Santa Clarita Valley Jewish congregants helped the Rev. John Shaver from Community United Methodist Church of Pacific Palisades after his church burned down in January’s Palisades Fire. Shaver joined many of them on Sunday at Valencia United Methodist Church for the annual Passover Seder on Sunday evening hosted by Rabbi Mark Blazer of Temple Beth Ami.  About 150 people from the Jewish community attended the religious meal and ritual, which marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday Passover. Shaver, even though he’s a Christian, said Seder is important to him, particularly after the fire and all the support he received, as the event is all about family.  “On behalf of the Shaver family, I just want to thank all of you,” he said to a packed room of people, some of whom helped him and his family a few months prior. “You all are my family … As we hear the story of freedom, know that we all have a story, but so do so many people around, and we have the great, great one, our God, to take us forward. And that brings us together.”  Shaver, who was once the pastor at Valencia United Methodist Church, said in an interview that he met Rabbi Blazer at a past Seder event at the church. The two became good friends and even recently organized a joint trip to Israel and Jordan, which included about 25 Methodists and 25 Jews.   “We probably had people at the beginning wondering, ‘Will I get to see enough of my faith tradition?’” Shaver said. “At the end, I think everybody felt like they were so excited to learn about each other.”  Before the Seder rituals began, Blazer shared a few words to attendees about Shaver. He spoke about the work he and Shaver did together to help area homeless people.   Rabbi Mark Blazer of Temple Beth Ami speaks to attendees about the “Seder Steps” at Valencia United Methodist Church, April 13, 2025. Kamryn Martell/The Signal He also talked about their friendship and of Shaver’s hardship.   “He worked for a long time out here to help make sure that the unhoused would have a home,” Blazer said. “And there’s a tragic irony to that.”  That irony is that Shaver would not only lose his house of worship to the Palisades Fire, but also his own home, too.   Blazer said that he and his congregation were there for him and his family.   Also at the Seder dinner was the current pastor of Valencia United Methodist Church, Andy Mattick. Blazer joked that there were more Methodist clergy at the event Sunday than rabbis.   Mattick said he was honored to be invited to take part in the evening.  “Hospitality is at the heart of who we are here,” he told attendees. “And hospitality is certainly at the heart of who I am. And so, welcome. We are so pleased to have you here tonight.”  Pastor Andy Mattick of Valencia United Methodist Church (left) and Rev. John Shaver of Community United Methodist Church of Pacific Palisades sit and listen to Rabbi Mark Blazer’s speech at Valencia United Methodist Church, April 13, 2025. Kamryn Martell/The Signal Blazer extended a thank-you to Valencia United Methodist Church for allowing his congregation space for Sunday’s event and other previous occasions.   “For those who’ve been here in the past, you might remember we’ve been in this beautiful hall before,” Blazer said. “It’s a wonderful place filled with lots of great memories, because, of course, just across the way, we celebrate the High Holidays. The people here at Valencia United Methodist have welcomed us so many times, and on this day in particular, it’s very special because today is Palm Sunday. It’s part of Holy Week. It’s part of the holiest time of year on the Christian calendar, and yet they found a place for us to celebrate Passover.”  After his opening remarks, Blazer led attendees in the Seder, which translates to “order” in Hebrew. The order of each step in the Seder is a significant part of the retelling of the story of the Jewish people’s liberation from slavery in Egypt. Steps include sips of wine, hand washing, blessings and, of course, food.  A traditional Seder plate of food includes: matzah to represent the unleavened bread that the Jews quickly made before escaping from Egypt; a shank bone to represent the lamb sacrificed on the eve of the exodus; a roasted egg to symbolize the festival sacrifice, as well as a symbol of spring; charoset — or a mixture of apples, nuts and spices — to represent the mortar used by Jewish slaves to build Egyptian structures; parsley to be dipped in saltwater to symbolize the tears shed by the Jewish people during their enslavement; and bitter herbs — typically horseradish — to represent the bitterness of slavery.   Jews and Methodists alike shared in the Passover Seder meal Sunday, enjoying each other’s company as what some called one big family.  The post Jews and Methodists share in Sunday Passover Seder meal appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal. ...read more read less