ANN ARBOR
Joint Operating Agreement
LISA POWERS
Special to The Jewish News
A
fter the war protests and
brotherly love philoso-
phy that characterized
Ann Arbor in the 1960s,
another 'radical prece-
dent followed in the early '70s. A
small Jewish Reform congregation
and a quiet Episcopalian church join-
ed forces and agreed on joint owner-
ship of a single building.
Temple Beth Emeth and St.
Claire of Assisi are still proud of that
decision and, 13 years later, they still
reside in harmony under the same
roof and under the collective identity
of Genesis of Ann Arbor.
"We were the first in the nation
to form such a pact, so the name
Genesis is very appropriate," says
Rabbi Robert Levy of Temple Beth
Emeth. "It also symbolizes our com-
mon history, but in no way have we
tried to confuse or fuse the two
separate truths of our religions. We
are just glad to be able to share
facilities and yet have no interference
in what we do: all the advantages
without any of the disadvantages!'
What began as a landlord-tenant
relationship for the church and
synagogue, respectively, has evolved
into a prosperous partnership. What
makes it so successful is that the two
groups can work side by side and still
maintain their unique identies. There
is no social intermingling between
Jewish and Christian adolescents a
concern which some had at the begin-
ning. And even though the congrega-
tions share a seder during Passover
and a Thanksgiving service every
year, all other worship is conducted
separately. Office space and the sup-
port staff are shared, but the
secretary answers one phone - line
with "Shalom, Ibmple Beth Emeth,"
and the other with a greeting for St.
Clare's.
Occasional misunderstandings
arise from people outside of the con-
What some feared was an
intermarriage of
convenience between a
synagogue and a church -
has evolved into a
successful — and equal
partnership.
gregations who call to request a mar-
riage ceremony for a Jew and a non-
Jew; other members of the public are
curious about how a church and
synagogue can use the same roof for
both Christian and Jewish worship.
The beauty of their sanctuary is
its relatively unadorned design,
which allows for a complete transfor-
mation from church to synagogue in
only ten minutes.
The Ark of the Torah closes unob-
trusively into a pine-panelled wall
behind the circular altar; the Eternal
Light, hanging from a track, slides to
the side of the altar during church
services. A simple metal cross, hang-
ing unseen behind the back wall dur-
ing Jewish worship, can be swung
around on its pivot for mass.
The deliberate simplicity of the
circular room emphasizes the unity
of the two groups which share this
common ground, so neither congrega-
tion feels out of place in its own home.
The logistics of their divided
schedule, at first glance, appear as
easy as coordinating a wedding dance.
Basically, on Fridays the temple
observes its Sabbath and on Sundays
the church holds mass. Those are the
basic steps, but there's a lot of unseen