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Making interfaith families a valued part of Jewish communities 

JL;DR SUMMARY A recent review by the Center for Radically Inclusive Judaism highlights the ongoing challenges interfaith families face in feeling fully integrated into Jewish communities. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish Federations Of North AmericaJewish CommunityCultural IntegrationInclusionInterfaith FamiliesJewish EngagementBelongingRadically Inclusive JudaismCommunity Studies

Places mentioned

Los Angeles, California, United States
"According to a 2021 Los Angeles study, for instance, the majority of Jewish households with married or partnered couples in the community were intermarried households."
Washtenaw, Michigan, United States
"Personal connections are one of the main drivers of participation in Jewish activities, according to a 2022-2023 Washtenaw County, Mich., study."
Santa Clara, California, United States
"a 2024 study conducted by Rosov Consulting for Santa Clara County captures the difference between feeling welcomed, like as a guest, and included as part of a community."
Maine, United States
"A participant in a 2024 Maine community study shared:In spite of my Gentile wifes efforts to contribute to synagogue life, there was not the feeling of inclusiveness that I wanted."
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
"As one respondent from a 2024 St. Louis community study said, [W]e dont fit in anywhere."
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
"In a 2019 Boston study, [s]ome couples recounted being regularly welcomed when they attended activities at a synagogue but never really progressing to feel like they belonged in the community."
Long Beach, California, United States
"A comment from a 2021-2022 Long Beach community study also highlights what Jewish respondents experience witnessing the struggle of their non-Jewish partners:Early in my marriage, my wife attended a service [with me] A guest speaker spoke on how horrible it was for Jews to marry non-Jews."
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
"In the 2019 Pittsburg study, for example, one participant said it would be nice to have some sort of group where we could talk about raising kids in an interfaith home, to trade notes and get advice."
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
"In a 2020 Toronto study, for instance, one respondent said: Honestly, even if [Jewish organizations] literally just said, like, Interfaith families welcome."

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Cairo Item ID 65810
Cairo Source ID 34
Retrieved 2025-11-04 05:30:35 UTC
Curated 2025-11-04 08:31:37 UTC