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Interfaith at Agudas

There is a place for you at Agudas if some members of your family are not Jewish. This is your home! We will help you untangle balancing holiday traditions, the expectations of your extended families, and deciding what to teach your children about faith. Agudas is a home for all seeking to be part of a nurturing and sacred community. I cannot wait to meet YOU! 

-Rabbi Steven Rein

Interfaith Families

Agudas Achim Congregation invites both Jewish and non-Jewish family members to be part of our community, including participating in community events, playing an integral role in life-cycle events, and celebrating life's milestones. Our weekday, Shabbat, and holiday services are open to members of all faiths. Beloved members of the Agudas Achim family — both Jewish and non-Jewish — contribute to our mission to elevate and nourish our minds and souls while building a sacred community through the rich medium of Jewish life and tradition.
 

Opportunities for Engagement

Community Life
Everyone is welcome to:
- Young Family programs
- Sisterhood and Men's Club
- Social Action events
- Synagogue Committees
- Adult Education Classes
- Religious School
- Preschool
- Community wide events and social gatherings
- Agudas Achim Buddy Program (pairing with another Interfaith family to learn the ins and outs of Agudas life)
 
Ritual Guidelines
Everyone is welcome to:
- Stand/sit on the bimah
- Lead a congregational reading (in English)
- Wear a kippah
- Recite the Mourner's Kaddish
- Dedicate a Memorial Plaque for a relative
- Touch the Torah during the processional/recessional
- Participate in dancing and singing, including ritual settings where the Torah is present (e.g., Simchat Torah)
- Ascend the bimah with a Jewish spouse/partner for an aliyah
- Participate in the tallit presentation for a bar or bat mitzvah 
- Participate in (or add a name to) the mishebeirach list (list of names for the prayer of healing) and say a name out loud during the service
- Participate in Hebrew and ritual classes                             

Individuals Must be Jewish to:
- Recite the blessings over a Torah reading
- Read from the Torah 
- Open/close the Ark
- Lead a prayer service
- Carry, lift (hagbah), dress (gelilah) the Torah
- Carry and hold the Torah during processionals or dancing
 
Life Cycle Events
Everyone is welcome to:
- Participate in the life cycle events of their family members, including an Aufruf (pre-wedding blessing), Brit Bat or Baby Naming for a daughter, Brit Milah--circumcision and naming for a son, B'nai Mitzvah celebration
- Have Agudas Achim Clergy officiate at a graveside funeral or unveiling
- Attend a funeral service at Agudas Achim Congregation
- Attend a burial and graveside service at Agudas Achim Cemetery
- Meet with Agudas Achim Clergy for pre-marital counseling
 
One must be Jewish to:
- Have a Bar or Bat Mitzvah
- Be married in the synagogue (both spouses must be Jewish)
- Be married by Conservative clergy (both spouses must be Jewish)
- Have a funeral in the synagogue (the deceased must be Jewish)
- Be buried in the Agudas Achim Cemetery (the deceased must be Jewish)
Sat, December 21 2024 20 Kislev 5785