Religious Humanism and Interfaith Cooperation: A Tale of Two Congregations

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Religious Humanism and Interfaith Cooperation:A Tale of Two Congregations Rabbi Jeff Berger Sabato Morais, Mikveh Israel, Mother Bethel, Islamophobia, Portuguese and Spanish Jewish congregations Introduction In August, 2018, Boris Johnson, the former Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom (a potential candidate for Prime Minister) wrote an article in the Telegraph1 that on the surface seemed to express tolerance toward Muslim women who choose to wear a niqab or burka but was perceived by many in the Muslim community as Islamophobic. Citing the Danish law that prohibited such clothing, he caricatured those who wore them but suggested that the U.K. was more accepting. That week at Friday prayers in a North London mosque, the imam spoke out, vigorously and angrily, criticizing the former Foreign Secretary and accusing the Tory Party of Islamophobia. It appeared to me while listening to the imam that we each have a subjective view about what offends our specific culture or religion and that it is essential to acknowledge when others perceive that something is offensive. However, there was vociferous debate in the media by those defending free speech. I could not help wondering whether Jewish people would be offended if a similar statement had been made about the extreme religious dress in the Hassidic communities. I think Jews have over time decided to take ourselves less seriously when making insensitive jokes about our own sub-sects, but we still bristle when unsolicited comments come from outsiders. This raised an important question. When should we take a stand in support of those of another faith who feel attacked or offended? After rereading the Telegraph article, I submitted an online essay offering a more balanced view, calling on the Jewish community to stand up for Muslims when they are targeted by hate speech.2 Not surprisingly, this drew some unpleasant criticism from within my own community. [End Page 572] All of this weighed on my mind when reading an article about Sabato Morais, a rabbi who served the Philadelphia Spanish and Portuguese community from 1851 to 1898. Born in Livorgno, Italy, in 1823, Morais worked in London for five years, from age twenty-two, as the director of the Orphan's School at the London Spanish and Portuguese synagogue, until making his way to Philadelphia's Mikveh Israel community. He was known to be an outspoken supporter of religious humanism and minority rights, as well as a strong critic of slavery during the American Civil War.3 Mikveh Israel, the synagogue that employed Morais, was established in 1740. Founded by Spanish and Portuguese Jews whose antecedents were expelled during the Spanish Inquisition, the community played an important role during the 1776 American War of Independence. Interestingly, it has also had an ecumenical relationship with Christ Church (Episcopal) in Philadelphia, dating to the late 1700's.4 This essay looks at some activities in Morais's life and seeks to draw lessons relevant for today's ecumenical faith leaders in standing up and speaking out for social justice. Motivation for This Exploration In early December, 2017, a group of American and European faith leaders, sponsored by KAICIID, the Vienna-based intergovernmental organization that promotes interreligious dialogue to prevent and resolve conflict, met with the leadership of the Dialogue Institute at Temple University to explore the theme "Addressing Urban Issues—Hate Crime, Antisemitism, and Islamophobia in the U.K. and the U.S.A." During the three-day KAICIID Fellows Trans-Atlantic Conference, we visited a number of houses of worship, including Mother Bethel, the oldest church property in the United States owned by African Americans. The property was acquired [End Page 573] in 1794 and was replaced by frame structures in 1805 and 1841 before the present building was erected in 1890. Upon entering, I was struck profoundly by the similarity between the main lobby and grand staircase of that building and a building with which I was quite familiar, Congregation Shearith Israel, the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of New York City. Shearith Israel is a historic community that first began in 1654 in what was called New Amsterdam. Over the centuries, as populations grew and new residential areas were opened, the community occupied in succession...