InterfaithFamily
InterfaithFamily is a nonprofit organization that helps and provides resources for couples with one Jewish partner and one non-Jewish partner and their families. InterfaithFamily publishes a biweekly online magazine, maintains an online resource for programs and services for intermarried couples and their families and advocates for more welcoming attitudes toward interfaith families in the organized American Jewish community. InterfaithFamily was founded in 2001 (with the name InterfaithFamily.com). It is based in Newton, Massachusetts.
Content and Coverage
InterfaithFamily specifically targets couples where only one partner is Jewish. It does not address other kinds of intermarriage, such as racial intermarriage or religious intermarriage where neither partner is Jewish.
The clergy officiation referral service, which can be found at interfaithfamily.com/findarabbi, helps hundreds of couples a month find Jewish clergy to officiate or co-officiate at interfaith weddings.
The biweekly web magazine includes a mix of personal narratives from people in interfaith relationships (as well as their families), opinion pieces from Jewish outreach professionals who are sympathetic to InterfaithFamily's goals and reprinted news and features from both mainstream and Jewish publications.
The website also includes resource pages that include tips and links to their archives for people interested in specific issues such as interfaith weddings or raising Jewish children in interfaith families. In 2007, the organization created the Resource Center for Jewish Clergy, which helps interfaith couples find clergy to officiate at their weddings and resources for rabbis and cantors who officiate or are considering officiating.
The site has a searchable database of programs, services and events for interfaith couples and families. It includes listings of synagogues, independent Jewish outreach programs, Jewish community centers and other Jewish organizations or institutions.
Political Context
Since the 1990 National Jewish Population Survey revealed that more than 50 percent of new marriages involving a Jewish partner were intermarriages, intermarriage has been a significant and controversial issue in the American Jewish community.
The various denominations of Orthodox Judaism oppose intermarriage. None of the more liberal movements, including Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism and Reconstructionist Judaism, encourage intermarriage, but their approach to intermarried couples and their children varies.
InterfaithFamily specifically advocates that intermarried couples raise their children Jewish and discourages families from raising their children with two religions. Its suggested approach towards intermarriage is closest in line with the Jewish Reform and Reconstructionist movements.
InterfaithFamily's position on the Who is a Jew debate is that a child with at least one Jewish parent, whether it's the mother or father, is a Jew.
History
Jewish Family & Life! launched the online magazine InterfaithFamily.com in November 1998. Edmund Case became the publisher of the magazine in May 1999.
In 2001, InterfaithFamily.com, Inc. was incorporated and acquired the online magazine InterfaithFamily.com from Jewish Family & Life!. In 2012 the organization changed its name to InterfaithFamily. InterfaithFamily has expanded its offerings to include an advocacy network and a database of programs and services for intermarried couples and their families.
In 2009, InterfaithFamily re-launched its website and added tools to help personalize users experiences and build community online. The new site includes full social networking functionality and searchable organization and professional listings.
Publications
Friedland, Ronnie and Case, Edmund, ed. The Guide to Jewish Interfaith Family Life: An InterfaithFamily.com Handbook. Woodstock, Vermont: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2001.
See also
References
External links
- InterfaithFamily.com
- Attitudes Toward Intermarriage (from MyJewishLearning.com)
- Jewish Outreach Institute