Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper was] Senior Pastor of the Coral Gables Congregational Church. Rabbi Mitchell Chefitz is spiritual leader of Temple Israel of Greater Miami.