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SALT LAKE CITY — Dozens of religious individuals celebrated traditional Jewish customs Thursday evening at the semiannual B’nai Shalom event.
B’nai Shalom, a Hebrew translation of “Children of Peace,” unites Jews and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in a cultural evening filled with food, music, dancing and an inspirational speaker.
Julie K. Gardner, managing director of the Northern Utah Youth Symphony, and Joshua Austin played Sephardic music as first-timers and veterans of the event consumed Jewish cuisine such as bagels and lox, chopped liver and matzo ball soup in addition to a variety of other cultural dishes.
The meat and the dairy products were notably housed on different tables as per traditional Kosher custom, event attendee Marc Eisenstein pointed out.
A member of the LDS Church, Eisenstein comes from Jewish lineage, and his grandfather was a rabbi at a food processing plant.
Eisenstein said it was his grandfather’s job to make sure all the food was kosher at the plant and though Eisenstein hasn’t personally kept kosher, he said he “can never deny being a Jew.”
This was Eisenstein’s first time attending B’nai Shalom, to which he said he felt he was able to share his Jewish heritage with his “LDS brethren.”
Event veteran David Burt, who was previously in the B’nai Shalom presidency, said this event means “Joseph and Judah coming together.”
Burt said another goal of B’nai Shalom is to assist Jews with their genealogy.
After guests finished eating, a quiet reverence filled the room as attendees filed into the chapel to hear Patricia Argyle speak about her ancestor’s experience in the Holocaust.
Argyle said she distinctly remembers her parents talking about World War II growing up, and she was “captivated” by the stories her mothers friends would tell.
“From a young age, my mind tried hard to comprehend the cruelty of mankind,” Argyle said, adding that she couldn’t comprehend it.
Argyle relayed stories of her mother’s family hiding from the Nazis and the tragedy of her grandparent's death at Auschwitz.
About five or six years ago, Argyle began praying to ask that she could find forgiveness in her heart for other people.
When Argyle’s mother died in 2013, she left each of her children a little money, and Argyle determined she would spend it on a trip to Europe, specifically visiting Auschwitz.
As Argyle traveled to Poland, she was “mentally prepared for a day of crying,” she read aloud from her journal. She said she was confronting demons that brought pain and anguish to her mother.
But as she stood in a gas chamber like the one her grandmother was killed in, she felt overcome by the Holy Ghost and felt love and forgiveness in her heart for the German soldiers in the concentration camp.
“It’s the most changing experience to let go of hatred,” Argyle told KSL.com.
The evening concluded with Edwin Austin Jr., from the Brigham Young University department of dance, leading attendees in traditional Jewish dances, including the Hora.
Gardner, who is also a member of the B’nai Shalom board, said she comes to the event for the music and dancing.
“I like the soul in the music,” Gardner said.
B'nai Shalom occurs each Thursday before LDS General Conference. To learn more about this organization, visit its website.
