Joining forces to offer A Taste of Judaism to the unaffiliated are, from left, Rabbi Adam Feldman, Rabbi Jeremy Master, and Debra Levenstein.
Photo by Marilyn Silverstein
October 7, 2008
Two leading Jewish communal agencies in the region have joined forces in a major new effort to conduct outreach to the unaffiliated.
‘It’s an easy foot in the door, and when you open that door, you create relationships.’
This fall, for the first time, the Board of Rabbis of Princeton Mercer Bucks and the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County will offer A Taste of Judaism, a three-session course on Jewish ethics, Jewish spirituality, and the Jewish people developed by the Union for Reform Judaism.
A Taste of Judaism will be presented at two area synagogues this November — on three Tuesday evenings at Congregation Beth Chaim in Princeton Junction, with Rabbi Jeremy Master serving as instructor, and on three Wednesday evenings at The Jewish Center in Princeton, with Rabbi Adam Feldman leading the way.
The goal of the course is to help people connect with the Jewish community, said Debra Levenstein, director of prevention and support services for JFCS and coordinator of the outreach effort.
“It’s an easy foot in the door, and when you open that door, you create relationships,” Levenstein said during a recent interview.
For some time, she said, JFCS has been exploring strategies for reaching out to the unaffiliated in the community — people in interfaith relationships or marriages, people who were raised in interfaith homes or who are raising children in interfaith homes, or people who simply want to learn more about Jewish thought and practice.
“We’ve been exploring how we can connect with the people we think are out there,” she said. “I’m a firm believer that there are lots of people out there. How do we connect with them?”
To answer that question, she said, JFCS approached the Board of Rabbis, where Rabbi Eric Wisnia of Beth Chaim championed the idea of joining forces to serve up A Taste of Judaism.
“This way, we make one large community effort, and I think we’ll just do better that way,” Levenstein said. “I’m thrilled that the Board of Rabbis agreed to do this.”
JFCS will market the course in venues throughout the community, Levenstein added. The plan is to follow up A Taste of Judaism with another URJ initiative, Introduction to Judaism, a 15-week course that delves more deeply into theology, prayer, history, holidays, and life-cycle events. The advanced course will be offered at an area synagogue sometime in January.
Master said he sees A Taste of Judaism as an opportunity to welcome in people who have been outsiders to the community. Over the past 15 years, he said, some 75,000 previously unaffiliated Jews have savored A Taste of Judaism at synagogues across the nation.
“We’re hoping it will bring people into the community who might not otherwise be involved,” he said. “This is a very easy way to help people do that.”
Feldman also voiced strong support for the effort. “We see Jewish learning as a wonderful entree into the organized Jewish community in Princeton Mercer Bucks,” he said, “and we hope this course will provide people with that entree.”
The three-session course is free and open to the community. Registration is required, with enrollment limited to 30 people at each synagogue. For information, call Levenstein or her assistant, Sara Hunter, at 609-987-8100.
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