RABBI, PRIEST FIND COMMON GROUND.

Byline: Jeff Wright The Register-Guard

Jonathan Seidel and Tom Yurchak sometimes like to share jokes with each other. Rabbi-priest jokes, to be precise.

They probably can be forgiven, since Seidel is rabbi of Eugene's fledgling Or Hagan Light of the Garden minyan, and Yurchak is the parish priest at St. Jude Catholic Church. But the two men's shared passions go far beyond a good punch line.

When Seidel decided last year to start a new, conservative Jewish congregation, he knew he needed to find a worship space to rent. So he went to St. Jude, widely regarded as Eugene's most liberal Catholic parish, to inquire about the availability of its chapel sanctuary - on Saturdays, the Jewish sabbath, not Sundays.

That's when he first met Yurchak, who had arrived at St. Jude only months earlier after serving St. Patrick Catholic Church in Canby for 10 years.

"We just really hit it off right away," said Seidel. "He has a good sense of humor, and we recognized right away that we both had an interest in scholarship and religious studies. I'd studied Christian thought and he'd studied Judaism. We had a language to speak to each other."

And so speak they did. Yurchak learned that Seidel had written articles and part of his doctoral dissertation on amulets - religious icons worn on the body because of their supposed power to protect against harm.

Seidel, in turn, learned about Yurchak's remarkable personal library -25,000 volumes, on virtually all aspects of religious history and church law, not to mention a Yiddish Bible - and his collection of nearly 100 crosses, amulets and other religious icons.

The shared interest has elevated Seidel and Yurchak's relationship beyond tenant-landlord: Beginning this week, they're teaming up to offer a five-week adult education class. The topic: "Folk Religion, Piety and Art in Judaism and Christianity."

The idea of a conservative rabbi and a liberal priest jointly teaching such a class strikes neither Yurchak nor Seidel as particularly unusual. Yurchak, for example, sees plenty of similarities between conservative Judaism and orthodox Catholicism.

"Our religions are not just something of the head or the heart, but of the ordinary and everyday," he said. "We have everyday ceremonies - the frequent prayer, the ritualized practice, the sacred objects.

"We're aware of the richness of our traditions, and we're just trying to expose people to those riches."

Yurchak, 55, identifies another reason for offering the class: "My people are very interested in the Jewish faith because they know that we have Jewish roots - that Jesus himself was a Jew."

Yurchak said his interest in ecumenical and interfaith matters evolved as he began officiating at more and more weddings in which a Catholic was marrying a Protestant, a Jew or, in at least one instance, a Muslim. His ecumenical involvements include a stint on the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon's theological education committee.

Seidel, who previously served as assistant rabbi at Temple Beth Israel, said he, too, sees the class as a way to build bridges between faith traditions. "Christians have a lot to teach Jews, and Jews have a lot to teach Christians," he said.

Seidel, 49, said he started the Light of the Garden minyan at the request of local Jews interested in an alternative to Temple Beth Israel, which is affiliated with the more liberal Reconstructionist branch of Judaism.

Light of the Garden has 30 to 40 core members and big plans that include a religious school and teen program, Seidel said. "We're creating a safe place that's welcoming to all Jews and people interested in Judaism," he said.

The group also hopes to one day have its own worship space - but for now finds St. Jude more than accommodating. With the blessings of Yurchak and St. Jude's staff, Seidel and other Light of the Garden members carefully remove Christian icons from the St. Jude chapel walls during their sabbath services, during which they bring out their Torah scrolls and other Jewish artifacts. When the services end, the Christian icons are carefully returned.

"It's a tremendous gesture that they would allow us to do that," said Seidel. "Short of going to confession, we love this Catholic church."

RELIGIOUS ICONS CLASS

Priest, rabbi team up to teach course

When/where: Five Wednesdays, March 2-30, 7:30 p.m., St. Jude Catholic Church, 4330 Willamette St.

Who: Jonathan Seidel, rabbi, Or Hagan Light of the Garden minyan; the Rev. Tom Yurchak, parish priest, St. Jude

Cost: $50 ($45 for St. Jude and Or Hagan members). Call 434-6551 for more information.

Course title: "The Mezuzah and the Mandylion: Acculturation and Inculturation - Folk Religion, Piety and Art in Judaism and Christianity"

What's a mezuzah?: A small piece of parchment inscribed with specific Old Testament verse, rolled and put into a case and attached to the doorpost of the home, as commanded in biblical passages

What's a mandylion?: An image considered to be the oldest known icon and oldest known portrait of Jesus. According to ancient legend, King Abgar of Edessa (now Urfa in Turkey) was a leper who sent a subject to Galilee with a letter beseeching Jesus to come to Edessa to heal the king. Jesus instead asked for some water, washed himself and wiped his face on a linen cloth, imprinting it with his features. When the king beheld the cloth, his leprosy was cured. "Mandylion" literally means "little handkerchief."

DID YOU HEAR THE ONE...

Local priest, rabbi not above swapping religious jokes

A rabbi and a priest are getting ready to have a meal. The priest turns to the rabbi and asks, "When are you going to give up all this kosher nonsense and start eating pork?" The rabbi answers, "Probably at your wedding, Father."

A rabbi and a priest have to cross a river. The priest says, "I can't get across, what should I do?" The rabbi says, "Pray." The priest tries to walk across the river, falls in and drowns. Then the rabbi walks across with no problem. A minister on the other side asks, "Rabbi, how did you get across?" The rabbi answers, "I just watched out for the rocks."

St. Peter and Jesus go golfing. St. Peter suggests that Jesus use a 5-iron on his approach shot. Jesus says Arnie Palmer would only need a 9-iron. Jesus himself uses a 6-iron; his ball falls short of the green and into the water. He walks atop the water to retrieve the ball. The same pattern repeats itself again and again - Jesus undershoots the green, sends his ball into the water, then walks on the water to retrieve the ball. A passing rabbi asks St. Peter, "Who does that guy think he is - Jesus?" "No," says St. Peter, "Arnie Palmer."

- Rabbi Jonathan Seidel, the Rev. Tom Yurchak

CAPTION(S):

Teachers Rabbi Jonathan Seidel (left) and the Rev. Tom Yurchak prepare for their class. In front are Catholic icons (left) representing Christ and St. Nicholas and a Yiddish translation of the Hebrew Bible (right) and a Jewish prayer shawl. Paul Carter / The Register-Guard "We're aware of the richness of our traditions, and we're just trying to expose people to those riches." - TOM YURCHAK, PARISH PRIEST AT ST. JUDE CATHOLIC CHURCH