the rabbis, and they send invites to do
coffee with the clergy in Metro Detroit.
The clergy also visits Michigan cam-
puses once or twice a semester to treat
their students to a free meal. There is
also an Adat Shalom Facebook group
where staff and clergy reach out to
students by posting about events going
on at the synagogue or the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.
"Our philosophy at Adat Shalom
is reaching out to students:' said Jodi
Gross, associate director of education.
"We want to reach out to them any
way we can and as much as possible
so they can feel a connection to Adat
Shalom. We know our students are
busy, so it's easier for us to come to
them.
"I have been working on the college
outreach program for seven years. I
know the majority of the students, and

if I see something of interest to one
of them or a job posting, I will send it
their way. Students also reach out to
us by letting us know if something is
happening on their campus where they
need a clergy member or simply if the
just have a question or need our help.
It's reciprocal:' Gross added.
"I absolutely love
receiving holiday
packages from
Temple Beth El:'
said Erica Leaf of
Farmington Hills,
sophomore at WMU.
"It's comforting to
Erica Leaf
know they care so
much about reach-
ing out to students and making them
feel more connected to Judaism. It also
makes me feel more at home. I am
very appreciative of it."

May the New Year
bring to all our friends
and family
health, joy, prosperity and
everything good in life.

Judi, Brandon,
Brett, Patty,
Caidey, Zack & Caroline Moon,
Arryn, Bryan, Ethan & Avery
Molly, Brad, D.J. & Anna

❑

May the coming year be filled with
health and happiness for all my family and friends.
L'Shanah Tovah!

Meaningful For Interfaith Families

S

ix tips for interfaith families
at the High Holidays:

1. Because family meals are universal,
inviting extended family members who
are not Jewish to join in the holiday
meals can serve to focus on the com-
monalities of your traditions. Over
time, these gatherings become part of
the year's cycle for the extended fam-
ily. They become familiar. Try to cook
traditional foods eaten on that holiday.
If you don't have recipes, you can find
some online. Or you can invite close
friends, both Jewish and not, to bring
along their favorite dishes.

2. Try to involve each member of
your family in the holiday. On Rosh
Hashanah, you can begin new family
traditions by discussing how to make
the year a better one, how you as a
family want to grow. Come up with
three or four ways you can attain
your goals. On Yom Kippur, you can
talk about how you as a family have
"missed the mark" and what you can
do to repair any wounds.

3. If your spouse doesn't like to
attend synagogue with you, try to
create a group for others in your
situation. Set up a certain area in
the synagogue where you can all sit
together so that you don't have to
feel alone. The seating area could
also welcome widowed, divorced or
single members. Another option is to

2013
5774

The Schneiders

Making The Holidays

InterfaithFamily.com

Rosh Hashanah

join a chavurah (informal study and
worship group) that will sit together.

4. If your spouse would go to
synagogue but doesn't understand
how the service is put together, why
certain prayers are said, and/or what
the Hebrew means, ask your rabbi or
synagogue educator to hold a special
learning service for people who need
an introduction or a refresher (it could
also include Jewish members). At that
special service, the rabbi can explain
the different elements in the service,
the Hebrew and the overall goal, and
also answer questions.

5. If you are the Jewish partner,
remember that your spouse may be
feeling uncomfortable with the tra-
ditions, the synagogue and all your
family members. So pay attention
to your partner, explain as much as
possible to them, and appreciate your
spouse's willingness to participate.

6. If you don't usually attend syna-
gogue and your partner can't under-
stand why you want to now, you can
explain that for many Jews in this
country, attending High Holiday ser-
vices (particularly the first evening
service of Yom Kippur) is a way of
affirming that we still are part of the
Jewish people. We still care about
being Jewish — even if we're not very
religious and are not sure how we feel
about the content of those services.
For many American Jews, Jewish
identity is primarily ethnic, cultural or
communal, as opposed to religious.

1
1

May the coming year be filled with
health and happiness for all our family and friends.
L'Shanah Tovah!

Nancy & Kenneth Lipson
Honora Lipson
Aaron, Ali & Max Lipson
David & Sara Lipson

May the coming year be filled with
health and happiness for all our family and friends.
L'Shanah Tovah!

Sheri and David Jaffa
Eden, Kevin, Skylar and Zachary Elbinger
Sabrina, Brian, Jadyn, Kendyl and Reese Kaufman

❑

August 29 • 2013

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