Two old friends bring two faith communities together, as Passover and Holy Week arrive

Passover and Holy Week coincide this year and for Rabbi Gadi Capela of Congregation Tifereth Israel in Greenport and the Rev. Roy Tvrdik of the Shrine of Our Lady of the Island in Manorville, it’s the perfect time to bring two faith communities — and two friends — together.

Capela and Tvrdik met at a social event in 2005 and immediately connected. Capela, who was then a business analyst working in the banking industry, as well as a student Jewish philosophy at Yeshiva University, was taken aback with Tvrdikʼs interest in Jewish history and culture. A first generation Israeli whose family was originally from Yemen, Capela had not met many Christians like this priest. Tvrdik, a chaplain at SUNY Old Westbury, had a great interest in Jewish history and the Hebrew roots of Christianity. From a young age, Tvrdik believed that grasping the depths of the Christian faith and the wisdom of the Bible, required one to learn more about Jewish history and faith.

Their conversation and friendship inspired Tvrdik to ask Capela if he would celebrate a Seder for the students on the campus of SUNY Westbury. Capela, who was not a rabbi at that time, was very nervous about this invitation.

“I never did anything with Christians,” Capela said. “I thought that if I celebrated a Seder with a group of Christians, then I might be struck with lightning or something.” He decided to consult a friend who was studying to be a rabbi. When his friend told him that it was permissible to celebrate the Seder “for educational purposes,” Capela agreed to Tvrdik’s request.

Asked about the celebration of their first Seder together, both Tvrdik and Capela light up with excitement. Tvrdik said he wasnʼt sure how many students show up for a Seder on campus. They decided to set 25 places — hoping they might fill half of them. The cleric saw it “as a sign from God” when exactly 25 people came to the Seder. That was, as Capela describes it, “the first miracle.”

The second miracle makes Tvrdik choke up with emotion when he and Capela talk about it.

In the Passover Seder, the story of Israelʼs deliverance from the Egyptians is framed and retold by answering four questions, usually asked by four children of the Jewish family. The fourth child is the one who cannot or does not know how to ask.

“The fourth child was sitting right across from me at the table,” Capela recalled. “I was at the head and this man sat at the opposite end. He sat in the position of the fourth child, the one who could not ask. The man literally put his hand to his throat to indicate that he had no voice. He had throat cancer and could not speak. This was the second miracle of our first Seder,” Capela continued. “As a a believing person, I knew God spoke to me.”

Both Capela and Tvrdik saw the two “miracles” that evening as signs from God that they were doing something they were meant to do. That Seder sealed their friendship and their mission to reach out to the Jewish and Catholic communities to provide education and inspire faith.

Months later, Capela and Tvrdik traveled to Israel together. They spent countless hours sharing their common roots and faith and began having discussions on interpretations of scripture. Each of them expanded in their faith and education as the bond of their friendship grew.

One year after that first Seder and a few months after their trip to Israel, Tvrdik and Capela decided to bring their discussions to the larger community at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Island in Manorville. They decided to begin at the beginning, with the book of Genesis, and “Project Genesis” was born.

Project Genesis was a monthly study of the book of Genesis; it lasted for seven years at the Shrine. For that study, Capela taught from the Jewish understanding of the text and Tvrdik added the Christian perspective and the development of a Catholic theology. Project Genesis developed a following from both the Catholic and Jewish communities. It concluded a few months ago, but the mission of Project Genesis continues. Capela now provides the Jewish context and understanding of the Gospel of Matthew for a growing community on the North Fork, in sessions held at the First Universalist Church in Southold. In addition to the scripture study, Capela and Tvrdik envision Project Genesis developing into a community of prayer, study and philanthropic action.

As the depth of the studies and discussions continued, the friendship between Tvrdik and Capela grew as well. Capela credits his call and vocation to become a Rabbi to his relationship with Tvrdik and the Catholic community.

“God used Father Roy and the Catholic community to show me that this is my mission,” Capela said, “to share Jewish background with Christians so they are more informed about their religion.” He laughs. “God writes straight with crooked lines. Through this Catholic community I realized that I had a gift to teach, to become a pulpit rabbi.”

Just as Capela was inspired in his vocation, Tvrdik, a Montfort Missionary, has learned the depth of his vocation as a Catholic priest.

“As a kid, I was enamored with Jewish culture and wanted to understand the Jewish heritage of Jesus and understand the connection,” Tvrdik said. “In our friendship and in our study, I am re-learning the depths of this call that is even older than Jesus. The love of Israel is very profound and I have learned that from Gadi. He has helped me to connect the dots between Israel and Christianity.”

The friendship and mutual respect of these two men, both deeply committed to their respective faiths, was palpable in the room as they hosted their eighth model Seder for a sold-out crowd of 75 people at the Manorville shrine on Sunday — Palm Sunday, an apt prelude to Passover, which began at sundown Monday, and the Tridium which begins with the celebration of Mass on Holy Thursday.

As the rabbi led the Seder meal, he taught the meaning behind the texts and the actions. Every action and every word meant something. Like savoring a fine wine with a well-educated sommelier, celebrating the Seder with Capela was a profound educational and faith experience for the participants.

Tvrdik, standing beside Capela in front of a carving depicting the Last Supper, “connected the dots” for the whole community. He explained the significance of Jesusʼ words and actions at the Last Supper with his disciples and prepared the Catholics for the celebration of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Choking back tears, Tvrdik explained, “We see here that biblical history has not ended. This Seder and the “Last Seder” hold a universal message that everyone can benefit from.”

Capela, a first-generation Israeli immigrant whose Yemeni parents and grandparents walked for an entire year across the Arabian desert to reach the promised land, concluded by sharing his gratitude for this faith community.

“When I began this journey with Father Roy and the Catholic community, I thought I could be struck by lightning for sharing a Seder with Christians. Now I see you as Israel…. For me, itʼs like coming home.”

For more information on Passover Celebrations on the East End, see the East End Jewish Community Council website.  Click here for more information on Congregation Tifereth Israel in Greenport and Project Genesis on the North Fork. For a schedule of activities for Holy Week at The Shrine of Our Lady of the Island in Manorville visit www.ourladyoftheisland.org.


he one of the head table is L-R; Fr Jose, Rabbi Gadi, Fr Roy and Fr. Hugh.
The other pics are of servers in the line for the dinner portion of the Seder, pictures of the crowd from above and one of greeting Rabbi Gadi greeting one of the participants.