Monday, November 17, 2008
Dr. Pike on Jewish-Christian relations
LOOKING AHEAD by Wally Dobelis
On Wednesday, November 12, Dr Thomas F. Pike, Rector-Emeritus of the Calvary-St. George’s Parish came to the Brotherhood Synagogue, on the occasion of the Sixth Annual Rabbi Irving J Block Memorial lecture, to remind a joint Jewish-Christian audience of how religious collaboration and cooperation grew in this neighborhood. The Rabbi and Minister met and formed an instant spiritual link when in 1975 Brotherhood moved into the former Quaker Meeting House at 28 Gramercy East, then a sometime theatre building at risk to be demolished for an apartment block. The Rabbi was simultaneously rebuilding his wandering congregation, rehabilitating the building, and forming relationships with a largely Christian community and it was not always easy, but the link helped.
Dr. Pike was also a newcomer, albeit a few years senior in the area, having arrived from a position of senior minister in Yonkers, where he also served at Commissioner of Social Services. He was no stranger to ecumenical spirituality, having heard the charismatic theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel at the Protestant Union Theological Seminary, who would quote John Donne, the 17th Century Dean of London’s St Paul’s Cathedral, “no man is an island of itself, [we are all] part of the main.”
The Jews and Christians have made peace, although Christian speakers often still address Jewish audiences with apologies for past sins, before urging joint actions of humanitarian interest. Dr Pike, while in Yonkers, had formed an alliance with Father Daniel Berrigan the chaplain from Cornell, who wanted to form a civil rights group within the confines of the old Episcopal church (it did succeed) and he once heard the fiery Jesuit and anti-Vietnam war activist address a synagogue audience, reminding them that once such a group would make a Catholic think of blood. Things had certainly changed, and the same priest, when the great theologian Heschel died on a Sabbath and no rabbis could come for reasons of religious prohibitions, rushed over to the home to offer prayers and comfort the family.
There was another quote about St. Paul’s, in a description of Rabbi Block’s inspired rejuvenation of the Quaker Meeting House as a synagogue... The Minister and the Rabbi shared a common interest in the rehabilitation of sacred structures, as members of a preservationist group, and Dr Pike is still chairman of the construction committee of St. John’s Cathedral in Morningside Heights, the famous unfinished work of art. The magnificent Episcopal Cathedral in London was built by Sir Christopher Wren, whose gravestone within the church premises asks the visitor seeking great architecture just to look around, particularly apt when discussing Rabbi Block’s preservationist work at Brotherhood.
It was Rabbi Block’s spirituality that brought the synagogue and the churches together, that and his “can do ‘attitude. Dr. Pike has remained close to the Block family, and knows the work of their son Herbert, who meets with East European political leaders in rehabilitating relationships with the Jewish world.
As to the future of such relationships, all is not smooth, the problems have to do with the world’s attitudes towards Israel, and much work on all sides is needed to preserve peace. Among Christians the attitude towards Israel involves the entire range of emotions and ideals. Both Jews and Christians will be surprised to hear that some right-wing Christian sects seriously want to rebuild the Temple, the holiest Center of Judaism that was first destroyed 2600 years ago by Nebuchadnezzar (Verdi’s Nabucco), leading to the Babylonian Captivity, then rebuilt by Cyrus of Persia, then destroyed 2000 years ago by Romans. The Temple Mound has since 1200 years ago served as the third holiest Moslem site, Al Aqsa, which does not stop the Apocalypse-minded Christians.
Looking further, at the other end of the spectrum are the Christian left-wing liberals, including such as former President Jimmy Carter, who see the civil rights of the Palestinians being violated, and would want to restore the 1947 boundaries, with full rights, including Muslim access to Jerusalem. In between, the rest of humanity struggles with such concepts as two states, sharing of Jerusalem, complete or partial abandonment of the Jewish settlements, and The Fence. Dr Pike noted that the problem between the various Christian and Jewish interpretations of the solution that might disturb the friendly balance, has also a third ingredient, the Moslem religious leaders with a cause, who often can make both Jews and Christians uneasy. There are confrontations on the Palestinian question with Jews, and also those with Christians, where the Crusades are brought up. The new Democratic government will be put to a severe test.
Dr. Pike was introduced by Robert Wolf, President of the Brotherhood congregation, and by Rabbi Daniel Alder, who has continued the work of Rabbi Block, particularly in continuing exchange of lectures on common Biblical topics (David, last year), alternately held in the synagogue and the church.
Philip Rothman, Executive Director of the synagogue, discussed the lessons learned from Rabbi Block – the art of getting one involved, the doing what needs to be done, if at all possible, the need to say no and doing it right, knowing who you are yourself, taking some actions against one’s will and finding that it was the right thing to do, and above all, finding a way. A social togetherness closed the event.
