Lending Support

Temple Israel and the Jewish Community Council show
support after Hartford Memorial is struck by arson.

LESLEY PEARL STAFF WRITER

The boa rded

-

up chapel windows.

everal months ago, the
Jewish Community Council,
Temple Israel and Hartford
Memorial Baptist Church
got together for two play
performances in hopes of
"Crossing The Broken
Bridge."
Last Sunday, the groups
joined together again to
mend a more immediate,
tangible problem.
Following an arson fire
Aug. 10 which completely
destroyed the 200-seat
Charles A. Hill Chapel and
damaged parts of the main
sanctuary of Hartford
Memorial Baptist on James
Couzens in Detroit, the

church held an ecumenical
service of "forgiveness, com-
mitment, reconstruction
and solidarity."
Rabbi Paul Yedwab of
Temple Israel greeted the
congregation with "Shalom"
and spoke of the decades-
long relationship between
Temple Israel and Hartford
Memorial Baptist.
Following the joint efforts
in presenting the play,
Crossing The Broken
Bridge, which focused on
black-Jewish relations, the
two congregations have
enjoyed a continuing rela-
tionship on a social and
political level.

"It was with shock
that we heard the news
of this assault," Rabbi
Yedwab said. "We
asked how we could
help. You said, 'With
your prayers.'"
He offered the
Shehechiyanu as a
prayer of joy in com-
ing together.
"You have been a
model of how reli-
gious people act in a
time of adversity.
And we watch in
awe. So I bring to
you something
important from my
to
community
Rabbi
yours,"
Yedwab said.
Following the
arson attack by a
23-year-old Detroit
man on the 200-
chapel,
seat
Memorial
Hartford
Baptist's pastor, the Rev.
Charles Adams, spoke pub-
licly of forgiveness. He and
other spiritual leaders
called for help in saving the
youth of today.
The Rev. Diane Smalley-
Norman of Hartford
Memorial Baptist, in an
invocation, asked the con-
gregation to "see beyond the
burned bricks to the
burned-out spirits...beyond
the burned-out windows to
the burned-out minds."
The Rev. Lawrence
Foster, also of Hartford
Memorial Baptist, admiring
the turnout of spiritual and
financial assistance, called
the service a "celebration of
determination and hope."
Alice Stevenson agreed.
A Detroit resident, Ms.
Stevenson has been one of

Hartford's 8,000 members' 4
for 16 years.
"It's really wonderful that
we caul all come together a'
this unfortunate time. Here .
we are, sitting together in
this church. Maybe God is
trying to tell us something,"
Ms. Stevenson said.
Ms. Stc Tenson attended
the Marc play, and said
the servic is "just an exten-
sion of wf. kt we got started."
Community
Jewisl'
-nber Robert
Counci
ght greetings
Brown
from his L group and
the Ameri,an JeWish
Congress.
Also included in an exten-
sive list of participants was
the Rev. Bruce Ridgon
of the Grosse Pointe
Memorial Church, Judge
Damon Keith of the U.S.
Court of Appeals, and
Detroit mayoral candidates
Sharon McPhail and
Paul Hubbard.

❑

Rabbi Paul Yedwab participated.

