Still Committed to Outreach

Letter by Rabbi David Wolfman to the Editor of the (Boston) Jewish Advocate

This letter is reprinted with permission of The (Boston) Jewish Advocate.

We thank The Advocate for acknowledging the pioneering work the Reform Movement (Union of American Hebrew Congregations) has done regarding our innovative attention to youth, education, social justice, and religious living. We especially want to commend you for acknowledging that the UAHC "has led the way in devising programs and strategies" to reach out to the intermarried.

We agree that "even as we await the results of the new population survey of U.S. Jewry, it can be anticipated that the high rate of mixed marriages will not have significantly abated." It is for these reasons and more that the UAHC stands firm in our commitment to Outreach and will continue the sacred and vital work of Outreach through both Outreach programs in the region as well as ongoing support and nurturing our congregations in their Outreach endeavors.

While it is true that the current economic reality and severe budget shortfall forced the UAHC to discontinue the part-time regional Outreach positions, the Reform Movement's priority and commitment to Outreach never wavered.

We in Boston are especially grateful for the partnership the UAHC and Combined Jewish Philanthropies share. This will be the fifth year that CJP has supported our Outreach to the intermarried by enabling us to reach over 1,000 participants annually. Further, we are able to train rabbis, educators and other Jewish professionals within and beyond the Reform Movement. The UAHC is also the recipient of a grant from the Sherman Family Trust, which funds our Taste of Judaism classes. Both of these partnerships show then unwavering commitment we in the Boston Jewish community have to Outreach and the synagogue community.

We also have visionary rabbinic leaders who are working with us to find additional resources to enable the UAHC to continue its work in this area. Reform Jews remain committed to sharing the richness and joys of Judaism with those who were not born Jewish.

Rabbi David Wolfman
Regional Director
UAHC Northeast Council
March 28, 2003