The Davis Academy seventh-grade class hosted 150 seventh-grade peers and their teachers from Marist School to provide a forum for understanding more about each other’s religious traditions. The Davis Academy is a Reform Jewish day school, for students through eighth grade.

In small groups, the students discussed each other’s faiths and customs. Davis students learned about the meaning of Communion and Lent from the Catholic school students, while Marist students learned about Jewish holidays, the Torah, and many other topics.

The program concluded with a Jewish Sabbath service known as Kabbalat Shabbat, which is a weekly tradition at Davis. Davis Academy Rabbi Micah Lapidus, together with Marist Father Ralph Olek, offered the priestly blessing to students who were celebrating their birthdays that week.

Marist students are planning to host the Davis students in the fall when they will all be in the eighth grade, and a shared community service project may also be developed as part of this unique interfaith program between the two Atlanta schools.