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Two Masons create an inter-faith holiday tradition. "Dad, Uncle Ira wants to know if he and Aunt Sue can ride home with us. He said his car is broken." "I suppose so, Matt, but you tell Ira that I might have to charge him for the extra mileage." "But Dad, Uncle Ira is our next-door neighbor!" "Well, tell him anyhow." "Bill Watson, you should be ashamed of yourself," Lil, Bill's wife, said. "You and Ira Cohen have been friends all your lives, and the way you two josh each other, it's enough to frighten the children." "Now, now, Lil. What the two of us have is a special bond. If he didn't snipe at me and I didn't pick on him, one of us would feel that the other was truly mad. It's a type of brotherly love." Just then, Ira and his wife, Sue, got into the car's back seat, and Ira said, "Thanks for waiting for us, Lil, and our best to your chauffeur, also." Bill replied, "I'm so sorry I didn't have a chance to get the car polished and detailed for such distinguished company, but at least it runs." "This time, you mean," said Ira. "If memory serves, it seems to me that I've had to haul you around a few times, too, when your car went bye-bye. As if one, both Sue and Lil said, "That's enough. We
want to enjoy the ride home, and you two are worse than the kids." Ira Cohen was the person the neighborhood children turned to when their bikes or toys needed repairing. Naturally, he was "Uncle Ira" to all of them. The ride home was some distance, and the children soon were asleep. Sue said she really enjoyed the potluck dinner Stated Meetings. All agreed. The Lodge turnouts were always larger on potluck nights, and the ladies could catch up on the latest while the men were in session. Lil said there was almost a holiday atmosphere at the Lodge lately, to which Ira added that he had an idea churning in the back of his mind. Of course, all wanted to hear more. "My thought is this," said Ira. "Since we are all together as Lodge Brothers and friends, we share in many blessings. However, your religion and mine have different major holidays. You have your Christmas, and we have Hanukkah. Why couldn't we convince our Lodge officers to put on a holiday celebration we all could share in? The ladies can feature their best dishes of the season, and anyone who wishes could exchange personal gifts. We could have the Jews talk about Judaism, and you Christians could do the same. Brothers of other faiths could share their holiday traditions, too. We all may learn more about each other, have great fun, and bring our whole group closer together. We could even invite the general public and so open the Lodge to the community." The car got quiet. Then they erupted into clapping and slapped Ira on the shoulder. The excitement generated by the idea made the ride home seem like seconds instead of minutes. At the Lodge the next morning, the boys got Ira's car running just as the Master, Joe Walton, pulled in saying, "Hi ya, boys! I'm glad to see you've cured the problem with Ira's car. I just happened to drop by to check on it on my way to the barbershop." Bill and Ira told Joe about the new plan, and he thought it was an excellent idea for the Lodge. He immediately made the two friends co-chairs to present the idea to the members. Soon, everyone wanted to help. The DeMolays had formed a small band, and they offered to play at the new occasion. The Rainbow Girls Choir was not to be left out. Soon the buzz spread beyond the Lodge, and men called Bill and Ira to ask, "Can anyone come?" "Certainly," they responded, "this is not exclusively a Lodge event." A date was set for a Saturday afternoon. An overflow crowd ate, danced, sang, and relaxed while making many new friends. Finally, the Worshipful Master took the microphone and congratulated Ira Cohen for his fine idea and asked Ira to begin the program. Ira explained a few Yiddish sayings such as simcha, which in Hebrew means rejoicing or a great pleasure, such as the new event. Another common word used is shalom which, like aloha, is used for both hello and goodbye. "Now I don't know about the Hawaiian use of aloha, but my father used to say that we Jews are content with shalom as we don't know if we are coming or going." The crowd roared with good-natured laughter. After the explanation of other Yiddish words, Ira finished with several anecdotes that, in a lightly humorous way, enlightened the audience about Jewish culture and tradition. The audience loved it. Then, Ira brought up to the stage his pal Bill Watson who spoke of his growing up in the small town and his life-long friendship with Ira. He told of a time when he and Ira were schoolmates and it took Ira forever to finish his studies, but he could do his daily prayers quickly. Bill asked Ira why he could pray so fast and study so slow. Ira explained that when he prayed he was talking to God. When he studied, God was talking to him, and he wanted to understand every word. Bill went on to explain some aspects of his own Christian traditions and ended by commenting on the inter-faith nature of Freemasonry. He then invited questions about the Order, and there were several. To his surprise, several applications for Lodge membership resulted from his little presentation, though none were expected at this open party. Master Walton ended the program by stating an old quotation: "Reverence for the past is important, but so is regard for the future." He noted, "Perhaps we are seeing a new beginning here today." As the crowd was filing out of the Lodge, an elderly lady standing with her husband took Bill Watson by the arm and asked, "Will we have to wait a whole year for another non-holiday get-together?" Bill could only smile, but already more new ideas were forming in his mind and Ira's, too. Are you bringing new ideas to your area or waiting for someone else to do it? Masonry needs all of us, not just the Bills and Iras of each Lodge or Temple. A very Happy Non-Holiday Holiday to you all! Enjoy the season in your own way with best wishes and in brotherhood!
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Jack A. Hendee,
32°