Building unity by breaking bread

It was altogether fitting that congregants from the Orthodox Congregation Beth Shalom in Lawrence and the Conservative Temple Beth El in Cedarhurst shared meals and got acquainted on the very Shabbos weekend that the designated Torah potion introduces the word “family” for the first time.
Nearly 300 members of the synagogues shared a Shabbat dinner in the grand ballroom of Temple Beth El last Friday, and a similar number had an afternoon meal at Congregation Beth Sholom the following day.
Rabbi Kenneth Hain, the spiritual leader for the past 26 years at the shul in Lawrence, along with Rabbi Matt Futterman, the new spiritual leader of the Cedarhurst temple, coordinated the events. Futterman succeeded Rabbi Sholom Stern, who stepped down earlier this year.
“It expressed for me what this Shabbat was about,” Hain said. “A family has internal issues, but it is sweet to sit down with your brothers and sisters to break bread together.”
Both rabbis noted that their respective sects of Judaism differ in some aspects, but when the labels are peeled away and there is genuine interaction, misunderstandings and disagreements tend to lessen. “I think we are laying the groundwork to learn more about our communities,” Futterman said. “There are preconceived ideas and misconceptions, but there are enough parts in common, and that’s where our focus is. It’s good to know we have partners, and what we have in common is to create a stronger Jewish community.”

Members of the synagogues got to know one another at both Shabbat meals, and there was much singing and dancing. “It’s a wonderful thing to bring together different parts of the Jewish community that don’t always get together,” said Eddie Edelstein, who has been Temple Beth El’s executive director for the past three years and a member for more than 30 years. “We hope to really capitalize on all that we have in common and encourage sharing between congregants that live right down the road from one another.”
Hain said that there have been joint community efforts between temples in the past, including an adult education program that ran for a number of years. But last weekend’s gathering truly broke down the barriers between these neighbors, according to Hain. “This most recent effort was the most interactive in a very human way,” he said, adding that this kind of event is needed at a time when disagreements between the diverse movements of Judaism create more division than collaboration. “We are confronted with such great challenges such as declining numbers, we need to bring ourselves together in any way we can.”
Futterman, who began his tenure at Temple Beth El on Aug. 1, previously led a Conservative temple in Chicago. “For the past six years we had a relationship with a local Orthodox synagogue,” he said. “I never thought in the Five Towns we would investigate that kind of relationship. I’m so excited we are reaching out.”
The rabbis said that more joint efforts could be on the horizon, including an event in February.