The recently concluded Jewish Community Study was a study in mathematical contradictions.
Yes, the South Bay has the highest percentage of two-parent, Jewish families in the Bay Area.
Yes, the South Bay has the lowest percentage of intermarried families in the Bay Area.
And, yes, the South Bay has the most intermarried families in the Bay Area.
(For those of you who are confused, a low percentage of a large number is still a pretty hefty number).
With an eye on the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation-sponsored study, a number of South Bay synagogues and Jewish organizations have decided to get involved, and set up a candid Q&A session for intermarried families with an eye on the Jewish community.
“There are so many intermarried people, even in congregations, so if those people made the Jewish decision to affiliate in the Jewish way, imagine how many others have not,” said Rabbi Ari Cartun of Palo Alto’s Etz Chayim, one of the interfaith event’s planners.
“The most important thing is to reach out to them and make it feel safe and welcoming.”
And they’ve figured that the best place to start their “I want you!” pitch is the To Life Street Festival on Sunday, Sept. 18. The interfaith outreach event itself will take place the following week.
“What we realized is, every year there are a lot of unaffiliated and interfaith couples who come to the street fest. It’s a place where you can feel comfortable participating in something Jewish without feeling any pressure to have any kind of observance,” said Randi Brenowitz, the COO of the Albert L. Schultz JCC.
“If you’re enjoying being part of something Jewish, even if it’s just falafel and music, and you’re an interfaith family with questions about how you might fit into the Jewish community, come and learn about that.”
The interfaith outreach event is sponsored by five South Bay synagogues, the Palo Alto JCC, the federation and the Jewish Family and Children’s Services. The event is free and drop-ins are welcome; it’s scheduled to take place on Sunday, Sept. 24, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at the Mitchell Park Community Center, 3800 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto. Interested parties are encouraged to call Brenowitz at (650) 852-3558.
Cartun has a ready answer for any interfaith couple asking him if they’ll be comfortable in the Jewish community.
“There are many like them, so they’re not going to feel alone,” he said.
As far as what to do about determining whether or not children are Jewish, that depends on whom you ask. And eventgoers will have five rabbis to query: Two Conservative, one Reform, one Reconstructionist and one unaffiliated (that’s Cartun).
And, Cartun emphasizes, if you ever had questions to ask about the Jewish community vis-à-vis interfaith matters, this is the place to do it.
“We want to go out of our way to try and help mixed couples make Jewish decisions,” he said of the Sept. 24 event.
“And we want to help them by simply putting information there, not with any recruitment effort. Here we are, we’re the Jewish community, and we want you to know you’re welcome.”