“A Thank You to the Non-Jews Among Us”

I am very proud that our congregation celebrates our diversity.  We do so in many ways: We have a highly visible Rainbow Committee that helps create a warm and supportive gay-friendly culture at Temple Sinai. We are proud that many children in our religious school claim multiracial and multicultural heritage. We are pleased that both single and married people of all ages feel comfortable here; we welcome those with physical challenges and, a few years ago, even undertook a major fundraising campaign so our Sanctuary would be handicapped-accessible. Temple Sinai celebrates diversity fairly well, and explicitly so.

That’s the way it should be.

But there is one particular group within our congregation that I’m concerned we haven’t celebrated enough: the non-Jewish members of Temple Sinai who support their Jewish family members live their Jewish lives. I believe, as the rabbi of our diverse congregation, it is very important that we acknowledge and celebrate the non-Jews who have cast their lot with the Jewish people, and take time to say what a significant role they play in our community.

We Jews have always struggled with the question of our survival as a people. In the past decades, a tremendous amount of energy has been spent to shore up “Jewish continuity.” Historic events in the last century have shrunk our people, wiped out entire communities. But the non-Jewish spouses or partners who are part of our congregation have helped strengthen the Jewish people. In their own ways, they have made Jewish choices, and have offered the ultimate gift to the Jewish people by raising their children as Jews. As a community, we recognize the great lengths many of them go to bring the light of Judaism into their homes, with their spouses and children, efforts worthy of gratitude, thanks and celebration.

So now… a few words to you who are not Jewish, but who are actively supportive and involved in Temple Sinai and the Jewish lives of your families.  “Thank you.” You are the parents who wake your children up for religious school on Sunday mornings and drive them on Tuesday afternoons. You take Adult Jewish Learning classes and read Jewish books to deepen your own understanding, so you can help to make a Jewish home. You provide our community with humor and laughter in your dramatic roles in the Purim shpiel.  You help make the Shabbat dinner, and join your family at the table with blessings for Shabbat. You learn to cook Jewish dishes, you try gefilte fish, and you make the kugel and blintzes and matzoh ball soup. 

You come to Shabbat services on a Friday night, even though it may seem foreign at first, and you try to learn Hebrew songs. You pass the Torah to your children at their Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah ceremonies on Shabbat mornings, and you stand alongside them as they are called to read from the Torah. You help to build up our congregation by serving on committees and volunteering.  You explain to your kids why being Jewish is important, why it’s important to come to Hebrew school, and why they should be proud to be the next generation of the Jewish people.  For all this, and more, we say thank you, for you bring blessing upon our people and upon yourselves.

As a rabbi, I state that I am moved that you, like your spouses and children, have made important Jewish choices in your life. Raising your children as Jews, establishing a Jewish home are among them. We say to you that you are, without any doubt, a part of our community, and we hope you feel comfortable here, as a part of the Temple Sinai family.

May you always feel that Temple Sinai is your home.

Rabbi Andy Vogel