Frank Greco
Site Visit
Dr.Elder
March 26th, 2014

Congregation B’nai Israel
Address: 2710 Park Avenue Bridgeport, CT 06604
Phone: 203-336-1858
Date: March 21st, 2014
Pre-Oneg 5:30p.m
Kabbalat Shabbat 6:00p.m On Friday march 21st, my classmates and I went to go to a Jewish Ceremony. When we first arrived, James Prosnit, a very welcoming Rabbi met us and introduced us to this new and unfamiliar place. A Rabbi is similar to a priest in the Catholic Church; Rabbi’s are teachers of the Jewish religion whereas priests teach and preach about the Catholic religion, so this was somewhat familiar to me. After meeting James Prosnit, we were given a tour of the sanctuary. After that we made our way to the pre service gathering, which we soon learned was called a Pre-oneg. When the tour guide said we were going into a Pre-Oneg, at first I did not know what to expect. I soon learned that a Pre-Oneg is a festive and casual gathering that precedes the Shabbat service. The tour guide said that this gathering gives people the opportunity to have a social connection with each other while enjoying food and beverages. We learned that usually only wines and cheeses are served at a Pre-Oneg, but sometimes there are other types of refreshments. In the Pre-Oneg we were greeted by a lot of people. They seemed very interested about what we do and why we were there, asking us questions like where we attend school and what our majors are. This made us feel even more welcome. Next, James Prosnit introduced a family of a boy who was having a Bar Mitzvah, the following day, to the congregation. The family seemed very anxious but excited about the boy’s Bar Mitzvah. The boy’s Mother, Sister, and Aunt then lit the open ceremony candles and began singing a prayer. What we learned when this was happening was that women generally have more influence over the spirit of a home than men do. We also learned that on a Friday Shabbat service it is a tradition to only light two candles, symbolic of the two commandments to remember the Shabbat. The people then began chanting “Bim Bam” and “Shabbat Shalom” while walking into the sanctuary.
As I took my first step into the temple, the first thing I saw was a large, beautiful ark. James Prosnit mentioned that this beautiful work of art was just recently added to the temple. The ark is called an “Aron Kodesh”. Two glass doors make up a big part of the Aron Kodesh. Represented in the glass, there are white images of the original B’nai Israel, the twelve sons of Jacob who are widely read about in the Torah. Inside the two glass doors were all different kinds of scrolls. The Aron Kodesh also has the Rabbi’s tallit, a prayer shawl that he wears during the ritual. Above the two large doors is a triangle that had a very beautiful light shinning through. After being seated in our designated spots, we were told to stand up, turn around, and greet the bride. When my classmates and I heard the word “bride” we were all very confused. We all were expecting to see a woman walk down the isle in a white dress, but afterwards, we were told that the bride is actually the holy Sabbath. A man behind us explained to us that in their religion, they welcome the Sabbath into their lives like a groom welcomes his woman, as known as his bride, on their wedding day. Rabbi James then began to sing poems and eventually everyone joined in to sing along. After that, the rabbi then gives the people the opportunity to say a name for those who are having tough times, going through issues, or a sickness. After the people shared some names, the rabbi then asked if anyone has something special they want to celebrate. The boy who had a Bar Mitzvah the following day stood up with his family to share the special news, another boy stood up in celebrating passing his drivers test, and a women stood up to celebrate her birthday. Once that was over with the rabbi then recited the Kiddush. The first part of the Kiddush is a verse from Genesis, about how God rested on the seventh day of creation. The next part is the blessing of the grape juice and the third and final part is thanking God for giving the people of he Jewish religion the Shabbat. The man sitting behind again filled us in on something we did not previously know. He told is that the Kiddush is also done at home and it is a kickoff for the evening and daytime meals. After the Kiddush the members then began to sing songs. At the end of the service two people went up to the front of the temple and opened the Aron Kodesh. The rabbi then began to sing in Hebrew and the people in the temple joined in and followed. When that was over the rabbi again asked if anyone would like to say a name for any love ones who have passed. The rabbi ended the service singing Shabbat Shalom. We then walked outside and waited. The rabbi came out and spoke to us about the service. He seemed very happy to have us and told us he would love to have more students come and be a part of any Shabbat service. When assigned this paper, I was not too excited. After taking a tour through B’nai Israel I am glad I got the experience, it was very rewarding. It was very interesting learning about a different religion other than my own. Before attending a Shabbat service, I thought it was going to be uninteresting because it was nothing I was too interested in. Through the experience I learned many things about the Jewish religion making me a much more well rounded person.
When we first arrived at Congregation B’nai Israel I didn’t know the difference between a synagogue and a temple. I thought they were considered the same thing but I was wrong. I learned that a synagogue is attended by orthodox Jews, has separate seating for men and women, and follow the Hebrew order of prayers that has been used for over 1,000 years. A temple is attended by reformed Jews, has mixed seating, and uses whatever the latest of their prayer book is. A temples prayer book may not always be in Hebrew. In the beginning of the service I quickly learned that in Hebrew, Shabbat means resting. When observing the service I learned that Jews only pray to God. One difference between Catholicism and Judaism is, Catholics believe in praying to saints, Mary, angels, and God while Jews simply pray to God and God only. Something else I learned is that a typical Shabbat is done at home. On The Shabbat, cooking and baking is not allowed so the dinner meal is usually cooked in advance. Next is the lighting of candles, which is done by woman only. At B’nai Israel, their plan of Shabbat services has become a family ritual. They believe it is a better chance to feel connected to God, family, and the rest of the Jewish community. I also learned that B’nai Israel was established in 1859. They were granted a charter from Bridgeport and are the third oldest congregation. The most significant thing I have learned is that Shabbat is the only Jewish holiday that occurs every week. Some Jews even consider Shabbat to be more holy than Yom Kippur, another Jewish holiday. When I learned that Shabbat is considered a holiday I was surprised because in my religion, Christianity, there is no holiday that occurs once a week. After touring B’nai Israel and writing this paper, I can say I now look at Judaism much differently then I originally did. Growing up a Catholic Christian, without many Jewish friends I did not really understand Judaism, because it was never relevant to me. Before being educated on Judaism, I thought that Jews rejected Jesus, but after attending a service and doing some research I learned that is not true. Jews do not believe in worshipping Jesus. Although I will remain a Roman Catholic, after attending a Jewish service and learning the basic beliefs about Judaism I am interested in some of the views they have. After writing this paper I believe that it is crucial to be able to differentiate between religions and to be educated about them. I feel like a more well rounded person and I am very thankful that through this class I got the opportunity to be educated in a religion other than my own.