Re: Kol Isha

[Marvin <physchem...>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "WINSTON WEILHEIMER" <nusach (at) hotmail(dot)com>
To: "World music from a Jewish slant" <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2001 3:53 PM
Subject: Re: Kol Isha



> TOVA, Conservative Rabbi's will not perform an intermarriage.  Many Reform
> rabbi's will not either.  Conservative shuls will not allow (part of the
> agreement to be conservative and belong to JTS) non Jews to sit on the
board
> or hold elective office.  I do not know if this holds with the Reform
> movement.
So far as I know, that is left to the individual shuls.  It is a complex
issue.  I won't go into the details, but I was on a committee a few years
ago that tried to deal with the issue and failed because of differences of
opinion on our Board.


> In my shul, non Jewish partners are welcomed and encouraged to participate
> to some degree.  They are not shunned or made to feel second class.  I
will
> not call a non Jew up to the Bimah by themselves.  If there is a family
> event, and the non Jewish partner wishes to be included on the Bimah, they
> accompany the Jewish partner who is the one that is called up.  I do feel
it
> is inappropriate for the non Jewish partner to give a blessing or to have
an
> aliah.

It is similar on my shul.  The rabbi will not call a non-Jew to participate.
OTOH, it is important that the non-Jewish partner in a mixed marriage take
part in some way in events like a Bar Mitzvah.  Children are very sensitive
to mixed messages, and parents need to let them know by example that they
both support the way the children are being raised.

I have known non-Jewish parents in a mixed marriage who are Jewish in their
actions, and have been through education for conversion, but for some reason
have stopped short of actual conversion.  You have to know them well to
learn that they aren't converts.  In each of these cases, the children (who
are now adults or soon will be) adhere to their Jewish upbringing.


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