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What's Cooking on 1060: Biblical Brewers

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Two religious organizations of different faiths are coming together over beer. A friendly home brewing event has brought together a rabbi, a reverend and their congregations.

A reverend and a rabbi walk into a bar...

"People have been making it for 10,000 years and religious communities have been enjoying it and making it for as long as there have been religious communities, and there's no reason that we shouldn't enjoy it."

It sounds like the beginning of a joke -- but Reverend Kirk Berlenback of St. Timothy's Episcopal Church in Roxborough says beer is what led him to the Jewish community:

"We actually had a beer club, like more of an appreciation study club, and so the home brewing was a natural outgrowth of that."

Kuznits: "Some people do bible study, other people do beer study!"

"Exactly right!"

Reverend Berlenbach met Rabbi Eli Freedman of Rodeph Shalom Synagogue, who was also a home brewer, and four years ago they began the Bibilical Brewoff home-brew competition. This year, however, Berlenbach says they're foregoing the competition part of the May 6th event at Rodeph Shalom.

"It was always friendly competition, but instead of competing we wanted to come together for a single purpose, which was to raise awareness and promote interfaith understanding and cooperation."

Kuznits: "So everybody tries all the beers?"

"Um hum."

Kuznits: "God doesn't prefer one over the other?"

"Well...."

Kuznits: "Well, except that you're better, of course."

"Well, they're all great!"

Kuznits: "What can people learn when they sit down over a beer?"

"Anything. Anything! The possibilities are limitless. You come down, you share a beer, barriers are broken, friendships are formed, it's wonderful."

Tickets to Saturday night's Biblical Brewers event at Rodeph Shalom Synagogue can be found online or at the door for $20.

 

Hear the full podcast (runs 8:22)…

And for this week, that's "What's Cooking on 1060!"

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