OUTREACH COMMITTEE

Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple invites you to join us as we Open the Doors of Jewish Life Together. We welcome and encourage interfaith families to become part of the Fairmount Temple synagogue community by offering  programs to help interfaith couples and families better understand their religious needs.  Our clergy team members and staff are sensitive and understanding to the concerns and questions of non-Jewish partners, of parents and grandparents whose children are part of an interfaith family, and of all seekers desiring to learn more about Judaism. 

Upcoming Programs - all are invited!
Fairmount Temple's Outreach Committee offers a variety of programming to help Jews-by-Choice, interfaith families and others have opportunities to connect, or reconnect with Judaism.
Jews-by-Choice Discussion Group, share experiences and feelings with others who have made a conversion, recently or not-so-recently.
All in the Family - Programs for Interfaith Families, discussions and advice on dealing with holidays, questions from relatives and educating non-Jewish relatives about Judaism.
Preparing for Pesach, learn and share with others how to prepare for Pesach and new and old family traditions.
To learn more about these programs and for specific dates, call Hedy Silber  at 216-464-1330, ext. 111.

Other websites of interest:
Interfaithfamily.com
Union for Reform Judaism Interfaith Resources

Why is Outreach so Important?
Outreach programs are being established all over the country as a result of the changing Jewish community. Today, nearly 40% of Jews marry people not born Jewish, an increase from 6% in the 1950s. There are more than 400,000 Jews in the U.S. whose spouses were not born Jewish and more than 600,000 children born from those marriages. It is predicted that soon more than 50% of the children in religious schools will come from homes with mixed backgrounds.

What can we do about these ever-growing statistics? We can welcome interfaith couples into the congregation and encourage the non-Jewish partner to explore, study and understand Judaism in a non-threatening environment.

We can educate and clarify issues for young people in order to strengthen their Jewish identity and examine the implications of interdating and intermarriage. We can educate the Jewish community to be receptive to Jews-By-Choice and Interfaith couples. We can welcome those who have recently chosen Judaism as full members of the Jewish community as well as those seeking to investigate Judaism.