Shared Worldview

when the ceiling of the b'nai jeshurun collapsed in 1991, the jewish congregation was left without a place of worship-until the congregation of the church of st. paul and st. andrew offered to share their space.

"they worship on friday night and saturday and we worship on sunday, so we thought that might work out well," said reverend dr. james f. karpen, the church's pastor.

since then, the leaders of the two congregations, karpen (known to most as "k") and rabbi j. rolando matalon (known as "roly") have worked together not only to share the space but also to share their beliefs and traditions.

matalon identifies the late marshall t. meyer, formerly a rabbi at b'nai jeshurun, as a strong influence in his life.

"he showed me how you can combine a traditional jewish study with activism," matalon said. "and that's really what attracted me-that you could both study and form a jewish community, and find some way to transform your life and transform the world."

karpen also sees the value of global activism through religion.

"if you look around the world you can see the cost of not trying to understand each other," he said. "i think we do what we can to listen and learn about different faith traditions, and maybe we'll be a little bit closer to being able to live together in peace."

the services are kept separate, but karpen and matalon organize various interfaith activities, including formal lectures, community dinners and panel discussions, to encourage conversations about different religions. these activities are open not only to the christian and jewish congregations, but also to people of muslim, buddhist and sikh religions.

"it was very inspiring and both communities have gained a lot from the exchange of ideas," said jacob bender, a member of matalon's congregation since 1990. "i've learned a lot about christianity and they've learned a lot about judaism."

peter arndtsen, district manager of the columbus amsterdam business improvement district, is another member of karpen's congregation.

"instead of it just being a sharing of space, they've really tried to make it into a positive thing for both congregations," he said. "they opened up both congregations to the possibilities that sharing the space provides."

of course, not everything always runs smoothly, like when the two leaders hosted a program about the idea of messiah in judaism and christianity.

"that pointed out some sharp differences in the two religions," karpen said.

but by uncovering differences, karpen and matalon have created opportunities to build understanding.

"in order to have a real conversation you have to know your own traditions better," said ken guest, an active member of karpen's congregation. "interactions with other religions pushed me to deepen my own understanding."

another change of understanding occurred with a member of matalon's congregation, a holocaust survivor who expressed distaste for the sharing of space.

"he said he never wanted to walk into the church. he was disappointed and frustrated and angry," matalon said. "but then he walked into this church, this congregation, and he has embraced this space. he one day walked to the pastor and embraced him. he said, 'you have restored my faith in humanity.'"

according to matalon, the interfaith actions have created new bonds within the community.

"many people in both congregations see each other in the neighborhood-they didn't know each other before but now there's a strong feeling of friendliness," he said. "it became an example for people who are not with us-it has spilled out."