It is summer and, therefore, wedding season here at Beth Tzedec. Chances are that if you can’t find your spiritual leaders, we are standing under a chuppah as two wonderful individuals become a family. 

One of the reasons people get married can be found in Bereishit, chapter two. In verse 18 God says לֹא־ט֛וֹב הֱי֥וֹת הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְבַדּ֑וֹ, it is not good for people to be alone. Yet as Jews, we have been feeling alone for a while now, as we have watched antisemitism become normalized—at music festivals, in school boards and on the streets of our city. 

Last week, I learned we are not as alone as we think. 

Along with Rav Baruch and Reb Steve, I participated in the Simeon Institute’s Jewish-Christian Leaders Summit, which was co-sponsored by CIJA and Cardus, a Christian think tank.  Interestingly, the entire concept was birthed by Cardus, specifically Father Deacon Andrew Bennett, out of a deep concern about rising antisemitism in Canada.

Just over 100 Canadian Christian and Jewish faith leaders participated, divided just about 50/50. The goals of the summit were threefold:

1.  Establish greater awareness among Christian leaders of the state and forms of antisemitism in Canada today and how antisemitism impacts not only Canadian Jews and our institutions but also our culture and our common life as Canadians.

I was part of a small group that included Rabbi Adam Cutler and about 5 Christian leaders, including Pastor David Larmour, who has become a friend to our community. Rabbi Cutler and I both shared how every day we have conversations with our congregants about the impact of antisemitism on their lives. We can’t hide from it. It seems to get worse, and it has become normalized.

The Christian leaders understood the security situation we Jews now need in our institutions, as the event was held at the Prosserman JCC. On any given Sunday, they just walk into their churches, whereas during this conference, they encountered countless levels of security just to enter the JEWISH CC.

2.   Establish greater awareness among Jewish leaders of the breadth and forms of Christianity in Canada and the motivation for Christian leaders to combat antisemitism.

The leaders I met told me they felt and knew they were doing the right thing. We learned that Pastor Larmour wears his yellow hostage pin every single day, not just because of the summit. I noticed he was wearing an Am Israel Chai blue rubber bracelet. 

He told us that on the weekend of our UJA Walk for Israel, his church held Saturday night worship instead of Sunday morning so they could walk with and support our community. 

Reb Steve and I were both out of town for the Walk. The Pastor did not join the walk to be with his friends. He did it to stand with our community. Rabbi Cutler and I both teared up when he shared this with our group. I looked at him and said, “Thank you”.

I also learned that since October 7, a new friend, Reverend Jesse Parker, the parish priest of St John the Evangelist Anglican Church in Port Hope, preaches once a month from the “Hebrew Bible.” He wants to dwell in the space with his Jewish brothers and sisters.

He told us that on October 8 (remember it was a Sunday), he spoke from his pulpit about the ongoing attacks. Because the pogrom, the massacre was still ongoing. Later, he got an email from a retired priest who said something along the lines of: Are you sure the Arabs’ anger against the Jews wasn’t justified? Reverend Parker revealed to us that he couldn’t just rebuke a 75-year-old man who had probably been walking around with such ideas in his head for a long time, so instead he followed up with an email to get some coffee and have a conversation.

Then, after they spent real time together, the retired priest gave him a Christmas gift— a copy of Abraham Joshua Heschel’s The Sabbath. Why? Because they engaged with each other. The retired priest heard Jesse and the facts that he presented in a clear and cogent way.

Over and over again, the Christian leaders at the conference referred to us Jews as their older siblings. This was a main reason these Christian leaders are working to combat antisemitism. To them, we are extended family.

3.   Initiate new relationships between Christian and Jewish leaders in different cities across the country, so as to establish greater solidarity to support action against antisemitism.

A few lunch and Shabbat dinner plans are already penciled in. And Reverend Parker, who told me he doesn’t miss an episode of Call Me Back, has  November 4 marked in his calendar to come to Beth Tzedec to hear Dan Senor speak.

So ✓, ✓ and ✓ to those three goals. 

Last week I learned firsthand that there are good Christians in this country who are philosemitic. They love Jews. Over 750 Christian leaders signed onto a Canadian Christian Declaration of Antisemitism, which condemned “those who foment antisemitism in Canada.” 

It adds, “We will stand against all those in this country, regardless of motivation or ideology, who seek to demonize and dehumanize our Jewish fellow citizens.” The declaration also states, “We affirm that the Jewish people remain God’s chosen people. The law and the covenants that God gave to the Jewish people, which we see as fulfilled in Christ, remain intact.” The Declaration concludes with: “As Christians, we will not simply speak but act in support of you, our Jewish friends, in the interest of all that is just and good. We will not abandon you.”

I felt hugged at this Summit, and I made new friends. 

As a result of this summit, I have a deeper interest and desire to strengthen Jewish-Christian relationships in Toronto. Earlier this week, I spent time watching video clips from the Christians United for Israel (CUFI) Summit. Their mission includes educating and empowering Americans to speak and act with one voice in defence of Israel and the Jewish people. The clip of released hostage Yair Horn, whose brother Eitan is still being held in Gaza, speaking at the CUFI Summit is chilling. 

I am grateful to be a rabbi delegate to the Simeon Initiative and to share our current reality with these Church leaders who can then bring it back to their communities.

If you have friends who are not Jewish, tell them what it is like to walk into this building. Make them aware that we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on security. Share with them how you feel when you wear Jewish symbols in non-Jewish spaces.  You are a real person; your friends will listen to you more than a loud voice they don’t know, who is spreading misinformation and disinformation. True change and knowledge come from being in relationship. 

Shabbat shalom,

Rabbi Robyn Fryer Bodzin

P.S. I am around for most of the summer. If you would like to get together for a walk or iced coffee, please reach out to rabbirfb@beth-tzedec.org