TBE Keruv Committee
We live in a world, according to the Pew Research Center, where the overall intermarriage rate of Jews in the United States stands at 58 percent. Among non-Orthodox Jews, the rate is 71 percent. It is hard to find a family at Temple Beth El who has not been touched in some way by intermarriage. And its implications for our synagogue — for the Conservative movement in general — are profound.
The landscape has changed irrevocably, and we can either wring our hands and do nothing or try to expand the vistas of Judaism and the embrace of the Jewish people.
How do we foster constructive dialog among TBE members about the realities of intermarriage? How do we, as Jewish parents and grandparents, acknowledge our growingly diverse families and help them experience the richness of our religion to the fullest extent possible? How can we enhance our efforts to reach out to intermarried families, both within and outside our synagogue, and make them feel truly welcome and a valued part of our TBE community?
The Keruv Committee at Temple Beth El, with support from the Men’s Club, was formed to help answer these questions. The Hebrew word keruv (pronounced kay-roov) means “to bring close.”
Already, the committee has run a “Grandparents Circle” through which TBE grandparents explore ways to help nurture the Jewish identities of their grandchildren while respecting the choices of their intermarried children. Rabbi Hammerman has held sessions on how to tailor a Passover Seder for a diverse family and tell the Passover story in a meaningful way. Other activities will follow.
At the same time, the committee will continue to study and make recommendations to the Board of Trustees on changes to current synagogue life that might foster a warmer and more welcoming environment and further engage intermarried families — all within the framework and tenets of Conservative Judaism.
We hope you will support the committee’s efforts, and we invite you to provide your comments and suggestions at any time to keruv@tbe.org.
The Keruv initiative was begun in the early 1990s by the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs and its executive director, Rabbi Chuck Simon.
