Interfaith 'Inreach' in a Conservative Setting

May 30, 2008

Author: Martha Moody Jacobs

Source: The Observer

http://www.jewishdayton.org/page.html?ArticleID=177135

A few years ago, when Beth Abraham Synagogue member Steven Fraim was undergoing conversion to Judaism, Rabbi Bernard Barsky told him about training to become a Keruv (outreach) consultant.

Keruv, a project of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs, grapples with the issue of how Conservative Judaism should respond to interfaith marriage. Keruv’s motto is "Interfaith Marriage: Let’s talk about it."

"You should go to this training," Barsky said. Fraim did, and he has been busy ever since: leading Keruv sessions at Beth Abraham, serving on the Beth Abraham Keruv Committee that aims to find roles in services and committees for interfaith family members, and planning an interfaith film series for next fall.