On Saturday, June 4, Stephen Wise Temple was joined by the Greater Zion Church Family for an interfaith celebration. Our clergy, led by Senior Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback and Senior Cantor Emma Lutz, welcomed Greater Zion’s Pastor Michael Fisher and his musical Praise Team as the two communities marked Shavuot and the Christian holiday of Pentecost with an evening of fellowship and learning.
“It was really spectacular to have an interfaith celebration,” said Cantor Emma. “On Shavuot, we celebrate the reception of Torah and of our learning at Mt. Sinai, and at the same time of year, our Christian friends celebrate their connection with the Holy Spirit. It was such a beautiful evening of common purpose and joyful celebration and song.”
Pastor Fisher and Rabbi Yoshi have cultivated a strong friendship during their time as heads of their respective congregations and have brought the two communities together several times. In the wake of the George Floyd protests, Rabbi Yoshi and the Wise clergy stood in solidarity with Pastor Fisher during an event in Compton. Earlier this year, Rabbi Yoshi was a guest of the Greater Zion Church Family at a Sunday service.
On Saturday, Pastor Fisher shared a teaching gleaned from Deuteronomy 16-17, which says: “Three times a year all your men must appear before Adonai your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread [Passover], the Festival of Weeks [Shavuot] and the Festival of Booths [Sukkot]. No one should appear before Adonai empty-handed: Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way Adonai your God has blessed you.”
“Pastor Fisher taught that we are commanded by God, three times a year at the very least, to bring forth what we can manage,” said Cantor Emma. “Not only should we be bringing what we can manage to our communities, but how are we managing the things in our lives? How are we managing ourselves? How are we managing our families and relationships, not just the material things we might have brought to the Temple as an offering but also our spirituality, our religious practice, relationships? What stuck with me from that evening our focus on our sacred relationships, because it was so beautiful being there together with people from Wise, and also from Greater Zion.”
