We were saddened to read in the recent Jewish Exponent an article about the loss of funding for InterFaithways, Philadelphia’s only organization devoted to helping interfaith families feel more welcome in the Jewish community. The news was all the more shocking considering a recent Jewish population survey (which we blogged about), which found that Philadelphia has an intermarriage rate of 45 percent. After the study, many thought InterFaithways was going to be “the next big thing.” But different ideas on how to best reach and engage interfaith families, plus concerns over how to measure results from InterFaithways programming, led the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia – which had given a grant of $75,000 a year ago – to withhold funding for now.

A lack of funding for InterFaithways, though, doesn’t mean a lack of outreach for interfaith families in the Philadelphia area. Gail Norry, co-chair of Federation’s Center for Jewish Life and Learning, said they are “concentrating on supporting programs within our existing agencies which are a little more measurable and offer a little more bang for the buck.” This includes additional funding for Kehillot, a collaboration of area synagogues and Jewish communities that is “expected to play an expanded role in interfaith programming,” and the local chapter of PJ Library, which supports families in their Jewish journey by sending Jewish-content books and music.

Leonard Wasserman, the founder and primary donor of InterFaithways, was optimistic that the organization would pull through. Their signature event – the InterFaithways Family Shabbat Weekend – will still go on as scheduled in November, and Wasserman has pledged enough to keep the organization running through the end of the year. “We will go forward,” he said with determination.

It’s important to emphasize that reduced funding isn’t a comment on the nobility of the work InterFaithways was doing. A cover story on the loss of funding indicates that plenty of folks care about the organization and worry how the loss will impact the community. Nowhere was it said by either Federation or critics that working to engage intermarried families wasn’t worth the investment. On the contrary, everyone recognizes the importance bringing these families closer to Judaism – it’s a matter of finding the most effective methods in this tough economic climate and achieving the greatest results.

No matter what the future holds for the organization, we are certain the folks behind InterFaithways will find a way to continue to promote a more welcoming and inclusive community. But outreach work shouldn’t have to depend so much on federation dollars. Perhaps this will motivate those directly impacted by Interfaithways, those who care most about the issue – intermarried families, adult children of intermarriage, and grandparents of interfaith grandchildren – to do what they can to ensure the continuance of intermarriage outreach in Philadelphia.