Different orientations join for Shabbat

Nearly 300 members of 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 — Noach — introduces the word “family” for the first time.

They shared a Shabbat dinner in the grand ballroom of Temple Beth El on Friday night, and a an afternoon meal at Congregation Beth Sholom.

Rabbi Kenneth Hain, leader of Beth Sholom for 26 years, along with the new spiritual leader of the Cedarhurst synagogue, Rabbi Matt Futterman, coordinated the events.

“It expressed for me what this Shabbat was about,” said Hain. “A family has internal issues, but it is sweet to sit down with your brothers and sisters to break bread together.”

Shabbat Noach was The Shabbos Project weekend, a bid for international Jewish unity in which all Jews, regardless of their level of observance, were urged to celebrate Shabbat together. The Five Towns was alive with project-related activities.

The Shabbat Project encouraged frum families to participate with their less observant friends and neighbors.

Members of Cedarhurst and Lawrence 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 synagogues in the past, including an adult education program that ran for a number of years, but that last weekend’s gathering truly broke down barriers.

“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 synagogue 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.”

 Futterman and Hain said that more joint efforts could be on the horizon, including an event in February.