Temple Shalom: The Experience

The average Gentile passer-by in Winnipeg, Manitoba might not notice the building across from the strip mall on Grant Avenue. The structure that houses Temple Shalom is a fairly-ordinary looking building, distinguished from its neighbours only by the large image of a menorah painted onto the circular window just above and beside the door. Even on the inside, the synagogue looks much the same as the foyer of an average city church- on November 11^th, 2011, just after seven o'clock in the evening, it's very quiet.

A few congregational leaders are talking on the second floor, up a short flight of stairs from the doorway and coatroom. They are welcoming of their Christian visitors and invite them to sit and talk while awaiting more members of the congregation before the service begins at 7:30 PM.

The decor is slightly different, though- instead of the images of Christ on the crucifix that would adorn the walls of most churches, there are paintings of rabbis from times past, and two old-looking copies of the Torah held securely within glass display cases. Hebrew writing covers plaques and art pieces around the synagogue.

The sanctuary of this Reformed Jewish synagogue bears a striking similarity to an average church, however- there are pews facing the front of the room, and musical instruments on the stage, including three acoustic guitars and an electric piano. A large glass structure resembling the Ark of the Covenant stands against the wall, with the Ten Commandments etched into the glass in Hebrew.

The service itself is different from a standard Christian church service as well. Whether this is a normal Jewish tradition or one slightly altered for the Remembrance Day service, there is no “sermon”. Instead, there are musical performances from people of the congregation, in both English and Hebrew. There is no reading of the Torah in Hebrew tonight, however- instead, for the sake of the occasion, anti-war songs written by Bob Dylan and John Lennon are performed for the audience instead. It is not something that a visitor would expect, not even from a Reformed Jewish synagogue (which is comparatively more liberal than other Jewish traditions such as Orthodox Judaism), but it does seem to suit the anti-war theme of the service. A female rabbi leads the service, and in fact leads most of the singing. After the two-hour service, the visitors are invited downstairs to join in the traditional Sabbath meal with the rest of the congregation- a light snack consisting of tea, cookies, bread (including haballah) and fruit.

It is an interesting, and very informative experience, for the non-Jewish visitors of this synagogue, and rather enjoyable, minor culture-shock not withstanding. It was very different from the church services that the Christian visitors were accustomed to- and being that Judaism, while being the parent of Christianity, is still a different religion, that is understandable. But even though half the service was in Hebrew and not all of the rituals of the service made sense to the Christians attending the service for educational purposes, there were still close similarities to Christian services, such as the structure of the service and the congregational singing with instrumental accompaniment (something I suspect would never happen in an Orthodox synagogue). On the whole, this was a very enjoyable and eye-opening experience for a Christian studying Judaism.