By Daniel Gwertzman, Jerusalem
"A Song of Ascents, of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity!" (Psalms 133:1)
When I was a child, I attended public school in America and Hebrew school in the afternoons which made for a long day. It also meant I had non-Jewish friends as I was aware or Christian practices. I knew what Ash Wednesday was about and had a particular liking for many Christmas Carols.
I was a very good history student. I remember once in Junior High school I was asked to read the sermon of Cotton Mather, a famous Puritan Preacher, " Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God." I was not a very dynamic speaker. I read the sermon to myself and it occurred to me that the preacher really was concerned about the fate of his audience and wanted their salvation. Therefore, I got inspired and delivered a very fiery speech. My fellow students and the teacher couldn't believe it was the meek Daniel speaking. These were issues that’s moved me as well and I put myself in the Pastor's shoes. Yes, even a Jew can be inspired by the Words of God. The Prophets certainly were and they were as well inspired by the Words of the Torah as was Jesus.
Religion played a major role in the settlement of America and the "Great Awakening" was a major Christian revival which took place in America. It was the centrality of the Word of God and prophetic inspiration that helped me to find common ground with Christians. I may have eaten different food from most Americans and celebrated Jewish holidays but the importance of faith in one's life was a central principle which I did not share with secularists.
Yes, I was curious about other cultures. I liked American literature, English literature, especially Charles Dickens and Russian literature. I read American Jewish literature and was especially moved by the works of Isaac Bashevis Singer. That drew me to the Eastern European roots of my family in White Russia (Belarus). So, this was not just about eating borscht (Russian beet soup served with sour cream). Our family used to eat pumpernickel, rye bread and corn bread as well as Challah. I remember my father telling me I should not tell a Christian friend that I liked corn bread, but rather to direct him to the kosher bakery to purchase some. He told me, and rightly, so if you mentioned such a thing, they would go out of their way to get you the best corn bread which I wouldn't be able to eat because it was made with lard.
In fact, there is a company in America called Levi's Real Jewish Rye Bread. It had a saying you don't have to be Jewish to eat Levi's Real Jewish Rye bread and showing an American Indian eating a sandwich on the wrapper.
Once I asked a Pastor about the body of Christ and he told me this referred to the entire Christian community. Then he added if my question concerned salvation, he said that the only ones he was sure about concerning this matter were the members of his church.
I learned to appreciate the vast varieties of Christians and that some did not necessarily have the same Bibles or even the same dates of Christmas or liturgies, nor would some Christians talk to or support other Christians who they regarded as heretics or sinners. However, for the general welfare of the community they would meet with others including those they normally didn't talk with or sought to avoid at any gathering.
Once I attended an event at which Jews, Christians, Muslims and even Mormons got together for a common interest. What could bring such a diverse group together? Opposition to the Gay Parade in Jerusalem! Despite differing conceptions of the Holiness of Jerusalem they didn't want to see its sanctity violated, even if they had to talk to people they didn’t agree with on any theological grounds.
I remember a Baptist Minister who was not very happy about the fact that I was involved in Interfaith Dialogue. He told me that he did not believe in such dialogue and that if people truly believed in their faith they must witness to this faith. He knew some of the names of the Christians involved and said they witnessed to their lack of faith.
He knew that I had studied Russian and asked in all honesty about the Christian Communist Dialogue based on Humanism and what the Communists actually said about their Christian interlocutor. I had to be honest with him, and tell him the truth that at best they considered them fellow travelers and at worst useful idiots. So much for Communism with a human face. There were however times he agreed with what I said.
However, there were severe limitations built on the fact that he viewed Judaism through the lens of the New Testament. This has led some Christians to insist that Isaiah 53 has been removed from the Hebrew Bible and that there is no Jewish commentary on it. However, you don't need to be a Bible specialist to go to a Jewish bookstore and find these verses still in the Jewish Bible nor to find the commentaries on them. The problem comes from the fact that Christians consider these words as referring to Jesus and that the Jews do not interpret them in this way.
Where we may disagree, there are other areas we can agree upon. Namely that Jesus must be considered in terms of his Jewish context and not as a Mediterranean Peasant in a Revolt or an Epicurean philosopher. Jesus was not a magician, but he was a healer as were some of the rabbis who were alive during the same time period.
Much can be gained by both Judaism and Christianity by viewing Jesus in his Jewish context. Many Jewish and Christian scholars have benefited from seeing the New Testament in the Context of the World of Second Temple Period Judaism.
Then Jesus himself says of Scribes and Pharisees that they "have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore, all they tell you do and observe…" (Matthew 23:2-3) Even while criticizing them for not following up in their deeds, the same criticism can be found in our days concerning religious leaders in various Christian groups. We all must follow the Word of God and not just give lip service to it.
When the goal of scholarship is seeking the truth of the Word and living our faith, we all benefit.
"The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them." (Psalms 145:17-19)
© Daniel Gwertzman (2026)
Tetze Torah - תֵּצֵ֣א תוֹרָ֔ה 