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1382930

T

his year of 5769 is shaping up
to be one of those milestone
years in our family. It is the
year that our oldest daughter, Gabbi,
will become a bat mitzvah. Even
though I am a Protestant
dad, I couldn't be prouder.
And while I have been totally
focused on this event, I have
kept my eyes open enough
to notice something else.
After our synagogue gave
me the honor of Hagbah for
the morning Yom Kippur
folk service, I realized that
this year is going to be just
as much about our temple
community as it is about our
family.
Rosh Hashanah sweetly started the
new year as it normally does in our
house. We went to services at our syn-
agogue, Temple Beth Emeth, and then
to Zingerman's Deli with friends. Then
Yom Kippur arrived, and I immediate-
ly knew that this year was somehow
going to be different. Having the honor
of Hagbah, I got to witness part of the
morning folk service from the bimah,
looking out at all the familiar faces in
our congregation. (For those of you
unsure of the definition, I had to look
it up, too. Hagbah is the honor of lift-
ing up the Torah before it's dressed
and placed back in the Ark.)
When I first received the letter
in the mail informing me that our
synagogue would like me to have this
honor, I thought that there must be
some mistake. Who me? Don't they
know I'm ... But then, as my wife
explained that it's OK and they really
did mean me, I was overcome with
a deep feeling of warmth and love
for our temple. This is how they've
operated since day one of our joining
— very welcoming and open.
Temple Beth Emeth has always
accepted us as an intermarried fam-
ily. Our rabbi, our cantor, the religious
school director as well as our entire
synagogue community recognize that
intermarriage happens (frequently).
They also understand that the best
way to encourage participation in
Jewish life is to lower the barriers to

entry and invite interfaith families in.
We are not an interfaith con-
gregation, though. We are a Jewish
congregation that happens to have
non-Jewish members. I know that
there are certain duties that I'm not
permitted to perform. For instance,
I cannot have an aliyah
because it says that the
person giving the blessing
is a Jew. I am completely
comfortable with that,
however, as I understand
that those Hebrew words
have meaning.
Although I can't have
an aliyah, I am allowed to
be a part of the temple in
so many other ways. For
example, I will be up on
the bimah during Gabbi's
bat mitzvah this May. I appreciate this
opportunity because I believe our
congregation appreciates that I also
had a hand in my daughter's religious
education.
In addition, when my daughter sees
my participation in the synagogue, it
only reinforces her Jewish upbringing.
When I returned to my seat after my
honor of Hagbah, Gabbi said,"Come
here, you big lug',' as she wrapped her
arms around me. Coming from a sev-
enth-grader, this was high praise.
What a start to the Jewish year! My
daughter was proud of me, which gave
me such a deep feeling of satisfaction
and joy. Plus, as I returned to my seat,
people were genuinely supportive and
happy for me. Being up on the bimah,
holding the Torah on the holiest day
of the year ... Well, I can tell you, the
significance was not lost on me. I may
be Protestant, but I am a member of
Temple Beth Emeth. Our family is
right at home in this community. With
a start to the year such as this, I can't
wait for what lies ahead.

Jim Keen is author of the book "Inside
Intermarriage: A Christian Partner's
Perspective on Raising a Jewish Family"

(URJ Press, forthcoming) and a contribu-
tor to the book "The Guide to the Jewish

Interfaith Family Life: an lnterfaithFamily.

corn Handbook" (Jewish Lights publishing).

He is a columnist for InterfaithFamily.com .
His e-mail address is jckeen@umich.edu .

