Jewish Root
Sunday, January 18, 2009 at 07:13PM On Friday night, I attended Shabbat (Sabbath) service with my Mom and Dad at Congregation Sherith Israel in San Francisco. My parents have been members at CSI for nearly 30 years. It's probably been nearly that long since I've attended a Jewish worship service; my youngest brother Stephen's bar mitzvah ceremony may have been the last time.
I had forgotten how musical and full of poetry Reform Jewish services are. On Friday, every reading from the Mishkan T'Filah was a poem and in between readings and speakers are many songs, led at CSI by their cantor, Rita Glassman, whose vocal range runs from pretty piccolo to full-bodied clarinet.
I hadn't forgotten how warm and welcoming and eager for conversation Jewish people tend to be, and wasn't disappointed Friday night. From Senior Rabbi Lawrence Raphael to staff member Carrie Rice, and a former UC Berkley professor named Charna with whom I spoke for 15 minutes or so during the Oneg Shabbat before service, I felt like a part of the family.
Having thoroughly enjoyed the joyous experience of worshipping God and reflecting on my relationship with Him at Congregation Sherith Israel, I am reminded that soon I should begin a series of posts on the relationship between Judaism and Christ.
Reader Comments (1)
Hello there,
Got a message on Twitter and decided to check out your site - very interesting background and read through a few posts and love your comments on the Bible.
Myriam