Black Synagogue gains acceptance: “Torah fever.”
This Associate Press article chronicles the trials, tribulations and jubilation of Philadelphia’s Temple Beth’El. On March 29th, the Temple dedicated a Torah of its own. The Torah is an ancient scroll central to the celebration of Jewish faith. Read on:
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The jubilation in Temple Beth’El’s packed sanctuary overflowed into the aisles, with members dancing, clapping and singing as they welcomed their first Torah from Israel.
A new sacred scroll — the holiest object in Judaism — is cause for celebration in any synagogue. But for this congregation, it meant much more. It signified a tentative step toward the mainstream of American Jewish life.
“We have been unable to sleep and to eat,” said Debra Bowen, who is the rabbi. “We have Torah fever!”
Temple Beth’El is a predominantly African-American synagogue formed more than 50 years ago by the daughter of a Baptist preacher at a time when many blacks were rejecting Christianity as a slave religion. The same motivation led many African-Americans to move toward Islam.
The founder of Temple Beth’El, Louise Dailey, studied with a rabbi, but was not ordained by a recognized branch of Judaism. The synagogue has a kosher kitchen and a mikvah, or ritual bath, but Dailey also adopted some traditions that are alien to the ancient faith. Congregants called her “Mother Dailey,” and she ordained Bowen, her daughter, before she died.
Yet, recently, Bowen has been reaching out to the broader Jewish community, holding joint services with other congregations and speaking to service groups such as Hadassah. Her timing is good. American Jews have been showing a new willingness to build ties to African-American Jews. Associated Press – Black and Jewish, A synagogue Gains Acceptance
Dailey’s non-traditional route to Judaism is probably worth an entire article in and of itself:
She was working as a maid in a Jewish home and felt drawn to their religious rituals, such as not working on the Sabbath and covering mirrors during mourning. When she died in 2001, she had a Jewish funeral and was buried in a Jewish cemetery. Source
It’s a great article, read the rest here.
And Happy Pesach!
Hat Tip to Today’s Drum
