The Charlotte Jewish News - Novemt>er, 1995 - Page 3
Interfaith continued from page 1
The Rabbi says that Temple
Beth El has been very successful at
recognizing the needs of the Char
lotte community without compro
mising the integrity of the Jewish
institution.
“We know that interfaith mar
riages are increasing,” says Bennett,
“so instead of sticking our heads in
the sand and hoping it will go away,
we want to integrate interfaith fami
lies into our temple family. Perhaps
15%, Conservative; 1.3,
Reconstructionist; and .03%, Ortho
dox. As for those couples that be
long to a synagogue, “the over
whelming majority go to a Reform
temple,” says Dr. Egon Mayer, JOI
director and national authority on
Jewish-Christian demographics.
One reason that many inter
faith couples do not choose Conser
vative congregations is that the non-
Jewish partner is not afforded mem
bership. Temple Israel is no excep
tion: interfaith membership is esti-
Tiz Faison and Benjamin Benson
the non-Jewish spouse will decide
to become Jewish, perhaps not. But
everyone will be welcome.
“We don’t, however, want to
be labeled “The Interfaith Temple,”
he says. “Nor do we have any inten
tion of letting interfaith issues domi
nate our agenda.”
While most Reform syna
gogues don’t have a written policy
on the role that non-Jews play in
temple life, the majority, (88%), in
cluding TBE, provide for full mem
bership of non-Jews as part of a fam-
^ I
Andrea & Howard Seidler
ily unit. Thirty-two percent allow
Non-Jews to join alone.
Ben Benson and Tiz Faison
are characteristic of many couples
who join Beth El. Benson is Jewish.
Faison is Protestant and maintains a
membership at Myers Park Presby
terian Church. They are planning to
be married this fall. They recently
joined the Temple, both as full mem
bers.
“We were apprehensive about
fmding a place in the community,”
says Benson. “But since we joined,
we’ve gotten phone calls making
sure we’re aware of upcoming ac
tivities and we feel very comfortable
now.”
A just-completed survey of
552 interfaith households by the
New York-based Jewish Outreach
Institute, found that 40% of Jewish
partners considered themselves Re
form, compared to 43% that con
sidered themselves Just Jewish;
mated at less than 5%. It does, how
ever, extend “associate membership”
to non-Jewish spouses.
“While the national by-laws
don’t permit us to extend full mem
bership, we at Temple Israel do not
turn our backs on dual-religion fami
lies,” says Rabbi Murray Ezring.
“The associate membership helps the
non-Jewish spouse to feel part of the
synagogue.”
While the issues of ritual and
governance aren’t even addressed at
Conservative temples, the increas
ing involvement of non-Jewish
spouses at Reform synagogues is
prompting discussion of these policy
issues. Should non-Jews be allowed
to light the Shabbat candles at Fri
day night service? Can they chair
committees? While Beth El has not
formally addressed these issues, the
philosophy is one of inclusion, says
Rabbi Bennett.
Andrea and Howard Seidler
agree.
“Though I don’t plan on con
verting. I’ve reached a comfort level
at Temple Beth El,” says Andrea,
who is Catholic. “A lot of that has
to do with Rabbi Bennett and his
role as educator. He makes me feel
included and welcome and when I
leave services, I feel like I’ve learned
something.”
Resa Goldberg
Goldberg, who converted to Ju
daism, is a Charlotte-based
writer arni reporter for The Busi
ness Journal. She is married to
Jonathan Kl. GokJt>erg,
Interfaith
Thanksgivmg
Service to
be Held
The 20th annual city-wide in
terfaith thanksgiving service will be
held Wednesday, November 22,7:30
p.m., at Temple Israel. Rev. Ron
Robinson, of Myers Park United
Methodist Church will be the key
note speaker, with music provided
by the men’s choir of Little Rock
AME Zion Church and the youth
choir of Temple Beth El. Many
faiths will he represented, among
which are: Baha’i, Catholic, Hindu,
Jewish, Muslim, Protestant and
Quaker. There will he a reception
immediately following the service.
The offering collected will be given
to Crisis Assistance Ministry. The
community is invited to celebrate
America’s most inclusive holiday
together. It is sponsored by the Na
tional Conference Interfaith Coun
cil, Charlotte Jewish Federation,
Mecklenburg Ministries, Charlotte
Mecklenburg Clergy Association,
and Peace With Justice Council,
MPUMC. For more information,
contact NCCJ at 332-4420.
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