On Friday, November 9, 2001, I visited Temple Beth Torah, a Jewish Synagogue. When I first walked in, I was amazingly surprised at it's modern atmosphere. We were welcomed in and we sat in the red cushioned seats. It was structured much like my Roman Catholic church, with it's candles, books, pews, flowers, canters, choir, and some of the sayings were the same. For example, they said "Amen" and "Blessed be his Kingdom Forever". Also, the walls looked like our stained glass windows. .
Most of what they said was in Hebrew, but I could understand what they were feeling because of their tone.
One big difference that drew my attention was the center attraction above the bema, the catholic alter. It was a burning bush with a golden background. Enclosed behind it was the torah. The wall behind that was a light blue mosaic. .
At one point during the service, the Rabbi remembered all the lost loved ones. If one of the members stood up, he would point at them and they would say the name of someone they know who was not yet mentioned. This reminded me of a tradition from the Methodist Church attend. Except there they say to pray for someone who is sick or needs their prayers. I really like this tradition, because it gives everyone a chance to participate in the service.
The night we came to visit, they were remembering Kristallnacht, which means "night of broken glass". On Nov. 9, 1938, Kristallnacht began the Holocaust. This was remembered by a little play at Temple Beth Torah. I listened attentively to the stories they told. During one story a girl who was raised Christian was killed because her father was Jewish. This story affected me greatly because my grandfather is Jewish and I have Jewish blood. After the play, the Rabbi asked the survivors of the Holocaust to stand and be acknowledged.
"9/97 zzu g/ h,5' 79" which means, Know whom before you stand" was written above the Bema in Temple Beth Torah.
This visit gave me a chance to see a unique culture and religion.
