DALLAS — The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas held its Seventh Annual Interfaith Seder April 9. With 80 attendees in its first year, this year’s JCRC Interfaith Seder set a record attendance with 580 attendees.
“For seven years now, the JCRC has brought together the interfaith community of the Greater Dallas area. Together, we experience a community interfaith Seder based on a traditional Jewish Passover Seder and reflect on meaningful and relevant issues,” remarked Melanie Rubin, JCRC chair. “The program motivates and inspires us all toward self-reflection, awareness of important issues, building relationships with one another, and social action in our Dallas community and beyond,” she added.
The leaders of the 2019 JCRC Interfaith Seder were Rabbi Ari Sunshine of Congregation Shearith Israel and Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie of the Tenth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The JCRC Interfaith Seder Planning Committee was co-chaired by Mandy Golman of Congregation Shearith Israel and Reverend Damon L. Blakeley of Saint Paul AME Church. This year’s seder theme, Building Community Together, brought together faith leaders, elected officials and community members from diverse faith backgrounds. The “VINYL” Booker T. Washington’s Jazz Singers started off the program.
Mark Kreditor, Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas board chair, welcomed participants. “As the convener and leader of our Dallas Jewish community, the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas recognizes how important it is for communities of faith to come together to advance important issues within our community. Simply put, we are stronger together,” said Kreditor.
Following the model of a traditional Jewish Passover Seder, the annual JCRC Interfaith Seder draws comparisons between Passover stories and challenges that we face in present times by exploring a social action theme or value that resonates across numerous faiths.
The JCRC Interfaith Seder is a unique opportunity for the Dallas Jewish community to join together with local faith leaders and individuals from different cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds. The JCRC Interfaith Seder also gives the opportunity to our non-Jewish friends and neighbors to have a Jewish experience in a Jewish institution. This year’s Seder was presented by the Texas Jewish Post.