City Scene
For most Christians, Easter is the highlight of the Spring church calendar; for most Jews, the main Spring event is the Passover celebration, featuring a traditional meal based on retelling and reenacting the original exodus from Egypt. These events might seem unrelated, but did you know that Jesus’ “Last Supper” was a traditional Passover meal? Or that when Jesus introduced “communion,” He was fulfilling a traditional Passover element that had been practiced for thousands of years by Jews?
The mysterious links between the first Passover meal and Jesus’ Last Supper will be revealed during the upcoming annual CommUnity Passover Seder presented by Beth Hallel Birmingham on March 31, 2018. The spectacular event features not only the traditional Seder elements revealing the rich Hebraic roots of the Christian faith, but also a full banquet meal in an elegant candlelight setting in the Grand Ballroom of the Wynfrey Hotel. During the participatory event, guests will experience and taste and smell, all while learning connections between the Old and New Testaments, between ancient paths and current practices. Guests will have the opportunity to dance with Beth Hallel’s Davidic Dance Team and to rejoice to sounds and prayers from the first Century until the present. The sound of the shofars (ram’s horn trumpet) of Beth Hallel’s Shofar Team will beckon young and old, Jew and Gentile, to enter in to the celebration. This is a joyous event also for interfaith couples, and for Jews and Gentiles curious about the Jewishness of Jesus, whose name in Hebrew, “Yeshua”, means “salvation, or the one who saves.”
Beth Hallel will also offer a Judaica and Resources table from their Courtyard Books and Gifts Shop for those who want to take home a unique item such as a Jewish Bible translation or a shofar to get started in the ancient sound of war and praise! “The CommUnity Seder is always a sell-out event, so get your tickets now! Invite your friends for a dedicated table of 10 guests through online sales at www.shalombirmingham.com. At that website, you also can see our weekend Shabbat Services on livestream,” explains Beth Hallel Rabbi David Schneier. “Come join us for the experience of a lifetime! All are welcome!” †
Beth Hallel’s CommUnity Passover Seder event features traditional Seder elements that reveal the rich Hebraic roots of the Christian faith and a full banquet meal in an elegant candlelight setting at the Hyatt Regency/Wynfrey Hotel, Hoover. Tickets $50 per person or $500 for a table of ten.
