Saturday, May 29, 2010

Coming to Know the Craziness Before Shabbat...

Friday, with heavy hearts, we packed our bags and said farewell to the Mishkan Shalom community, which we had come to know and love. We'll miss the food they gave us, the piano ghost (Rena exploring her piano talents unbeknownst to the other breakers), the pleasantly purple teen room, the chapel, which held our late night pillow talk, and most of all, their warm smiles that greeted us each morning! We wish them all well in their further endeavors!

We arrived at the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia to participate in a workshop on the controversy surrounding the Cross at Wren Chapel of William and Mary. Danielle did an amazing job leading us in a inquisitive discussion around present-day Interfaith conflicts, despite her recent loss of wisdom (teeth). Going into the discussion, we all felt that there seemed to be a clear answer to the problem, but when we analyzed the situation from multiple perspectives, we realized that the issue was more complex than it first appeared to be. Thank you Danielle!

We got to speak with Marjie, the project director of Walking the Walk, a program that encourages active Interfaith service in the community, especially amoung the youth. It was interesting to hear about the recent issues that have come up in the Interfaith center. We learned that symbols can be very powerful and must be used with caution and that Interfaith work is new and many aspects are still being worked out each day. It gave meaning to what we have been talking about and pushed us to understand the importance of sharing what we have learned on the trip with others.

After the workshop, we got the chance to visit the Cathedral that is next to the Interfaith Center. We were all awestruck by it's beauty, especially the stained-glass windows, the pipe organ, the floor, and the fountain of holy water.

Our next stop on Friday was New Jerusalem Now where we had been building gardens. We finally got to plant the herbs that Sister Margaret was very passionate about and learned a lot from Nic's expertise in horticulture. We all felt that gardening can be very therapeutic (from Kim's perspective) and relaxing. It was great to talk to Mohammed about his knowledge of the plant and animal kingdoms of our planet; he was very smart. We felt a great sense of accomplishment and hope for the garden and the positive change it will bring. Alex, along with some of the other breakers, felt a sense of deep connection with the tiger-like kitten that joined us at the center. We were pleasantly surprised when the community presented us with fruit and cakes to thank us for our work. It gave us a chance to sit, talk and eat with the members of the community and we learned a lot. Before we left, we all joined hands and shared our experiences and thoughts about the connections we made and work we had done. The community then led us in the Serenity prayer as a way of saying goodbye. We won't forget this inspirational community and wish them all success in their journeys.

The rest of the night was filled with military showers and cooking, all in the spirit of the Shabbat preparations. We attended service at Beth Am Israel, a conservative Jewish congregation. The cantor led us in beautiful song and prayer and the Rabbi was very welcoming and informative throughout the service. Afterwards, all of the members of the congregation came up to us and spoke with us about our trip and their faith. When we arrived back at Talia's home, Sister Maria and Danielle joined us breakers and her parents for the traditional Shabbat dinner. For some of it was the first time experiencing a Jewish service and Shabbat dinner. It was delicious and we thank her family for being so welcoming. We followed dinner with some great reflections about faith and the New Jerusalem community. We were struck by the similarities between the Christian services and Jewish services and Shabbat dinner, specifically the inclusion of wine and the breaking of the bread.

Falling asleep, one by one, we slowly ascended to our beds bringing the peacefulness of Shabbat into our dreams :-)

Shabbat Shalom!!!

Love,
Kim and Manka

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