Interfaith Community for Jewish-Christian mixed marriage families in New York that celebrates the distinctiveness of both traditions, providing religious services and education for adults and children. It does not aim to blur the traditions or to discourage affiliation with church or synagogue.

New York City:
Adult Programs

• HOLIDAYS • ADULT PROGRAMS • CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS • CALENDAR

It is particularly important that people in interfaith relationships deepen their understanding of their own and of their partners' traditions. To facilitate this, we offer a range of seminars and panel discussions that explore Judaism, Christianity, and issues related to life in interfaith families.

As part of our commitment to ongoing adult learning, our New York chapter also offers Interfaith Couples Workshops to help couples disentangle the emotional, practical, and spiritual issues involved in interfaith relationships.

Please RSVP in order to attend an event.

SEMINARS AND PANEL DISCUSSIONS

Panel: Reflections on Marriage and Parenting in a Jewish-Christian Family
A panel of Interfaith Community members will discuss their experiences. They will focus on the ways they have celebrated holidays, dealt with extended family, worked to understand their partners' religious backgrounds and to share their own, explained their differences to children, addressed their children's spiritual and religious inclinations, and responded to their own. Expert guests include clergy, interfaith couples counselors, and religious educators. The programs encourage interaction and discussion.

Members Free, Non-Members $25/person
Please Reserve

Next Panel: Monday, May 12, 2008, 7:30pm
Trinity School (Lower School Library), 101 West 91 Street, between Columbus & Amsterdam

Seminar: Our Different Jewish and Christian Histories
Ongoing: 3 sessions will be held in Spring 08
Times, Dates and Locations TBD

Jesus was a Jew. Was he Reform, Conservative or Orthodox?

A bizarre question, perhaps... but one which suggests many other questions. If Jesus was a Jew, how and why did the early Christian sect split off from Judaism? Why are there so many Christian denominations today? How do they differ? Why did Christianity actively denigrate Judaism over the centuries? How did Judaism develop into the several denominations of today?

As Jews and Christians often see the world from very different historical contexts, it is important for interfaith couples to be aware of the different perspectives they bring. If these questions intrigue you, join others from interfaith families in the first of what we hope will be a continuing series of seminarrs on our shared and sometimes contentious histories.

Our aim is to have this seminar be a free-ranging conversation about these matters, so that we can hear people's interests and tailor future seminars accordingly. This seminar will be co-facilitated by Clay Dockery and Andi Rosenthal. Clay, a graduate student at Union Theological Seminary, is the IFC Program Coordinator. Andi is a rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College. Both are teachers in our classes for children.

Members Free, Non-Members $25/person
Please Reserve

Previous Panels & Seminars have included:

Bris or Baptism - and other ritual issues facing interfaith families

What do basic rituals mean in each of our traditions? Do they determine identity, membership, salvation? Can they be delayed or chosen later in life? Can, or should, they be modified for interfaith families? Can, or should, children be given a "dual religious passport"? Join us to hear Jewish, Roman Catholic, and mainstream Protestant (Presbyterian) clergy discuss the meaning of some of the central rituals in our religious traditions.

Led by Rabbi Daniel Brenner; Rev. Mark Hallinan, SJ; and Rev. Anne Conroy.

Panel: Baby Ceremonies

As a follow-up to our recent "Bris or Baptism" seminar with Jewish and Christian clergy, a panel of Interfaith Community parents will discuss the various baby welcoming ceremonies that they have adapted for their own families.

Seminar: Revisiting "Paradise" as an Interfaith Couple

When you were a child, how did you understand the Biblical story of the Garden of Eden? What does it mean to you now? How do you think about concepts like "sin" or "fall from grace" or "enlightenment"? Do you/did you have a particularly Jewish or Christian perspective on this story? With Rev. Mark Hallinan, SJ, joining us to respond from a Christian perspective, Rabbi Sam Gordon of Congregation Sukkat Shalom (Wilmette, IL) will lead us through a rich and lively discussion of Biblical text and interpretation.

Panel: How to Educate the Children?

In an interactive discussion, a panel of Interfaith Community teachers, parents, and children will focus on the issues associated with teaching children about two religious traditions. The program will also discuss the Interfaith Community's pioneering new curriculum for children of Jewish-Christian families.

INTERFAITH COUPLES WORKSHOPS

The Interfaith Community offers distinctive workshops for interfaith couples-an introductory workshop and an advanced workshop. Both workshops draw on our many years of experience as an organization built by and for interfaith families, and are led by professional counselors with many years of experience working with interfaith couples.

Interfaith Couples Workshop I
In a multi-session workshop, groups of 5 - 8 couples grapple with the role of religion in their relationships and address the basic issues which will help them make a thoughtful choice as to how or whether they can accommodate their dual-faith traditions. In a supportive environment, couples consider issues such as the importance of religion vs. ethnic/cultural heritage; the role of family/extended family; and raising children.

Interfaith Couples Workshop II
Unique to the Interfaith Community, this multi-session advanced workshop helps couples design their own, individualized "road map" to a healthy, respectful interfaith marriage. The workshop is geared for couples who have gone through a process and thoughtfully decided that they will affirm both religious traditions in their marriage -- though the balance may vary greatly from family to family. The workshop provides practical opportunities to anticipate the rituals and practices they may plan to observe, to explore the challenges of exposing their children to religion, and to build relevant negotiation and communication skills. Led by an experienced interfaith couples therapist, the workshop will also feature opportunities to meet with experienced Interfaith Community family members.

Multi-session, beginning mid-October, in Manhattan. Call for details.

ONE-ON-ONE CONSULTATIONS

Through this one-hour session with an Interfaith Community senior staff member, couples will be guided through a preliminary assessment of their needs and provided with a context to anticipate interfaith marriage. They will have a chance to discuss the various issues facing interfaith families, the many choices they can consider, and the resources available to them - for example, reference and reading materials, programs for further study or counseling, and referrals to experienced interfaith couples therapists and to officiants for weddings and baby welcoming ceremonies.

For more information, including about fees and scheduling, call 212-870-2544, or email info@interfaithcommunity.org.