‘We are cousins’: an evening of Catholic-Jewish dialogue over good food and open discussion 

After an evening of good food and inter-religious sharing between Archbishop J. Michael Miller and Rabbi Dan Moskovitz of Temple Sholom in Vancouver, it just seemed natural for conversations to break out across the John Paul II Pastoral Centre hall.

Among the more than 100 attendees who were exchanging questions about each other’s religions were Dolores Callaghan, a Catholic, and Barry Silverman, a member of the Temple Sholom community in Vancouver.

Callaghan was curious about why Jews don’t proselytize. Silverman, who has a self-described long history of interreligious work, especially with Catholics he knew in his hometown of Regina, told her it all stems from something Rabbi Moskovitz said earlier in the night – that there is a Jewish belief that they are “a people set apart.”

“It’s not our belief to reach out to people and tell them what they are doing wrong,” he told Callaghan.

Their conversation turned to tradition and religious practice. Temple Sholom is a reformed synagogue characterized by more liberal attitudes toward women in the community and religious practice. For example, women can be ordained rabbis in their community.

Silverman described his family’s movement away from the Orthodox Judaism of his grandfather, who immigrated to Canada in the late 1800s. He also talked about his father, a Brooklyn Jew from New York who somehow found his way to Regina.

Silverman said it opened his father’s world, moving from the narrow six square blocks he had lived all his early life to the relatively tiny Jewish community in his new home.

Such experiences seemed to stoke the reforming fires that eventually reduced the orthodoxy of Jewish people of his generation.

As time passed, the mid-20th century liberalizing force some Catholics say influenced Vatican II was at work across the culture. Over time, Silverman said, his local Jewish community shifted, and the Orthodox synagogue of his youth rebranded as “Reformed” in recognition of the changing culture of Jews in Regina.

“My grandfather used to keep Sabbath holier than holy,” said Silverman. “But the synagogue realized its orthodoxy didn’t really represent the local community. They knew they would lose people if they didn’t change.”

Callaghan described something similar with the erosion of the orthodox trappings of Catholicism from her youth. They both bonded over stories of the 1950s when shops were closed on Sundays and, at least by Silverman’s estimate, people of religious differences intermingled with more respect and charity than they do today.

“It’s not hard to do nice things for people,” the retired businessman told The B.C. Catholic.

This is the second event of its kind. The first was held last year at Temple Sholom in Vancouver. 

Each table was carefully arranged to ensure a mix of Catholics and Jews, to help foster meaningful conversations. 

Because Reformed Jews are not required to keep kosher to the same extent as more traditional adherents, the dinner was a non-kosher mix of pescatarian and vegetarian options.  

Emcee Adrian Castellon, who sits on the Vancouver archdiocesan interfaith board, told the gathering that the night was fundamentally about “dialogue for learning.”

"After all, my grandfather used to always tell us: we are cousins [with the Jewish people],” she said, encouraging everyone to take some time before heading home to ask questions of their neighbours.

“Hopefully tonight has answered some of your questions,” she added. “But now, if you have questions, you can just ask – because you have new friends.”

The conversation between the Archbishop and Rabbi Moskovitz, which proceeded dinner, centred on religious and cultural education. Both shared accounts of distinctive rituals and cultural practices within their respective faiths, often drawing parallels between the two faiths with traditions like the liturgical calendar and rites of initiation into manhood/womanhood.

The liturgical calendar was of particular interest. The rabbi noted that Jews have something similar to Ordinary Time, with a so-called “bitter month” in which there are no major holidays.

Much like Catholics name their children after saints they hope the child will emulate, so do Jews give their children the name of people with virtues they hope their child will aspire to.

In the end both religious leaders agreed that there are many aspects of the Catholic faith that derive from early Jewish practice.

“We got nearly all of [our rituals] from you,” the Archbishop told the rabbi. “They are just adjusted.”

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