Changing the World One Relationship at a Time

In May 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, protests erupted across the country. Bishop Michael Fisher, the leader of Greater Zion Church Family in Compton, CA, received a phone call from his friend, Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback. He wanted to know how he and his congregation could best support Bishop Fisher and his community. When Bishop Fisher explained he and his congregation were holding a “Night to Remember” memorializing those who had been killed unjustly, Rabbi Zweiback responded, “I'll be there. I'll bring my guitar if you want me to sing.” Bishop Fisher recalled, “He brought his congregation members, his wife, and his children; they were not afraid to stand with us in front of 500 people during the pandemic.” That evening, Bishop Fisher knew that Rabbi Zweiback would support him and his community whenever they needed it.

Bishop Fisher and Rabbi Zweiback had begun building their friendship after being introduced by Bishop Kenneth Ulmer. After discussing their values around equity, fairness, and the need for their communities to pursue justice together, the two quickly became friends. Both Rabbi Zweiback and Bishop Fisher emphasized the importance of building a personal relationship before connecting their communities. Rabbi Zweiback hosted Bishop Fisher and his mother for Shabbat dinner, while Bishop Fisher invited Rabbi Zweiback’s family over for a meal of vegan soul food.

Both leaders are intentional about ensuring their relationship is based on deep connection. Rabbi Zweiback explained, “Bishop Fisher is my friend. I am part of the Greater Zion family, just as he is part of the Stephen Wise Temple family.” Bishop Fisher shared, “we should be able to uplift both of our [communities’] experiences without diluting the other or making one person's trauma feel more significant.”

At its core, the coalition between Greater Zion Church Family and Stephen Wise Temple reflects a shared commitment to building a better world. Rabbi Zweiback explained: “The call to tikkun olamtikkun olamתִּקּוּן עוֹלָם"Repair of the world;" Jewish concept that it is our responsibility to partner with God to improve the world. A mystical concept of restoration of God's holiest Name to itself and the repair of a shattered world. Often refers to social action and social justice. , repairing the world in partnership with God, is one that we are answering together. We’re strengthening our communities as we’re making the world a better place.”

Bishop Fisher concurred:

You have to find the need that spans across gender, sexuality, skin color, and social status. Everybody can understand being wronged, and everybody knows what it’s like to be hurting and feel like you're by yourself, just wanting advocacy. We know what it feels like to be attacked, displaced from our homes. We know terror. So, if you ever felt the pain, you’ve got to be there for the person who's currently in pain.

This mutual pursuit of justice is also shaped by the distinct historical experiences of the Black and Jewish communities. Bishop Fisher explained:

The heart that hates the Jewish community also hates the Black community. It's the heart that hates the gay community or any community that is different. We can all agree that any person willing to dehumanize, kill, torture, and shame people...that's our common enemy.

Rabbi Zweiback elaborated:

There’s a story attributed to Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev: One man says to another, “Are you my friend? Do you love me?” The other says, “Yes.” The first replies, “How can you love me when you don’t know what causes me pain?”

Three years later, on October 7, the roles were reversed. This time, Rabbi Zweiback received a call from Bishop Fisher, who was calling to provide a listening ear and offer support. Rabbi Zweiback recalled, “That phone call meant the world to me. When so many of us felt alone and abandoned, my friend was there for me.”

Bishop Fisher explained that while he and Rabbi Zweiback offered support to each other and their communities through crises, that support could not have happened - or been as meaningful - without the friendship that they had been cultivating: “you can't put a demand on one another until you do the hard work of getting to know one another first. It's hard to demand such a level of investment from people that we barely know. But as you sit with and you get to know one another, you become invested. Then it's not hard to ask someone to show up for you.” Rabbi Zweiback agreed, “the core of any lasting relationship is empathy. What brings them joy or sadness? What gives them meaning? That’s the journey we’re on together.”

In 2025, Greater Zion Church Family and Stephen Wise Temple held an Exodus Dinner around Easter and Passover. Bishop Fisher explained that both communities, “share our traditions on how our cultures have used the story of Exodus to find hope, perseverance, and strength to overcome moments of oppression.” Rabbi Zweiback added: “to be in covenant is to make a commitment to one another to show up, to know each other’s stories and hear each other’s pain, and to support one another in meaningful and ongoing ways. That’s what this relationship is all about.”

Eight months later, members of both congregations traveled together to Israel to deepen understanding and connection. The trip, dubbed “From Compton to Jerusalem,” was marked by shared experiences and cultural appreciation. Bishop Fisher and Rabbi Zweiback planned and led the trip with Amanda Berman, founder and CEO of Zioness, to create an experience that would resonate across both communities and with additional participants from the Black Jewish community. Berman recalled, “We dove into the themes of liberation and safety, explored our overlapping traditions, and built relationships that continue to feel familial.”

Rabbi Zweiback concluded, “one of the most beautiful things between Greater Zion Church Family and Stephen Wise Temple is that we have shown up for each other for more than six years now, so we have come to deeply know each other.” Today, both leaders continue to nurture their friendship and deepen connections within and between their communities. What began as a friendship has grown into a partnership between two congregations rooted in solidarity, nuance, and care.