Are you part of an interfaith or multicultural family? We think you’ll feel right at home at Beth David.

Fully half of our Religious School families are interfaith. Beth David members who aren’t Jewish themselves but who are part of Jewish families serve on our Board of Trustees and committees, and participate from the bima (podium) in our services at b’nai mitzvah, on the High Holy Days, and throughout the year.

Rabbi Kalisch and Cantor Goodlev frequently officiate at Jewish weddings and other rituals for interfaith families, continuing a tradition started by our Rabbi Emeritus, Rabbi Henry Cohen, who was an early proponent for the active inclusion of interfaith families in synagogue life. Please feel free to reach out to our clergy to talk through any questions you might have.

The Jewish people has always been blessed to welcome people who became part of the Jewish community by marriage or simply by where they chose to make their homes. Beth David is proud to include interfaith families of all kinds, and we hope we can be a home to your diverse family.

Rabbi Beth Janus, together with Rabbi Kalisch, Cantor Goodlev, and other local clergy

Wednesdays, October 26 – February 15, 7:00. – 8:30pm

Zoom with some in-person events.
Explore a modern take on Jewish life. Engage with Jewish values, celebrations, and spirituality. Voice your questions, discover multiple perspectives, and find what could be meaningful to you in liberal Judaism.

Beth David is delighted to partner with our neighboring Reform synagogues to offer Introduction to Judaism in partnership with the Union for Reform Judaism. Open to all, this course is meant for individuals and couples from Jewish and various faith traditions and cultural backgrounds and those who have had no religious upbringing. The course is perfect for interfaith couples, people who are not Jewish but are part of Jewish families, spiritual seekers, individuals considering conversion, and Jews who want a meaningful introductory adult Jewish learning experience.

Topics include holidays, life cycle celebrations, theology and core beliefs, prayer, the Bible and other sacred texts, history, anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, Zionism and Israel, the American Jewish experience, and the tapestry of the Jewish people today.

Register online here.

You do not need to be a synagogue member to take this class or any other class at Beth David, but if you are enrolling because you are considering converting to Judaism or becoming part of the Beth David community, Rabbi Kalisch and Cantor Goodlev would love to connect with you so they can support you in your learning.

Beth David was one of 14 Jewish organizations accepted to take part in the INTERFAITH INCLUSION LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE (IILI – Cohort 3) in 2020! Our fantastic IILI team has been working all year to find the best ways to fully embrace interfaith families and couples at Beth David. This Initiative was made possible through our partnership with 18Doors (formerly Interfaith Family). Check out www.18doors.org for more information.

Our BETH DAVID IILI team members are: VICKY WEINSTEIN , MELISSA ANDERSON, PAUL ANDERSON, JENNIFER ROSE, JAY MARGOLIS, LISA MILLER, JILL COOPER, CANTOR LAUREN GOODLEV, AND RABBI BETH KALISCH!

Our IILI TEAM has been examining the ways in which we interact with one other, and how we convey our messages, to create the MOST SUPPORTIVE AND INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR BETH DAVID INTERFAITH FAMILIES AND COUPLES. We’ve been reviewing the information we convey to prospective and new members, to our religious school parents, and to our bar and bat mitzvah families, to ensure our message, YOU ARE WELCOME, is heard.

Beth David proudly has interfaith members serving on our Board of Trustees and on Beth David committees, and already involves interfaith families in ritual ceremonies like Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, weddings, and funerals. But Beth David IILI continues to look for ways to enhance the Jewish interfaith experience and to create an environment that is INCLUSIVE FOR ALL.

Look for more information coming soon from Beth David IILI on ways to have your voice heard in the discussion of how to be most inclusive. YOU ARE WELCOME!