Plymouth Magazine-Summer24-DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 19
A Journey of Faith
By Neil Salowitz
May 2, 1964
The day of my Bar Mitzvah. In Jewish
tradition, 13-year-old boys and girls
become Bar or Bat Mitzvah—Son or
Daughter of the Covenants—by reading
a portion in Hebrew from one of the
first five books of the Old Testament
and a complementary portion from the
Prophets. I had studied and learned not
only my two readings but also the entire
Shabbat (Sabbath) service, which I was
prepared to lead.
My father came into my bedroom that
morning as I was finishing getting dressed.
He helped me tie my bowtie and brushed
a bit of lint off the shoulder of my jacket.
I could see that he was proud and a bit
nervous. “How are you feeling?” he
asked. “Are you ready for this?”
I reflected on the months of study and
memorization, the classes, the discussions
with my teachers and the Rabbi about the
meaning of the Bible portions I was going
to read and explain to the congregation. I
also remembered the times my father, not
a religious man, had sat with me, helping
me to learn the Hebrew in which I would
conduct the service. We had both struggled
at times, but the work had brought us closer.
“Yes, Dad,” I told him. Thank you for
helping me to prepare. I’m ready.”
March 6, 2022
Sunday morning. I awoke with the
absolute conviction that I needed to go
to church that morning at Plymouth.
I hadn’t been thinking about it at all. I
was Jewish and content in my faith. The
feeling, however, wouldn’t go away. I
made coffee and drank a cup, thinking
that the caffeine would bring me to my
senses. The feeling became stronger.
There have been a few times in my life
when something took me over, something
that I could not explain and could not
deny. It had happened when I met a
beautiful woman in college, and within
15 minutes was struck by the undeniable
truth that she was going to be my wife
(50 years later, she still is.) The call that
March morning was similarly undeniable
—I was going to Plymouth that day.
Neil Salowitz’s Baptism on May 22, 2023 with Pastor Jack Mahoney.
When I walked in, I was surprised and
delighted to see several familiar faces in
the pews. I sat down and waited for the
service to begin.
I knew this place. I sing with the Des
Moines Gay Men’s Chorus; we rehearse
in the third-floor rehearsal space, and
we’d performed several concerts from
the chancel. Sitting in a pew, however,
singing the hymns, praying unfamiliar
prayers—this was different. Something
was happening, something that I didn’t
understand but that felt powerful and
spoke to my soul.
After the service I approached Pastor
Wortman, introduced myself and
explained why I was there. He seemed
intrigued by my background, and I was
struck by his warm, welcoming spirit. We
talked. He invited me to the “Discover
Plymouth” classes that were soon to
begin. I wasn’t so sure about accepting
the invitation. Going to church that
day was one thing. Attending classes
which constituted a commitment to
further engagement with the church,
its clergy and the notion of the physical
embodiment of God was something else.
Was I ready for this?
This is the point in the narrative where, if
I’m following Biblical tradition, I recount
how the heavens opened and a celestial
light shone upon my countenance as a
deep, resonant voice said, “Thou shalt
attend the classes!” It didn’t happen like
that. Instead, a whisper in my soul told
me, “I’m ready.”
May 22, 2023
The day of my baptism. I walked into
the sanctuary, greeted friends and took
my place in the pews. My friend and
counselor Pastor Jack Mahoney, then a
Plymouth TiM Minister, now Interim
Associate Minister for Children, Youth
and Families at Norfield Congregational
Church in Weston, Connecticut, and
a Navy Chaplain candidate, was to
perform the sacrament. At the appointed
time, he called me up and stood next to
me in front of the congregation. Before
he began, he leaned toward me and
whispered, “You ready?”
I thought about my journey of faith. I
am (and remain) Jewish and I was about
to become a Christian as well. I thought
about years of study, of questioning, of
searching. I thought about the Jewish
disciples, the followers of Jesus—and
I said, “Yes, Jack, I am.” Then I said, to
myself and to God, “Father, You have
prepared me for this moment. Thank
you. I’m ready.”
About the Author
Neil Salowitz is a former Director of Marketing for Principal Global Investors, where he helped
to develop and market investment strategies for insurance companies in this country and abroad.
Since his retirement in 2009, he has served on the Boards of Directors of several non-profit
organizations. Neil has been married for almost 50 years (to the same woman!) and has two
daughters and four (soon to be five) grandchildren.
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