New chapel will embrace all faiths
By
Anne Orgren
Originally
printed in the Saratogian,
September 22, 2001
Rabbi
Laurence Aryeh Alpern, of Temple Shabbat Shalom, plans
to build an Interfaith Chapel in Porter Corners.
The
chapel was originally planned as a site for interfaith
wedding ceremonies, a sanctuary for interfaith couples
and families, and a place for educating children. In light
of the attacks on the World Trade Center, Alpern feels
that the interfaith chapel will serve another purpose
as well.
''I
would invite Muslims and Christians to pray with us. We
will worship together and study each other's religions.
We can defeat fanatic fundamentalism with knowledge,''
he said.
Alpern's
willingness to perform interfaith weddings, as a co-officiant
in a Christian church with visible Christian symbols,
is unique in the Capital District. Alpern says that he
performs ''traditional co-officiated weddings.''
Because
he performs interfaith wedding ceremonies, Alpern, formerly
the Conservative rabbi of Saratoga Springs, is unaffiliated
with any specific Jewish movement.
Rabbi
David Senter, the current Conservative rabbi of Saratoga
Springs, is a close friend of Alpern's. Senter would not
perform an interfaith wedding ceremony, but he would refer
couples to Rabbi Alpern.
''When
two people have fallen in love,'' says Senter, ''the community
needs to do everything possible to help them be part of
the Jewish community, while abiding by Jewish law.''
Senter
explained the traditional Jewish view of interfaith marriages.
''There are rabbis that view intermarriage as a heinous
plot to destroy the Jewish people,'' said Senter.
According
to traditional Jewish law, intermarriage is forbidden.
Many rabbis refuse even to refer interfaith couples to
Rabbi Alpern, feeling that they must not assist a Jew
in marrying a non-Jew.
Contrary
to traditional Jewish belief, Alpern sees an interfaith
marriage as ''a tremendous opportunity for another Jewish
home to exist in this world.''
Alpern
says that interfaith marriage is ''the most misunderstood
issue in modern Judaism. The myth is that if a Jew marries
a
non-Jew, then that person is leaving Judaism. This is
not true. Often the Christian (partner in the marriage)
wants more Judaism in the home.''
Alpern
has also found that ''the Sabbath is warmer and more home-oriented
in Jewish/Christian homes than when I was the Conservative
rabbi of Saratoga Springs.''
According
to Alpern, interfaith families are more likely to consider
the Sabbath to be family time.
Alpern
tells of a wedding he performed in Ottawa between a Jewish
bride and an Anglican groom. The brother of bride had
also married an Anglican, and Alpern was invited to a
dinner at the bride's brother's house. The family lit
Shabbat candles and sang in the Jewish tradition. Behind
the Shabbat candles, there was a cross on the wall.
When
Alpern's wife gave him a questioning look, he whispered
to her, ''This is why we do this.''
Alpern's
philosophy is truly ecumenical. Priests and Protestant
ministers are invited to the services for the Day of Atonement,
as the congregation prays together for every individual
in the world.
After
the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon,
Alpern said, ''My heart goes out to the Islamic community
of the Capital District. We need to remind everyone that
Islam means peace. I pray for the peace of the world,
and my Muslim friends are welcome (in the synagogue).''
Rabbi
Alpern's inclusive philosophy has earned him a large and
widespread congregation. Alpern states that his congregation
comprises more than 600 families worldwide, living in
in such far-flung areas as Paris, Colorado, Connecticut,
Canada and Belgium.
Alpern
has come up with a creative solution to the problem of
a congregation separated by geography: a ''cybersophisticated''
chapel.
When
Alpern builds the interfaith chapel, he plans to include
the capacity for live webcasts for people who can't be
physically present.
Congregation
members around the world will be able to join together
by watching the webcasts from their homes; Alpern says
that this is ''the only way for everyone to be together.''
Alpern
also plans to use the live webcasts during wedding ceremonies.
Often, loved ones are unable to attend weddings because
of distance or infirmity. A relative in a nursing home,
for example, could watch a live Web cast of a wedding
and so be included in the ceremony.
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