There is a new documentary making the rounds at film festivals that tells a common story in today’s Jewish community. Called “Who the Jew are You?” the film introduces us to Alan Goldman, an intermarried Jew with a new child. The thought of raising a Jewish child forces Goldman to consider his own Jewish observance, so he goes on a journey to try and discover what it means to be Jewish. “If Alan could just figure out what relevance Judaism has in his own life,” it says on the movie’s website, “he’d be able to help his son find his place in the Jewish world.”

Goldman’s journey takes him from the Orthodox community in Crown Heights, Brooklyn to the home of two Jewish lesbians who want to give their adopted Chinese daughter a traditional bat mitzvah. What he discovers along the way (according to the trailer) is that Judaism comes in all shapes and sizes, and that there is room for every level of belief and observance in the ever expanding Jewish community.

What does Goldman discover about himself? Since we haven’t seen the film, we can’t say. But we would love to hear from anyone who has had the chance to attend a screening. How does he portray the wide diversity of the Jewish community? How does he answer the central question of who is a Jew, as well as the deeper question of why be Jewish? Hopefully we’ll be able to see the movie for ourselves and discuss this further on our blog. Until then, we appreciate Goldman’s contribution to the growing number of resources available to those who wish to explore the Jewish community.

At JOI, we believe one of the best ways to entice unaffiliated Jewish families to take their first step towards engagement is by offering free samples (it’s even one of the principles of our Big Tent Judaism Coalition). That can mean a one time event (like our Public Space Judaism programs), free tickets on the Jewish High Holidays, or even a year of free membership. Lowering these barriers can encourage people to walk through our doors and give us the opportunity to show them how the Jewish community can serve them and what we have to offer. This is the same thinking behind an initiative currently underway at Temple Solel in Cardiff, CA. Called “Taste of Solel,” the six-month project “offers newcomers a chance to try out – or ‘taste’ – all of the temple’s different programs and classes without formally joining.”

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This upcoming weekend (Feb. 5-6), Jewish congregations throughout the “Oranges” region of New Jersey (in Essex County) will join together to offer a variety of programs focused on the “inclusion of those with disabilities and other special needs.” Sponsored by MetroWest ABLE, a network of agencies and community leaders that advocate for individuals with disabilities, the Shabbat weekend is meant to coincide with National Jewish Disability Awareness Month.

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On the heels of yesterday’s blog about inclusive new programs for Orthodox LGBT Jews in Israel, we have a story about same-sex relationships in the Jewish community. Shaarey Zedek, the largest synagogue in Winnipeg, announced it is “moving toward full inclusion for gay and lesbian Jews by offering to bless their same-sex unions.”

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We recently commented on an article in the online magazine Slate about the growing number of Orthodox Jews who are now willing to acknowledge homosexual members of their community and discuss methods of inclusion. That piece was focused on the American Orthodox community, but an article in the JTA informs us that the same trend is happening within the Orthodox community in Israel.

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Rob Eshman, the editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, and his wife, Rabbi Naomi Levy (spiritual leader of Nashuva), recently visited Congregation B’nai B’rith in Santa Barbara, CA. Many of the members are intermarried, they were told, but those were also some of the “most active members.” Not only that, Eshman writes, Jewish life in Santa Barbara “has grown, not shrunk” in the last decade. This got him thinking – what can the rest of the Jewish community do to mirror these results?

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Earlier this week, we hosted the first part of a FREE, two-part webinar series on Passover in the Matzah Aisle, our Public Space Judaism program that brings a taste of Passover to grocery stores and supermarkets across the United States. Passover in the Matzah Aisle is a strategy for identifying individuals – intermarried and/or unaffiliated – and making a connection for them with the Jewish community. It is an entry point for engaging them with more Jewish activities and programs, and encouraging their increased participation in Jewish life. The webinar series offers the tools to help make that happen.

For those who weren’t able to join us for part one, that doesn’t mean you have missed your opportunity to implement the program! There is still time to join the growing number of communities that are learning how to turn an introduction to Passover that people “stumble over” into a lifetime of engagement. To receive access to a recorded version of the last webinar free of charge, please contact JOI Director of Training Eva Stern at EStern@JOI.org. She will also provide details on how to register for part two, which will take place on March 4.

And be in touch with us to learn how to register for a new webinar series in which we will offer a comprehensive online training seminar for outreach.

Writing recently in the (New York) Jewish Week, Steve Bayme, national director of contemporary Jewish life for the American Jewish Committee, looked at the trends in the Jewish community in 2009. Among the scandals, success, and the work within each denomination to strengthen Jewish engagement, he noted that the “most divisive issue on the Jewish religious agenda remained mixed marriage.”

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We are excited to announce that the NADAV Foundation, which works to create lasting connections among Jews the world over, has named JOI’s Mothers Circle program as a recipient of their Jewish Peoplehood Innovation Grant. The grant allows us to build into the Mothers Circle a unit on Jewish Peoplehood and Israel, which will help strengthen the bonds of Jewish community for women of other religious backgrounds who are raising Jewish children.

