While Temple Beth Or members believe our synagogue is special and unique, admittedly there is one area where we are a lot like other Reform synagogues in the country.  Many of our member families are interfaith.  That is, only one of the parents is Jewish.  In fact, more than half of our families include a non-Jewish spouse or partner.

There are all kinds of interfaith couples and Temple Beth Or's membership includes most types.  These include couples where the non_Jewish partner maintains his/her religion of birth; the non_Jewish partner has converted and is now Jewish; the non_Jewish partner no longer follows his/her religion of birth and has not converted; both partners were not raised Jewish and one or both have converted.

It is a common occurrence for Temple Beth Or's Governing Board to include members who are part of an interfaith family.  Such is true for the current leadership.  Both of the authors of this article are spouses in an interfaith family.  No doubt, future Temple Beth OR presidents will also be part of an interfaith family.

The definition of what constitutes a "Jewish family" is evolving.  According to the 2000 National Jewish Population Study, half of North American Jews today will enter interfaith relationships. Of this group, one third of them will affiliate with a synagogue and raise their children as Jews. Some say this is a threat to the future of Judaism, but at Temple Beth Or we see it as an opportunity to strengthen our community. 

We believe non_Jewish partners demonstrate a primary Jewish value -  g'milut chasadim (loving kindness) - by inviting Judaism into their homes and daily lives and accepting their role as partners with all Jews in ensuring our future by raising Jewish children.

Reform Jewish outreach focuses on attracting unaffiliated Jews and interfaith couples into our synagogues.  In addition to our outreach efforts, Temple Beth Or is adding some Jewish "in-reach" by recognizing the synagogue's interfaith couples, the unique perspectives they bring, and the many issues with which they struggle.  Examples of these include experiencing new and very different religious rituals and explaining to the extended family the decision to raise a Jewish family.

The intent of this effort is to make more visible the special issues our interfaith couples grapple with, so we as a caring and welcoming community can be supportive. One of Ron Green's presidential goals is to start a dialogue between Temple Beth Or's interfaith families to allow us to come together and share our struggles and hopes and dreams, both for ourselves and for our children. 

A number of Temple Beth Or interfaith couples, from founding members to new members, will join together in this effort to support each other.  Temple Beth Or's rabbi, Jessica Marshall, and experts at the Union for Reform Judaism have been asked to provide programming ideas about in_reach and outreach on interfaith issues.

Interfaith families not currently affiliated with Temple Beth Or are invited to participate in this program.  To find out more and to receive notification of future events contact the Temple office at 425-259-7125 or office@templebethor.org and leave your contact information.

Those interested in exploring these issues independently will find useful information on the Internet at the Union of Reform Judaism's outreach page (http://urj.org/cong/outreach/interfaith/), as well as at Interfaith Family.com (www.interfaithfamily.com) and the Jewish Outreach Institute's web page (www.joi.org).