Serving interfaith families, partnering with Jewish institutions.
LET YOUR HOUSE BE OPEN WIDE. Wisdom of the Sages 1:5
InterFaithways Family Shabbat Weekend
Once again, InterFaithways Family Shabbat Weekends will bring a community-wide focus to the issue of interfaith relationships in the Jewish community. Held on November 4-6th and November 11th-13th, 2011. InterFaithways Family Shabbat Weekend features special programming at over 50 local congregations. Throughout the weekends, each participating congregation will choose an activity, or series of activities, to deepen the relationship between intermarried families and the shul. Click here for some ideas for sermon points.
To learn more about InterFaithways Family Shabbat Weekends for 2011, please contact our staff.
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Programming Ideas for InterFaith Family Shabbat
SUGGESTED PROGRAMMING IDEAS
- Rabbis may wish to use the weekly Torah portions to give a sermon about interfaith relationships. Click here for sermon points.
- Host a Shabbat dinner welcoming interfaith families.
- Offer a beginners’ service, Intro to Friday Night liturgy lesson or learners’ minyan.
- Invite a member of InterFaithways’ Speakers Bureau to run a workshop for interfaith families.
- Include ideas relevant to interfaith families in your sermon.
- Engage a panel of diverse interfaith couples to speak about their experiences.
- Have grandparents of interfaith children in your congregation speak about their journey and experiences.
- Invite teen or adult children of interfaith families to speak about their experiences.
- Put together an anthology of spiritual journeys from your own interfaith congregants. Include readings in the service.
- Honor and bless interfaith families for raising Jewish children. Rabbi Janet Marder's blessing for Yom Kippur
- Create a special program for parents and grandparents of interfaith children, such as “Grandparents Ice Cream Sunday.”
- Invite Theatre Ariel to perform “Two Become One: Reflections on Interfaith Families."