For the first time since its inception The Gathering will be held in a synagogue, not a church.
This will be the seventh time Jews and Christians will come together in a united call for peace in Israel. The Gathering VII will take place at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20, at Congregation Beth Shalom’s building on Wornall. It is free and open to the public.
Rabbi Alan Cohen, director of interreligious affairs for the Jewish Community Relations Bureau|American Jewish Committee, is co-chairing the event with Pastor Paul Brooks of First Baptist Raytown. He said organizers felt it would be nice to have the event in a Jewish setting for a change.
“We recognize that there may be some in the Jewish community who still feel awkward attending an event in a church,” Rabbi Cohen said.
Since the event has always been held in a church, Pastor Brooks said it “would be wonderful to meet in a synagogue.”
“I’m also excited about seeing many of my Jewish friends,” the pastor said.
Rabbi Cohen said he hopes that holding the event in a synagogue will boost attendance from the Jewish community. Although there are no exact figures, in the past it has seemed that more Christians attended the event than Jews.
The Gathering is sponsored by a diverse group of organizations and agencies, and supported by more than 100 individual churches and synagogues. Pastor Brooks believes it is important for two reasons.
“One is to show our support for the nation of Israel. It’s also important to build relationships between the Jewish community and the Christian community,” Pastor Brooks said.
Rabbi Cohen believes the relationship that has been established with this segment of the evangelical community over the years is important.
“It’s one that we really need to strengthen and involve as many people from both communities as possible,” Rabbi Cohen said.
For the first time The Gathering is being held on a Sunday afternoon instead of a weeknight. The time change, Rabbi Cohen said, hopefully will be more family friendly.
Because the event is taking place on President’s Day weekend, Rabbi Cohen said the focus will be on the historic relationship between Israel and the United States. Both Pastor Brooks and Rabbi Cohen noted that volunteer Judy Hastings, a member of First Baptist Raytown, has written an “outstanding” script for the event. This year she has added passages that recount the relationship of historical relationship between America and Israel. Clergy from both the Jewish and Christian communities will read from the script and lead prayers for peace.
Pastor Brooks said organizers didn’t change the program any in light of the events taking place in Egypt, Israel’s only friendly neighbor in the Middle East.
“It could be that the sense of urgency felt by those people who attend may be different,” Pastor Brooks said.
“It’s a very volatile part of the world and Israel is always being threatened by its neighbors. It will be very sad if anti-Israeli politicians take over Egypt. It will be very sad and very dangerous. We just have to hope that cooler heads will prevail.”
All men and women who have served, or who are currently serving in the U.S. and/or Israeli armed forces will be recognized. The event will also feature a musical presentation performed by Yachad: The Traveling Tefillah Band, Shir Balev and children and adult choirs from both the Jewish and Christian communities.
For more information about the Gathering, visit www.jerusalemgathering.org.