LENEXA, KAN.
A multi-stake fireside for the greater Kansas City area recently drew more than a thousand LDS and Jewish attendees to explore the theme "How Do We Pray? Our Differences and Similarities."
Held in the Lenexa Kansas Stake Center, the meeting featured opening remarks by Bruce Priday, president of the Lenexa stake, and an opening hymn in Hebrew, "Shalom Rav" ("Grant Peace"), sung by Hazzan Rob Menes. The hymn is one of the regular prayers offered daily in the Beth Shalom congregational worship services.
Rabbi Alan Cohen, director of interreligious affairs at the Jewish Community Relations Bureau/American Jewish Committee, represented the Jewish faith, and Mark Paredes, high councilor in the Santa Monica California Stake and an expert on Jewish-Mormon relations, represented the Mormon point of view. The two asked and answered prepared questions about their respective beliefs on many topics, including communal and individual prayer, the nature of God, missionary work, set prayers, patriarchal blessings, temple essentials, clothing and artifacts used for worship, and interpretation of scripture.
Following about an hour of lively dialogue between the two representatives, the audience was invited to direct questions to the speakers. In his closing remarks, Brother Paredes quoted these words from a Jewish hymn: "Hine ma tov u'ma naim Shevet achim gam yachad" ("How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity.")
The fireside culminated a weekend of sharing, which began with an invitation from the Jewish community to about 20 priesthood leaders, stake and multi-stake public affairs council members, to attend a Jewish synagogue service, dinner and lectures at Beth Shalom in nearby Leawood, Kan., two days prior.
Lenexa stake public affairs director Carol Deshler, who attended the Jewish event, remarked, "We learned so much and were most impressed with the depth of commitment the Jewish people have to their understanding of and love for God. We were particularly impressed with their acceptance of the Sabbath and how it is truly honored as a holy day."
President Priday, the designated stake president for multi-stake public affairs, commented, "This has been a remarkable, unifying, bridge-building experience for Latter-day Saints and the Jewish community in Kansas City, beginning with the worship service with Rabbi Robert Tonin and dinner at Beth Shalom and culminating in the uplifting fireside chat with Rabbi Alan Cohen and Mark Parades. We all came away with a deeper understanding of and greater love and respect for one another. We look forward to other opportunities to partner with our Jewish friends in the future."
