English, Hebrew and Farsi are commonly heard at Sinai Temple, one of the Westside’s largest synagogues. But Thursday night, its immense sanctuary was buzzing with Spanish. Dozens of Latino Pentecostal church groups joined the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group, to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot and bolster a budding relationship.
“We’re barely starting to know each other," Pentecostal pastor Tony Solorzano said as he held a small Israeli flag. “We are tearing down the walls of ignorance.”
A gathering of some 800 — many of them Pentecostals — donned yarmulkes, danced and socialized under the sukkah, a traditional temporary hut used during the holiday.
Seth Brysk, regional director of the American Jewish Committee, said the interaction between the two communities has included language and cultural classes for Pentecostal pastors. The sessions had done much to improve understanding between two groups that are not traditionally close.
“Although we have all these commonalities — Israel, an immigrant experience — there had not been a lot of direct contact,” Brysk said
