Big Tent Judaism

Saying Goodbye to JOI

For the past two and a half years, I have worked for the Jewish Outreach Institute helping to provide Jewish professionals with the tools they need to build a more welcoming and inclusive Jewish community. After a semester-long internship helping to evaluate our Public Space Judaism initiatives, I accepted a position as Program Associate, training Jewish professionals all over North America in bringing resources and support to all those who may wish to enter the tent of the Jewish community, including less-engaged Jews, Jews by choice, Jews of color, Jews with special needs, and the group I worked with the most, interfaith families. I have spoken to countless professionals and volunteer leaders, assisting them in bringing programs like The Mothers Circle and The Grandparents Circle into their communities. However, my time doing this work is coming to an end. In less than two months, I will begin my rabbinic training at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia. While I am very excited to take this next step professionally, I will miss the work that I am doing here.

The Jewish Outreach Institute’s work carries a deep personal meaning for me. As a patrilineal Jew, my family has struggled with finding meaning and acceptance in the Jewish community. I took this job partly out of a sense of personal responsibility, in order to help families like mine find the acceptance and support that would lead them to deeper involvement in Judaism.

I leave JOI tremendously optimistic that the Jewish community is headed toward ever more inclusion and support. In my time as Mothers Circle and Grandparents Circle National Coordinator, I have heard firsthand the tremendous impact our programs have on families. We have helped parents bring Shabbat into their homes for the first time. We have helped grandparents communicate about religion with their adult children with confidence and respect. And all of this is leading to rich and engaging Jewish upbringings for thousands of children from interfaith homes across North America.

Most importantly, I am lucky enough to work with enthusiastic and talented Jewish professionals. Whether they are part of the staff of a Jewish organization, or they are volunteer leaders who give freely of their time and energy, I have witnessed a tremendous desire to support and reach out to interfaith families. As professionals look at the changing demographics of the Jewish future, they are excited by the challenge that actively welcoming and supporting these families will bring. And I get to hear the excitement and humility in their voices when they describe the “aha” moments that lead to a participant developing a new outlook on Judaism and their interfaith family.

As I begin my next chapter, I am excited to bring JOI’s principles of outreach and inclusion to my future rabbinate. I will use the tools and skills that I have learned here to continue to build a stronger, more vibrant, and more welcoming Jewish community.

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