On Jan. 21, a three-way interfaith group of marchers guided Temple Micah’s Torah scrolls to the synagogue’s new home at Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church.
The symbolic walk from Temple Micah’s former home of the Park Hill United Methodist Church to Montview marked the completion of the move. On their stroll, dozens of members from both churches walked along. According to Temple Micah’s Rabbi Adam Morris, the synagogue has a history of collaborating with other religious institutions.
“We very intentionally and purposely want this partnership with another religious institution who’s not like us, because that’s what we believe about ourselves and how the world needs to function,” Morris said. “Sharing space with the church is quite intentional on our part, and I hope reflective of our values.”
The Torah walk this past week is the second Temple Micah has done. The congregation conducted the ceremony when Park Hill welcomed them to use its space over a decade ago. When moving spaces, extra attention is put on the Torah scrolls. The religious texts contain Judaic teachings and are painstakingly hand-written. They are the most important symbol and object in a synagogue, stored in an ark and only taken out to be read.
According to Rabbi Morris, the synagogue is moving locations because of growth—and evolving physical and spiritual needs to fit that growth. Many of the Park Hill congregants hope the connection will continue beyond the move.
“It’s been a really good relationship,” said Susan Burnett of Park Hill. “I hope our relationship isn’t over because they aren’t residing here anymore. But, they’re just down the street.”
The symbolic walk from Park Hill to Montview, or the “Torah Scroll Stroll,” started with members from Temple Micah and Park Hill gathering in front of the church with the Torah scrolls in their colorful covers. The synagogue’s younger members held the scrolls under a chuppah, a wedding canopy, which was carried by members of the Park Hill community.
“I mean, we’re not necessarily getting married, but this is a union and partnership that has a covenantal aspect to it,” Morris said.
The crowd of congregants stretched almost an entire block, and the procession to Montview was filled with conversation and an occasional song, with only some small—literal—snags as the chuppah accidentally got caught in overhead branches.
Many from Temple Micah, like Michael Aubrey, were looking forward to forging a new relationship with Montview.
“It’s nice that it’s still in the neighborhood and we didn’t have to go somewhere far away. We’re still part of our community,” Aubrey said. “Because if you look at it, Temple Micah has always been able to find a home in this community. And we’re a fixture in this community for as long as I can remember.”
Community was a common theme of the day.. In the face of the events of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and the subsequent surge of antisemitism in the U.S., many Jews and those with family in the region have turned to their community for answers.
“[Prejudice and antisemitism] just makes people in Jewish households feel unsafe and scared,” Morris said. “So people have sought to connect and find the supportive community with all because of those reasons.”
The Anti-Defamation League recorded 3,283 antisemitic incidents—like physical assault, harassment and vandalism—between Oct. 7, 2023, and Jan. 7, 2024. This was a 360% jump from the same period a year earlier. Some of these incidents have happened right on Temple Micah’s doorsteps.
“We’ve been on the receiving end of swatting threats,” Morris said. “As a community, I mean, institutionally, that’s been thankfully the limit of what’s been presented to us.”
In reflection on the Israel-Hamas War, Rabbi Morris wants the community to look at its teachings and hold hope and compassion for those who need it.
“When I speak, I’m not only concerned and worried for the Jews. I find it horrific, all the innocents and civilians who’ve been killed and injured and their lives just uprooted terribly in Gaza.”
Rabbi Morris believes that even with the spike in antisemitism, members of Temple Micah are able to “strive to be open-minded and compassionate for not just Jews, but for human beings.”
Halfway on their journey, the Park Hill members saw Temple Micah off as Montview members waited to greet them several blocks away from the church. After a transition where the Montview members were invited to carry the chuppah, the group finished their stroll and arrived with the Torah scrolls.
Inside the church, many young members lined up to greet the Temple Micah congregants with hand-drawn signs and cheerful greetings. Shortly after depositing the Torah scrolls inside their ark, a joint service between the groups began.
Rev. Ian Cummins pondered a specific word during the service to describe the new relationship: foster. Cummins encouraged the groups to get to know one another and enjoy live music provided by Temple Micah member Hal Aqua. Aqua performed several select pieces that were fitting for the day, including “One Love” by Bob Marley.
“They’re the same themes that the psalmists were talking about two, three thousand years ago,” Aqua said. “You know, how to connect with a source, how to reach out to other people, how to live on this earth in harmony and justice. I think that those kinds of themes just rise up all over the world. They’re not common to any particular religion or culture. They’re just things we share.”