In its announcement, NADAV explained that the grants were awarded to “help foster Jewish identity worldwide through knowledge of history, culture and religion, while enhancing the sense of belonging to and responsibility for the larger Jewish collective.” We are thrilled that the Mothers Circle has been recognized for its efforts to help secure a vibrant Jewish future, and we look forward to working with NADAV to further engage intermarried families and increase their participation in Jewish life.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia just completed a new Jewish population study and it found Philadelphia is not immune to intermarriage and the challenge of Jewish engagement. While the survey numbers seem catastrophic—of the 45% who intermarry, only 29 percent are raising their children as Jews—the article notes that Philadelphia has only just begun to focus on outreach.

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We have written extensively about “lost” Jews, people who come from backgrounds where their ancestors, for one reason or another, were forced to abandon Judaism. Dozens of articles, books and scholarly essays have also been written in the subject – covering Jews from Uganda to Peru – but a journalist from Harper’s Magazine, Theodore Ross, wanted to take a closer look into this curious segment of the Jewish community, so he went on a journey to seek out the anusim, or Crypto-Jews, of New Mexico.

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Torah at the Center, the educational journal of the Union for Reform Judaism, recently published an entire edition devoted to outreach, and we are excited to announce that it included a feature on the Mothers Circle, JOI’s program for women of other religious backgrounds raising Jewish children (Click Here to download the PDF. The article is on page 22). Pippi Kessler, the Mothers Circle national coordinator at JOI, authored the piece and explains that the Mothers Circe “reflects the new religious landscape, one in which approximately half of all Jews in America who get married marry someone from a faith group different than their own.”

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Intermarriage comes with a certain number of challenges – from wedding preparations to holiday celebrations to raising children. We understand this, and its something we try to make sure interfaith couples are aware of from the beginning. Though the challenges are surmountable and many interfaith couples live happily ever after, some situations are harder to anticipate. Namely, divorce. And in the context of intermarriage, divorce presents a whole new set of challenges for an interfaith couple.

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In 2001, the documentary film “Trembling Before G-d” introduced the world to Orthodox Jews who struggle to reconcile their religion with their homosexuality. As a minority group that has long felt the sting of exclusion, the film gave this population a voice. In the ten years since, that voice has grown stronger. Numerous movies have been made and books written on the subject and more young Orthodox Jews have come out of the closet. Yeshiva University even hosted a panel discussion (attended by over 800 YU students) featuring gay Orthodox Jews discussing their homosexuality. Does this mean the Orthodox community is ready to accept and welcome gay Jews? Probably not. But writing in Slate, Steven Weiss suggests that young Orthodox Jews “are very much willing to rock the boat on gay inclusion.”

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We have been talking about interfaith relationships in Israel for a long time. We know many in the country are strongly opposed to intermarriage, but a recent story in the newspaper Ha’aretz showcases the surprising depth of that hostility. According to the paper, an Israeli man and a Filipino woman wanted to get married. Their request was denied by the Interior Ministry because of “doubts about the sincerity of the relationship.” But the story doesn’t end there. Ha’aretz reports that a document from the Interior Ministry clearly indicates that their request was doomed from the start.

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Though 2010 is well underway, we wanted to take a moment and share with you a map highlighting just how far JOI reached in 2009. As you can see, we were able to spread our message of welcoming and inclusion to communities across North America, many for the first time. This map not only shows the breadth of our work, but also the depth. A growing number of communities now run multiple JOI programs, giving intermarried families, unaffiliated Jews and all those on the periphery even more opportunities to connect with and engage in Jewish life.

Fans of the long running television show “The Simpsons” know that Springfield is home to one of the most famous Jewish celebrities in the world – Krusty the Clown, born Herschel Krustofski. For those unfamiliar, Krusty is the host of a local children’s television show and shares his hosting duties with a sidekick. But during “The Simpsons” most recent episode, the plot involved Krusty getting a new sidekick, one he ended up falling in love with. Her name is Princess Penelope, and she isn’t Jewish.

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There is a movie currently making the rounds at film festivals – both Jewish and secular – that highlights the amazing journey a person takes when they search for their own identity. Titled “Off and Running,” the documentary tells the story of Avery, a young African-American woman being raised by her adoptive Jewish lesbian mothers. The movie, which premiered at the renowned Tribeca Film Festival, follows Avery as she decides to contact her birth mother.

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Passover is only a few short months away, which means it’s time to start preparing for Passover in the Matzah Aisle. If you volunteer or work at a Jewish communal organization and are interested in bringing this Public Space Judaism program to your area, we invite you to join us for a FREE, two-part webinar series where we will share with you the best ways to use the holiday to reach unaffiliated Jews and intermarried families in your community. You will learn helpful tools for developing Passover programming and hear from folks who have successfully transformed a taste of matzah into a lifetime of engagement.

Registration is free and it only takes a couple of minutes. The first session will take place on Tuesday, January 26 at 2 pm Eastern Standard Time. This is a great opportunity to learn not only what it means to take Judaism to where the people are, but how Passover can help you build relationships and engage more of the unaffiliated in your community. If you have any questions, please contact JOI Director of Training Eva Stern at EStern@JOI.org or 212-760-1440. We look forward to hearing from you!

The end of a year (or in this case, a decade) is a time of reflection. It’s an opportunity to look back at what was accomplished, as that can give a good idea of where we need to go in the future. JESNA, the Jewish Education Service of North America, recently compiled a list of what they consider the best in Jewish education over the last decade. Everything on the list has been a successful endeavor, showing us what models will work in Jewish education as we embark on a new decade. We at JOI were thrilled to see that our signature method of Jewish education and engagement – Public Space Judaism – was considered one of the “best.”

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