Letter to the Editor: Joshua Azriel

Letter to the editor,

The Jewish Christian Discovery Center (JCDC), in partnership with St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Marietta and Heritage Baptist Church in Cartersville, hosted the Breaking Badness Choosing Goodness interfaith service to fight antisemitism and other forms of bigotry on Monday, April 3, 2023. This event took place during Holy Week before both the Easter and Jewish Passover holidays.

JCDC Executive Director Rabbi Albert Slomovitz led the service with St. Ann’s Father Ray Cadran and Heritage Baptist’s Rev. Michael Tutterow. The three men wrote prayers for this new ritual.

In a time of increasing antisemitism and intolerance, the three interfaith clergy believe it is vital to show religious unity and peace. At the service, each worshipper was given a large piece of matzah, unleavened bread. Matzah is traditionally eaten at Passover by Jews around the world as part of their commemoration of their exodus and freedom from slavery from ancient Egypt. Matzah is like a cracker in texture. Participants broke the matzah into several smaller pieces while pledging a commitment to reject hate and embrace love of one’s neighbor regardless of religious belief.

“We are living in unprecedented and sad times with age-old stereotypes and hatred against Jews reemerging,” Rabbi Albert Slomovitz said. “It is vital that we come together as Jews and Christians and embrace G-d’s commandment that we love one another.”

After each person broke the matzah and put it into a communal bowl, congregants burned the small pieces in an outdoor firepit in a symbolic gesture of burning away religious intolerance. They then spoke with each other in small groups about rejecting religious hatred and intolerance.

Led by Rabbi Slomovitz, one of the most enduring symbols of this interfaith service was participation by Catholic priest Father Cadran and Baptist Rev. Tutterow. The three men are close friends who work on JCDC interfaith projects.

“Our friendship is not only important to me, personally, but our spiritual communities need to see that clergy from different religions love each other. The Breaking Badness Choosing Goodness service will bring strangers together from many faiths and give them an opportunity to share in the symbolic act of rejecting hatred through the breaking of a large piece of matzah and then commit themselves and their families to ‘love they neighbor,’” Slomovitz said.

For more information, please contact Rabbi Slomovitz at 678-622-1818.

Joshua Azriel, Marietta