Israeli scouts get a taste of Tennessee––and the hospitality of St. Augustine Catholic Church in South Memphis

The voices were definitely the voices of young people. But as they laid cable, checked the speakers, and lined up their microphones for a stage show at St. Augustine Catholic Church in South Memphis, the language they spoke with one another was Hebrew. The 2009 TZOFIM (Israel Scouts Movement) Friendship Caravan had arrived, and they were preparing for the program that lifted the spirits of more than 300 people who attended the July 19 show at the St. Augustine, WP Porter Gym.

Rabbi Micah Greenstein of Temple Israel offered opening remarks, and Paulist Father John Geaney, the pastor at St. Augustine, joined him for a prayer. Following the prayer a flag ceremony was introduced featuring Boy Scouts from Memphis and the Scouts from Israel who were part of the Friendship Caravan. The Scouts presented the colors of the United States, Israel, and the State of Tennessee, and all in the audience were invited to sing the Israeli National Anthem. The St. Augustine Liturgical Dancers performed in their unique dancing style, and were followed by the St. Augustine Gospel Choir who all wore native African dress and performed two gospel songs that engaged the audience in handclapping participation

Jeffrey Feld, executive director of the Memphis Jewish Federation mentioned in remarks following the presentations of the St. Augustine groups that he was amazed and uplifted by both the St. Augustine dancers and choir. He also urged the audience to be open to the performance they were about to see as it represented the best of what Israel offers to the world.

The Friendship Caravan members, who traveled more than 14,000 miles to be in Memphis, then began a non-stop song and dance revue that gives a small taste of Israel, its history and its current situation to the audience. It features the people of Israel as well as its culture and tries to deal with Israel’s hopes and aspirations. The stage is set so that video and audio are playing at times combined with the live singers and dancers on the stage. During the music and dance presentations several costume changes take place. The performers quickly change from scouting uniforms to folk dresses of several kinds that would be typical in Israel, and back to their scouting uniforms.

The group that traveled to Memphis is known as Caravan Gefen and is made up of five boy scouts and five girl scouts, all chosen for their skills at dancing and their musical abilities as well as their ability to represent Israel as ambassadors. Two adult leaders are with them as they travel. is one of the adults traveling with the group.

“We do the program,” said Roi Bachar, one of the two adults traveling with the group, “to show Israel as it is particularly for Jewish communities.”

The Mr. Bachar, 24, admitted that the Caravan seldom performs for Christian communities and noted that St. Augustine was only the second Christian community for which they had performed on this trip.

This will be Bachar’s first and last trip as it will be for the members of the caravan. “Every year,” he said, “it’s a different group that comes to the United States.”

The Friendship Caravan displays an enormous energy on stage. Most of the songs are sung in Hebrew, and they are upbeat and danceable. The members of the caravan move out into the audience during the show and help members of the audience to dance with them.

About two thirds of the way into the show a young woman came on stage and spoke to the audience about going to the Western Wall of the temple at Jerusalem shortly before she left for the US. Her purpose in going was to place a small prayer card in a crack in the wall as has been done for centuries by Jews, and more recently by people of all faiths. Her prayer was that the Caravan would be safe. The group then sang a song about Jerusalem, which translated into English included the lyrics, “There’s only one more thing I wish for you, I wish you’d wake up to a peaceful new tomorrow.”

Every show contains a song about Jerusalem – the city that is central to the life of Jews. It is also made clear during the program that Israel is at war with Hamas, and the video presentation at the time includes shots of Israeli soldiers heading for the front. The program closed with the song, Let it Be – whose theme lyric might be: “There will be an answer, let it be.”

The evening at St. Augustine was to commemorate the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Israel that took place earlier in the year. After the Caravan had sung its last song, Father Geaney spoke to the audience and noted that the curtain of the stage had remained open at the closing of the show.

“That’s symbolic to me,” Father Geaney said, “It shows us that we need to leave the curtains of our lives open so that we can better understand each other recognizing that there are many more things that we share in common as Christians and Jews than there are things that divide us.”

Father Geaney also pointed out that it was an African-born black Jew living in Israel who had carried the flag of Israel throughout the St. Augustine Gym at the end of the show.

“It reminded me that when African Americans in Memphis were engaged in the difficulties that came with the battle for civil rights, that the Jewish community in Memphis stood strongly by their side,” he said. “When we work together, we can overcome the racism that is still too much a part of our great city.”

Mr. Feld commented that there were many reasons to hold the event at St. Augustine.

“One is to engage Catholics and Jewish communities in a dialogue again,” he said. “The pope’s visit [to Israel] makes this an opportune time to do that. Secondly, we knew that Jews and African Americans had worked together here in Memphis, and we need to renew that tradition. And, oh, yes, this whole evening was fun!”