5780: Changes, changes, changes!
5780 begins with...
a BIG LIFE ANNOUNCEMENT!
OK. I'm not going to lie: I first wrote this newsletter last week and then forgot to hit send after Yom Kippur. It's fine. The news still feels fresh.
When I first left graduate school to work in the Jewish community, I didn’t know where it would lead. But I knew, the second I started my first synagogue job, that I had found something that I was passionate about. Over my 7 1/2 years working in congregational engagement, I thought frequently about my unlikely path to Jewish communal service. Growing up in an interfaith, interracial household with no formal Jewish education to speak of, I am constantly awestruck with where my life has lead me.
Over the last number of years, I’ve tried to pull the threads of my life together, taking advantage of opportunities like training with the Jewish Outreach Institute as a Big Tent Judaism Professional Affiliate, pursuing the first-of-its-kind certification in Interfaith Families Jewish Engagement at Hebrew College, participating in trainings and communities of practice curated by the Union for Reform Judaism (with thanks to the Audacious Hospitality and Congregational Innovation teamS), not to mention the Relational Engagement Thinktank pulled together last winter. Most recently, realizing how much I loved teaching, I began a certification in Instructing Adults at George Brown College.
For the last number of years, I have been weaving these opportunities — these passions — into my professional life, first at Darchei Noam and most recently at Holy Blossom Temple.
And where would I be without my family? Of course, my family. My mother — my Jewish mother — who cries every time we go to synagogue together and was the first person who taught me how deep Judaism can run in interfaith families. My father, who has supported me in my ever-growing Jewishness despite not being Jewish himself. My brother, who has this special twinkle in his eyes every time he blesses the wine at our holiday tables, pronouncing the words just like our grandfather did, in a deep Yiddish accent, all while wearing our grandfather’s kippah. My grandparents, who gave us a rich Jewish cultural life even if they had no idea that was what they were doing at the time. And my extended Smith family, with whom I have learned about living in an interfaith family just… by doing things together.
And now, with that long-winded preamble out of the way, my big news. You may have pieced together that I am leaving Holy Blossom. It is bittersweet, to be sure, but I am excited to be just a synagogue *member* for the first time in my life — a congregant among congregants. I wouldn’t have left HBT for just anything though, and I’m sure after reading this, you will understand why I have made this move.
Beginning at the end of this month, I will be taking up the position of Director of Professional Development for InterfaithFamily, joining this exciting organization in its 18th year of helping interfaith families engage in meaningful Jewish life and advocating for inclusive and welcoming practices for interfaith families in Jewish organizations.
I learned that I had been offered this job on the Friday before Rosh Hashanah — which you may remember was also two days before my 36th birthday. The timing could not have been better — and the gratitude I feel has shaped these past two weeks of deep introspection.
I am so excited for this next chapter of my professional life.
So... who is InterfaithFamily anyway?
InterfaithFamily is the premiere resource supporting interfaith couples and families exploring Jewish life and inclusive Jewish communities. We offer educational content; connections to welcoming organizations, professionals and programs; resources and trainings for organizations, clergy and other program providers; and in-person gatherings and support in select cities nationwide.
In other news...
Israel Policy Forum Atid Charles Bronfman Conveners, 2019
In a few weeks, I'll be joining 24 other young professionals committed to a peaceful and just two-state solution for Israel-Palestine for the 2nd cohort of Charles Bronfman Conveners as we come together for a summit in New York City and Washington DC as we hear from policy wonks, members of the diplomatic corps, and other politicos. We will each return to our communities with new tools to advance the conversation about the future of Israel-Palestine, committed to brining together groups of like-minded young adults to learn together and support the important work of the Israel Policy Forum.
JSpace Canada 2019 Biennial: From Indifference to Making a Difference
While I will be at the IPF Atid Charles Bronfman Conveners summit, JSpace Canada will be holding their 4th biennial in Toronto! I will be on a panel (virtually, by pre-recorded video) on Sunday, November 3: Trailblazers in our Communities – From Marginalization to Inclusion. If you're in Toronto that weekend, I definitely suggest checking it out! The program is STACKED with interesting speakers.
Other things I'm thinking about...
Radical Inclusion...
This summer, before I even knew of the InterfaithFamily position that I now hold, Ed Case, founder of IFF, contacted me and asked if he could send me his book. With the busy season upon me at Holy Blossom, it's only now that I've had a chance to delve into it. My first impressions: Ed has a way of telling a story that is deeply personal and deeply professional all at once. I haven't got to his vision of radical inclusion yet - but I am excited to see what he has to say!
Find out about the work Ed is doing, and order your own copy of Radical Inclusion: Engaging Interfaith Families for a Thriving Jewish Future here.