San Diego Jewish Synagouge“I believe the [Jewish] Messiah will come one day to ignite Judaism and bring world peace. He won’t be divine, but He will be the anointed one of God. Because of the Messiah, war will cease to exist and everyone will recognize the oneness of God.”
This view of the Messiah is not a universal belief in Judaism. “I don’t believe in the literal messiah,” said Barry Scher, a congregant. “I think it is nice to have [Christians] giving contributions to Israel, even if their hope is that all Jews should gather together in Israel before their final destruction.” Judy Levy, the cantor, said she does not believe in the Messiah either. “I believe it will be a Messianic time of peace, rather than an individual Messiah.” Next week, in Lipschultz’s absence, Judy Levy will serve as rabbi. “When I grew up, the idea of a female rabbi was blasphemy. It is becoming more allowable to have a woman lead service in the last few years.” Temple Beth Sholom allows women to serve as cantors and rabbis. “We are a liberal-minded community open to new interpretive elements,” said Rabbi Lipschultz.
Full Article: Temple Beth Sholom