Opinion
OTHER
vi F A
Approaching Interfaith Outreach
New York City
he Jewish community's ongoing
loss of interfaith couples and their
children testifies to the failure of
past strategies designed to keep them within
the fold..
If We are to reverse this — and we must to
stabilize Judaism's future in North America
— a new and creative response to the prob-
lem is needed immediately. Studies show
that children are raised as Jews in 96 percent
of the homes that have two Jewish parents.
In contrast, only a third of the children in
homes with one Jewish parent are raised as
Jews.
Moreover, about a fifth of the children
from homes with two Jewish parents inter-
marry, while a staggering 74 percent of chil-
dren from homes with one Jewish parent do
so. Clearly, the task before us is to increase
the number of homes with two Jewish par-
ents. We do that by encouraging Jews to
marry Jews, and by doing so as often and in
as many ways as we can. But we cannot stop
there. We also must encourage non-Jewish
spouses to convert and, when it is necessary,
convert their children.
The Conservative movement is uniquely
positioned to lead the way on this because of
our dual commitments to tradition and
modernity. Keruv, literally "to bring close," is
the Hebrew word that until now has best
characterized our movement's outreach to
non-Jewish spouses. Keruv approaches non-
Jewish spouses in a welcoming and respect-
ful manner. The intent is to involve them in
Jewish life to the degree they are comfortable
and.at their own pace.
T
It has not been enough. What
up on couples who desire to
we need is eclud — to "encourage
remain interfaith. I am encourag-
and support with passion!' It
ing conversion. But I am not sug-
implies that we reach out with
gesting that we circle the wagons
more than sensitivity and com-
either. We must not leave people
passion, as important as they are..
we love outside our circle.
Edud means imparting a
Pluralism always has been a hall-
strong sense of destiny and pur-
Rabbi Jerome
mark of Conservative Judaism,
pose to being a Jew. It means
M. Epstein
and so it shall remain.
strongly encouraging more than
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Our role is to make our case as
mere involvement on the periph-
Commentary
clearly and as passionately as pos-
ery of Jewish life. It means inspir-
sible. If we are not initially suc-
ing potential Jews by demonstrat-
cessful in encouraging conver-
ing how Judaism is distinguished from other sion, there is no choice but to understand
religions and will enrich their lives. It means and to continue to embrace all those whom
inspiring non-Jewish spouses to convert to
fate has brought to our door, to the extent
Judaism in the proscribed Halachic manner,
that our own values and Halachah permit.
and to bring their non-Jewish children into
Most Jewish population studies demonstrate
the fold. It means convincing non-Jewish
that Conservative congregations have been
spouses of the value of allowing their chil-
successful in limiting interfaith marriages,
dren to convert, even if they don't them-
though certainly not successful enough. Our
selves.
movement and its institutions have the rich-
Conversion is a great advancement over
ness of talent and resources to move forward
peripheral involvement. But edud must not
on edud, to inspire non-Jews to become Jews
stop there. Our purpose is to create fully
and to live Jewish lives. For too long, Jews
Jewish families to ensure the continuity of
discouraged non-Jews from seeking to con-
our community and faith. To be fully Jewish, vert. The effect has been to limit our ability
however, means to be Jewishly educated, to
to passionately encourage those closest to us
be conversant with the commitments,
to convert to Judaism. That has been to our
beliefs, values, history and challenges that
detriment.
we share as a covenantal people.
We can no longer afford that complacency,
To be such a Jew means to . engage in life-
born of an historical insecurity. Not as a
long learning. This is the way to build Jewish movement, a people, or a religion. Not if we
observance, to instill Jewish ethical and
truly care about survival. 0
moral values, and to perpetuate the joy, sat-
isfaction and spiritual enrichment inherent
Rabbi Jerome Al. Epstein is executive vice presi-
in living a Jewish life.
dent of the United Synagogue of Conservative
One thing edud does not mean is giving
Judaism.
