He said the church has had a friendship with Jewish congregations in Utah for far longer than 50 years, and said Joseph Smith expressed the hope that Jerusalem would be redeemed and the children of Judah would begin to return to the land given to Abraham.
Gong, of the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said it was "a special honor and pleasure" to be there, and congratulated the congregation on their anniversary. This support of the Jewish community from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was apparent at the celebration, as multiple leaders from the church attended, and Rabbi Spector said the church sponsored multiple tables.Įlder Gerrit W. Rabbi Spector said the friendship between the two churches has been a gift to their community. He said Brigham Young gave them land for their first synagogue and put a stop to a boycott of Jewish businesses when one was organized. "When we first came out here, we saw Latter-day Saints as our brothers and sisters, people who we shared a common narrative with, and so much in common," Rabbi Spector said. He said members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came to Utah to escape persecution, which is similar to the background of many Jews. His experience has confirmed that, Rabbi Spector said, along with the experience of Jewish people since they arrived in Utah 150 years ago. Initially, the other rabbi said it was hard dealing with antisemitism, but then when he heard Rabbi Spector was going to Utah, the rabbi said, "Oh, Latter-day Saints love you guys." Rabbi Spector said when he learned he would be moving from a predominately Jewish community in Los Angeles to Utah, where a very small portion of people are Jewish, he called a friend who was a rabbi to ask him what it was like to be a minority group. Rabbi Spector said friends, family and the community coming together has inspired people around the world. He said something like that would only happen in Utah, where people look out for each other and love each other despite differences. And that was bring two different movements of Judaism together, to create one community - Kol Ami - which means all our people," Rabbi Spector said. "Fifty years ago, our community decided to do something incredibly bold, something that hadn't been done, really anywhere in the country. The congregation, with about 350 families, is about one-fourth of Utah's Jewish population. Kol Ami is a unique Jewish congregation it began when two different congregations joined forces - Congregation B'nai Israel, a congregation of reformed Jews, and Congregation Montefiore, which was a group of conservative Jews. The 50th anniversary celebration for Congregation Kol Ami on Sunday was also a celebration of community and connection as Rabbi Samuel Spector thanked government leaders and the leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for their support of the small Jewish community in Salt Lake City.
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