Father David preaches at Kabbalat Shabbat in Beit Daniel

At the beginning of the Kabbalat Shabbat service on Friday evening, December 12, 2014, Rabbi Meir Azeri welcomed Father David warmly to the synagogue, underlining that although it was common in Europe and North America for rabbis and priests to frequent each other’s place of worship, this was rare in Israel. By inviting Father David, the community was seeking to transmit a message of tolerance and mutual acceptance in Israeli society.

Father David based his short homily on the portion of the Torah of the Sabbath, Parashat VeYeshev, which tells the story of the selling of Joseph into slavery by his brothers. It also tells the story of Judah and his daughter-in-law Tamar. Both stories are particularly appropriate when speaking about human rights, freedom and dignity.