Fight Israel
Bashing
New York
e are facing a crisis on our col-
lege campuses: Anti-Semitism
and vicious anti-Israel sentiment
are flourishing, and many Jewish students
are feeling harassed and intimidated. The
crisis must be addressed, and there are legal
tools we can use. The anti-Semitism is not
limited to slurs, threats and physical attacks
on students and prop-
erty — although these
still occur.
Campus anti-
Semitism also
includes condemna-
tion of Israel that goes
__
far beyond fair and
legitimate criticism.
Susan B.
There are many coun-
Tuchman
tries whose conduct
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should be condemned
Commentary
— for example, Iran
and Saudi Arabia, which support terrorism
and deny basic civil liberties to their citi-
zens. But on campus, it is Israel — the only
democracy in the Middle East — that is
being singled out for condemnation.
Campaigns that call for universities to divest
their holdings in Israel are common at many
schools. A group called the Palestine
Solidarity Movement sponsors an anti-Israel
conference on a different campus each year,
most recently at Duke University in October
2004.
Such activities are conveying alarmingly
inaccurate information about Jews and the
State of Israel. Israel is depicted as a ruthless
Seeking Pluralistic Partners
Los Angeles
window has opened to
the Orthodox communi-
ty. We are being invited
to help reshape the social dynam-
ics of the American Jewish com-
munity. With courage and vision,
we need to act on this opportunity
by understanding the important
changes that have occurred over
the last decades and rethinking the
way we engage the broader Jewish
community.
Never before in the history of
U.S. Judaism has there been open-
ness to Orthodoxy as sincere and
real as today. I am not referring to
openness in terms of individual
Jews embracing Orthodoxy. For
many practical and philosophical
reasons, such individuals will
always be relatively few. Rather, I
A
40
January 5 • 2006
am referring to the openness of
non-Orthodox and inter-denomi-
national institutions to learning
from the experiences and insights
of their Orthodox brethren.
To wit, numerous hallmarks of
Orthodox life have been adopted
by other movements. Conservative
and Reform day schools are grow-
ing in number and size. We are
seeing broad adoption of the more
participatory and Chasidic wor-
ship style. Non-Orthodox women's
groups have discovered inikvah
[ritual bath] use as a form of spiri-
tuality, and the new hip name for
adult education institutes outside
of Orthodoxy is kollel.
This phenomenon presents the
Orthodox community with an
unprecedented chance to engage
with and contribute to the wider
community in far-reach-
having a joint Simchat
ing, significant ways. But
Torah celebration,
it is one that we can seize
Shavuot learning pro-
only by moving beyond
gram or a Tisha b'Av
our traditional parame-
ceremony with a non-
ters regulating inter-
Orthodox congrega-
denominational contacts,
tion.
which have long since
Rabbi Yosef
Historically, there is
outlived their purpose
Kanefsky
strong precedence for
and usefulness.
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such reticence about
Today, Orthodox rabbis
Commentary
interdenominational
have practically disap-
involvements. In 1954,
peared from interdenominational
even Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik
boards of rabbis. In some commu-
strongly discouraged Orthodox
nities, the Orthodox Rabbinical
rabbis from pursuing matters of
Council forbids its members from
"spiritual religious interest" with
joining inter-denominational
non-Orthodox rabbis; while in
boards. Inter-denominational
1956, an influential declaration
study groups or even social action
signed by a dozen outstanding
groups are practically unheard of.
Orthodox luminaries, including
The vast majority of Orthodox
Rabbi Moses Feinstein, prohibited
synagogues would never consider
membership in inter-denomina-
tional groups.
But it is at the peril of American
Judaism that we ignore the vital
and fundamental differences
between the 1950s and today The
concern that drove the rulings of
50 years ago is no longer relevant.
The 1950s and 1960s were years of
enormous struggle for American
Orthodoxy as children of Orthodox
parents continued to leave
Orthodox life in great numbers
and the culture militated hard
against Orthodox Jews retaining
their traditional observance.
The attraction of Conservative
and Reform Judaism was very
great in these circumstances. What
Rabbi Soloveitchik called an ideo-
logical battle, with the future of
Orthodoxy at stake, was being
waged against non-Orthodox