Keruv

Keruv (to draw closer), is an initiative spearheaded by the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs (a constituent arm of the Conservative Movement). It was launched in response to needs of interfaith couples and families, and, in the words of the Torah, to “welcome strangers into the tent.”

If you are part of an interfaith couple or family, related to one or would like to learn more about interfaith outreach at Temple Israel, please contact Rabbi Fine.
Temple Israel is a vibrant egalitarian Conservative congregation that invites members of all backgrounds to participate in everything we have to offer.

Your family is invited to worship with us

We welcome both Jewish and non-Jewish family members to worship at all services. Weekday, Shabbat and holiday services are open to members of all faiths.

Honors

As a couple affiliated with Temple Israel, you would be welcome to participate in our Torah service and would be entitled to be honored by:

• Being called to the bimah for a baby naming or brit milah
• Being called to the bimah for a child’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah
• Offering a prayer to your child at a Bar/Bat Mitzvah
• Being part of a family or group blessing before travel to Israel
• Being called to the bimah to celebrate an anniversary
• Coming to the bimah on the occasion of a child’s graduation

Life-Cycle Events

Baby-namings, bar/bat mitzvahs, weddings, funerals — these are all times when the rituals of our tradition can either be exclusionary or opportunities for closeness and connection by interfaith households. At Temple Israel, we take the latter approach, seeking ways to include non-Jewish relatives, whether immediate or extended family, in Jewish spiritual practice. Rabbi Fine is happy to talk to you about your life-cycle event and how, at Temple Israel, Jewish tradition will enrich the experience.

Jewish Education

One need not be Jewish to take advantage of the many educational opportunities offered by the synagogue. Everyone is welcome to our adult education programs and classes. A child need not yet be Jewish to be enrolled in our consortium religious school, Northern New Jersey Jewish Academy (NNJJA), nor to participate in our congregational youth groups. We only ask that the family has made a commitment to raise the child in the Jewish faith and intends to have the child formally converted to Judaism, according to Jewish legal requirements of the Conservative movement, before bar or bat mitzvah. Please discuss your plans in greater detail with Rabbi Fine.