Big Tent Judaism

An Inspiring Story of Inclusion

On a daily basis, we highlight and comment on stories or events related to creating an open and welcoming Jewish community. In thousands of blog entries, we have touched on any and every subject that has impacted our community, for better or for worse. After five years of blogging, we still find ourselves inspired by the extraordinary steps many are willing to take in the name of inclusion. A recent story in the New Jersey Jewish News about a bar mitzvah perfectly captured this sense of awe.

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Trial Membership

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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An Inclusive Shabbat Weekend

This upcoming weekend (Feb. 5-6), Jewish congregations throughout the so-called MetroWest region (the Oranges and beyond in the northern center of the state of New Jersey) 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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Inclusive Momentum

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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Fulfillment and Affiliation

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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