Welcoming Interfaith Families: A Gift That Keeps on Giving - Reform Judaism

While it's already on my blogroll, this entry from the Reform Judaism Blog, I felt it was worth reposting, especially after posting Shosh's blog entry. The tone is a little "we told you so", but I'm glad that others are getting on the Outreach Bandwagon.

Welcoming Interfaith Families: A Gift That Keeps on Giving - Reform Judaism

by Arlene Chernow and Vicky Farhi
URJ Congregational Outreach Specialists

Recently, we read an article by Edgar Bronfman encouraging the Jewish world to welcome interfaith couples and families. Yasher koach for your intentions, Mr, Bronfman, we are in agreement and have been since 1987. That was the year that Rabbi Alexander Schindler z''l, President of the then UAHC, changed the view of interfaith marriage by urging our UAHC congregations to "Take the issues of intermarriage out of the house of mourning and bring it into the house of study. " This was the beginning of the URJ's groundbreaking, signature Outreach program.

The cover of the URJ Outreach brochure Intermarried? Reform Judaism Welcomes You states that "each interfaith love story is unique." The phrase "interfaith love story " goes a long way to communicate the acceptance that couples will find in URJ congregations. It acknowledges the fact that couples do not choose who they will fall in love with and that they should not be judged for the path that their life takes.

The URJ Outreach program has always worked on two levels: through congregations and directly. We work through congregations by training our congregational lay leaders and staff members on the best ways to welcome interfaith couples. We provide programs, resources and share the best practices we have learned over the last thirty years. We reach interfaith couples directly though programs like the successful Yours Mines and Ours in the Boston area, A Taste of Judaism which is offered all over North America, interfaith programs in congregations across the United States and Canada and our many publications developed for use in our congregations.

The URJ also provides religious school teacher training programs to encourage sensitivity to the needs of children with one Jewish parent who are being raised as Jews. We have developed a comprehensive training model for the important people who answer the phone and get sensitive first questions like "My husband is Jewish, but I'm not. Can our children come to your school?"

A few years ago during a congregational Yom Kippur service, Rabbi Janet Marder took another bold step by inviting parents who are not Jewish to ascend to the bima for a blessing. Since that year, many congregations have adapted this blessing to thank those in their own congregation who are not Jewish and yet raise Jewish children.

Over the years since Rabbi Schlindler first challenged the status quo of the Jewish world, interfaith marriage has become accepted by leaders in our URJ congregations. At the Houston Biennial in 2005, Rabbi Eric Yoffie urged congregations to thank the non-Jews for the gift of raising Jewish children. The task that we have now is to reach more of the couples who aren't aware of our programs. We agree with Mr. Bronfman that we must continue to strive in our efforts to welcome and integrate interfaith families to our congregations. We must remember that for each interfaith family, it is as if the journey has never happened before. We thank Edgar Bronfman for his interest, and invite him to join us in our efforts to reach interfaith couples.