Raising a tent and bridging cultures at Torat Yisrael

EAST GREENWICH – There was a lot of activity at Temple Torat Yisrael on Sunday as the greater community built “Abraham’s Tent.” The event was a shared celebration between neighbors, including an even mix of Jews and Muslims, and a few Christians.

More than 100 people of all ages filled the social hall at the synagogue for an afternoon of singing, dancing, cooking, eating, socializing and assembling the tent. Many new friendships started as well.

This was a continuation of a connection begun some months ago, according to Rabbi Aaron Philmus. Philmus said a diverse group of neighbors started exchanging traditions and became part of each other’s stories, planting the seeds for Abraham’s Tent.

“Our house is your house,” Philmus said on Sunday as he welcomed the crowd. “We are all family.”

“This is a great way to bridge our cultural gap,” he said. “It’s a great way to come together.”

Philmus explained that one of the goals of the gathering was to reassemble the scattered remnants of Abraham’s Tent.

“Religion can help us solve our problems. It doesn’t have to be the source of our problems. We can have our own stories while we build one tent.”

Philmus said, “we are all family; we are all part of the Abrahamic tradition.”

He said that the way to build trust and connection is by inviting others into our homes to eat our food, just as Abraham did with his open tent. And he referred to Roger Williams, who founded Rhode Island on the principles of religious tolerance: “If it can’t happen here, where can it?”

Dr. Ehsun Mirza, a neighbor from Pakistan who helped make the original connections with others in the Torat Yisrael congregation, also welcomed the crowd. 

Participants broke into groups for activities. The kitchen bustled. Dancing – both Israeli and Persian – was popular. The tent was assembled by pinning together fabric. It will eventually be sewn together and will be used at a future outdoor event.

Philmus, along with Torat Yisrael’s president Andy Sholes, expressed the hope that get-togethers and dialogues with other faiths will continue. 

“This is a first for us,” said Sholes enthusiastically.

At the end of the day, Mirza reflected that he felt “very emotional.” And he told the synagogue community, “this feels like home.”

FRAN OSTENDORF is editor of The Jewish Voice.