On Wednesday, November 12, Dr Thomas F. Pike, Rector-Emeritus of the Calvary-St. George’s Parish came to the Brotherhood Synagogue, on the occasion of the Sixth Annual Rabbi Irving J Block Memorial lecture, to remind a joint Jewish-Christian audience of how religious collaboration and cooperation grew in this neighborhood. The Rabbi and Minister met and formed an instant spiritual link when in 1975 Brotherhood moved into the former Quaker Meeting House at 28 Gramercy East, then a sometime theatre building at risk to be demolished for an apartment block. The Rabbi was simultaneously rebuilding his wandering congregation, rehabilitating the building, and forming relationships with a largely Christian community and it was not always easy, but the link helped.
Dr. Pike was also a newcomer, albeit a few years senior in the area, having arrived from a position of senior minister in Yonkers, where he also served at Commissioner of Social Services. He was no stranger to ecumenical spirituality, having heard the charismatic theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel at the Protestant Union Theological Seminary, who would quote John Donne, the 17th Century Dean of London’s St Paul’s Cathedral, “no man is an island of itself, [we are all] part of the main.”
The Jews and Christians have made peace, although Christian speakers often still address Jewish audiences with apologies for past sins, before urging joint actions of humanitarian interest. Dr Pike, while in Yonkers, had formed an alliance with Father Daniel Berrigan the chaplain from Cornell, who wanted to form a civil rights group within the confines of the old Episcopal church (it did succeed) and he once heard the fiery Jesuit and anti-Vietnam war activist address a synagogue audience, reminding them that once such a group would make a Catholic think of blood. Things had certainly changed, and the same priest, when the great theologian Heschel died on a Sabbath and no rabbis could come for reasons of religious prohibitions, rushed over to the home to offer prayers and comfort the family.
There was another quote about St. Paul’s, in a description of Rabbi Block’s inspired rejuvenation of the Quaker Meeting House as a synagogue... The Minister and the Rabbi shared a common interest in the rehabilitation of sacred structures, as members of a preservationist group, and Dr Pike is still chairman of the construction committee of St. John’s Cathedral in Morningside Heights, the famous unfinished work of art. The magnificent Episcopal Cathedral in London was built by Sir Christopher Wren, whose gravestone within the church premises asks the visitor seeking great architecture just to look around, particularly apt when discussing Rabbi Block’s preservationist work at Brotherhood.
It was Rabbi Block’s spirituality that brought the synagogue and the churches together, that and his “can do ‘attitude. Dr. Pike has remained close to the Block family, and knows the work of their son Herbert, who meets with East European political leaders in rehabilitating relationships with the Jewish world.
As to the future of such relationships, all is not smooth, the problems have to do with the world’s attitudes towards Israel, and much work on all sides is needed to preserve peace. Among Christians the attitude towards Israel involves the entire range of emotions and ideals. Both Jews and Christians will be surprised to hear that some right-wing Christian sects seriously want to rebuild the Temple, the holiest Center of Judaism that was first destroyed 2600 years ago by Nebuchadnezzar (Verdi’s Nabucco), leading to the Babylonian Captivity, then rebuilt by Cyrus of Persia, then destroyed 2000 years ago by Romans. The Temple Mound has since 1200 years ago served as the third holiest Moslem site, Al Aqsa, which does not stop the Apocalypse-minded Christians.
Looking further, at the other end of the spectrum are the Christian left-wing liberals, including such as former President Jimmy Carter, who see the civil rights of the Palestinians being violated, and would want to restore the 1947 boundaries, with full rights, including Muslim access to Jerusalem. In between, the rest of humanity struggles with such concepts as two states, sharing of Jerusalem, complete or partial abandonment of the Jewish settlements, and The Fence. Dr Pike noted that the problem between the various Christian and Jewish interpretations of the solution that might disturb the friendly balance, has also a third ingredient, the Moslem religious leaders with a cause, who often can make both Jews and Christians uneasy. There are confrontations on the Palestinian question with Jews, and also those with Christians, where the Crusades are brought up. The new Democratic government will be put to a severe test.
Dr. Pike was introduced by Robert Wolf, President of the Brotherhood congregation, and by Rabbi Daniel Alder, who has continued the work of Rabbi Block, particularly in continuing exchange of lectures on common Biblical topics (David, last year), alternately held in the synagogue and the church.
Philip Rothman, Executive Director of the synagogue, discussed the lessons learned from Rabbi Block – the art of getting one involved, the doing what needs to be done, if at all possible, the need to say no and doing it right, knowing who you are yourself, taking some actions against one’s will and finding that it was the right thing to do, and above all, finding a way. A social togetherness closed the event.
# posted by Wally Dobelis @ 9:23 AM 
