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CANTON page 87
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Congregation Bet Chaverim.
Members agreed that Bet them and their Jewish spouses.
Chaverim's great strength is its Wendy Sadler's husband Jim was
chavurah mentality: warm, in- raised in a Methodist home, but
clusive, and cooperative.
doesn't consider himself religious.
"We call if people aren't show-
`Tye thought about converting
ing up," Ms. Sadler says. "We're to Judaism," he says, "but it's not
taking what we like from Ju- something Pm going to do yet."
daism and dropping what we
Shanna Heilveil also was
don't like. Everyone has a part." brought up Methodist. "rm still
One issue sets Bet Chaverim learning about Judaism, espe-
apart from other synagogues in cially when we go to Temple Beth
Detroit: intermarriage.
Emeth in Ann Arbor." But she
President Wendy Sadler be- points out that she especially
lieves that this congregation con likes the social aspect of Bet
sists of 90 percent intermarried Chaverim.
couples. She stresses that "we
According to Article W of its
want non-Jewish spouses to be Michigan Department of Corn--
comfortable, too."
merce Charter, Congregation Bet
While some members have Chaverim "shall practice Ju-
joined this young congregation daism in the Reform tradition."
because they can afford to live in Wendy Sadler says that her -
the area or because they like its young congregation has received
lively and informal feeling, many valuable assistance from the
also have chosen to settle in a Agency for Jewish Education and
place in which their marriage to the Detroit Jewish community,
a gentile was less of an issue than "but most of all from the Reform
it might have been in a predom- community."
inantly Jewish town.
Bet Chaverim's officers met
Ms. Sadler says she and her co- with Rabbi David Hachen, re-
founders are starting a congre-
gation because they want to
return to their Jewish roots, but
they want to do so in a place
"where there's less pressure to
live a certain kind of 'Jewish' life
as there might be in other areas."
She believes that Judaism has
done itself a disservice by "dis-
owning" its intermarried chil-
dren.
"Intermarriage is a crucial
component of our population. We
Jews should be more open to
intermarried people . . . Inter- gional director of the Union of
marriage is a real issue and we're American Hebrew Congrega-
addressing it head on. Perhaps tions, the national Reform body,
intermarriage has given us a and they plan to join the UAHC
sense of purpose as Jews."
at some point in the future.
Is a 90 percent intermarriage
"We're financially a bit re-
rate coincidence or design? Mem- moved from the Reform main-
bers insist that it just happened stream right now," Ms. Sadler
that way, but they also stress that says.
intermarriage is connected to this
Why do she and her fellow
congregations desire to break the founders want to join the Reform
traditional patterns of suburban movement? Ms. Sadler is
Jewish life. Says one member: straightforward: "The Conserva-
"You have to spend money (i.e. tive movement would want our
temple and synagogue dues) to non-Jewish spouses to convert.
be Jewish in America today. And the Orthodox, forget it!
Sometimes it's harder for an Reform is right for us, but formal
intermarried family to justify recognition is down the road
spending the money."
because of financial obligations
Gentiles at Bet Chaverim are . . . Joining the UAHC would be
not particularly passionate about beneficial, but that's in the
the religious differences between future."
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