My house shall be a house of prayer for all peoples. (Isaiah 56:7)

No one is more welcome at Congregation Or Ami than you!

Congregation Or Ami celebrates that Judaism has always been mosaic, a beautiful collection of different colored and shaped pieces. We are also "Mosaic" in that we connect back to Moses, a Hebrew child, raised by Egyptians, who married a non-Jewish woman of color and became the leader of his people. We rejoice that at least 20% of the Jewish population is racially and ethnically diverse, including African, African American, Latino (Hispanic), Asian, Native American, Sephardic, Mizrahi and mixed-race Jews by heritage, adoption, and marriage. Recognizing that we are all created b'tzelem Elohim, in the image of God, we are pleased to welcome the multicultural/multiracial/multiethnic Jewish individuals, couples and families in our community.

Some couples that begin with two individuals from different backgrounds need to integrate separate lives into one family. Some families adopting a child from a different culture look to celebrate all parts of the child’s mosaic. Individual Jews, raised in multicultural homes, strive to be accepted as Jews, no questions asked. Remember: you are not alone. Congregation Or Ami, our Rabbi Paul Kipnes and Cantor Doug Cotler and our Reform Jewish movement, welcome you. Congregation Or Ami is already proud to be a home congregation for many multiethnic, multiracial and multicultural individuals, couples and families, and we welcome you to share in the warmth of our community. We invite you to begin a conversation with Rabbi Kipnes to share your hopes or questions about being part of Or Ami.

Congregation Or Ami offers individuals and couples who connect to multiple cultures, races and/or ethnic groups the opportunity to explore their Judaism in a warm, welcoming environment. We work to empower people to make Jewish choices for themselves and their families and we strive to provide resources to inform educated decisions. We strive to be a welcoming place for people of diverse religious backgrounds, sexual orientations, and ethnic, racial and cultural backgrounds. We invite you to begin a conversation with Rabbi Kipnes to share your hopes or questions about being a multicultural, multiethnic and/or multiracial individual or family at Or Ami.

You may be wondering about…

Bar/Bat Mitzvah Services : Because you have decided to raise your child as a Jew, we at Or Ami strive to ensure that the Bar/Bat Mitzvah experience is welcoming to all members of your family. We invite both parents to participate fully in the service, from the ceremony of passing Torah down through the generations to standing up at the Torah during the aliyah (Torah blessing) to the opportunity to bless your child. Our creativity allows family members of other faiths to help celebrate your simcha (joyous moment) as well. Click here to begin a conversation with Rabbi Kipnes about your family’s questions about Bar/Bat Mitzvah.

Shabbat and Holy Day Services : Being a welcoming community is central to who we are. From the moment you are greeted at the door with a smile (and often a hug), we strive to make you feel that Or Ami is your spiritual home. Our love of music ensures that everyone can enjoy inspirational moments in our services. Original English songs and mixed Hebrew/English singing allow maximal participation. Page numbers are frequently announced. All Hebrew prayers are also transliterated (Hebrew written in English letters); translations and commentaries of all prayers are featured in our siddur (prayerbook). Of course, Rabbi Kipnes and Cantor Cotler are more than happy to offer a quick tutorial on “tip-toeing through the tefillah (worship service).” We invite you to read about our services or to email Rabbi Kipnes or Cantor Cotler.

Learning More about Judaism : Without pressure, we invite you (whether you are Jewish or not) to enjoy our programs and classes. Adult learning activities occur throughout the year and include weekly study sessions, monthly brunches or book groups, evening programs and Shabbat seminars. We invite you to learn more about upcoming Adult learning opportunities or to email Michal Rozenberg-Yalovsky who coordinates our Adult Learning.

Educating Children : You may be especially interested in our Mishpacha Family Alternative Learning Program. (Mishpacha means "family" in Hebrew.) An alternative to our wonderful Monday-Wednesday drop-off Kesher program (formerly "Religious School"), our Mishpacha program allows parents and children to study together twice monthly on Sunday mornings. Often adults spend time alone with Rabbi Kipnes while children learn in multi-grade groupings with our fine faculty. Everyone learns the same material at age-appropriate levels. Then parents and children interact through projects, games, trials and round robin activities to explore the beauty of Judaism. This program is especially helpful for multicultural/multiethnic/multiracial families as they seek to learn more about being Jewish and figure out how to support their Jewish child(ren)’s spiritual education. We invite you to learn more about Mishpacha program or email our Mishpacha Coordinators Sara Mason and Dan Medwin. You may also want to learn about our Kesher program (formerly "Religious School") and/or our Temple Teen Nights and/or email our Principal Michal Rozenberg-Yalovsky.

Irene Faust:

"As an interfaith couple, it was no great leap to decide to also become an inter-racial family. My husband, although he does not participate in the religion, agreed that our daughter would be raised as a Jew. Shortly after our return home from China in January, 1998, I took our daughter, Melina, to the mikvah at the University of Judaism for her conversion. We then started to look for a place in the Jewish community where we could feel at home and be recognized as ourselves rather than just as a blended family. We tried a few different places, but it wasn't until we came as guests to the Seder in the Wilderness that Melina and I both knew we'd finally found what we were looking for. Melina was off with newly made friends by the time that I returned from the adult hike. After attending our first Shabbat service, Melina turned to me and said "I like our new temple, everyone is so happy here."

Antonia Chan Goldsobel:

[Toni Goldsobel is a Jew by Choice who, together with her husband Steven, is raising two children who love being Jewish and love their Chinese grandparents as well.]

As the High Holy Days approach, I find myself reflecting – on the past, on the decisions I’ve made and on what’s to come in the future. One decision in the past has created so much of my present. Having a multiracial marriage and raising multiracial children in a Jewish home has permeated my everyday life.

There may be many physical differences, yet I like to embrace the cultural similarities. For the Chinese, Chinese New Year and Moon day are much bigger holidays than Christmas or Easter. For example, at the end of this month, we celebrate sukkot, which refers to the annual festival giving thanks for a bountiful autumn harvest and remembering the forty years of wandering in the desert. Coincidently, the Chinese celebrate Moon day, which also celebrates the autumn harvest, during the same time as sukkot. Moon day is a time for family reunions and for those whose family members are apart, to have a chance to gaze at the moon at the same time. The Chinese, like the Jews, use the lunar calendar.

Another common thread is the strong foundation of family. I grew up having huge family dinners on Sunday nights. No matter what my schedule was during the week, I always made time for Sunday night dinner. Now, as I raise my own family, I’ve shifted my parents’ traditional family dinners from Sunday night to Friday nights and celebrate Shabbat. My children look forward to the rituals of lighting the Shabbat candles, drinking the “wine” (straight grape juice) and singing off key to the challah. And like the Sunday dinners of my childhood, on Shabbat, we catch up with each other about our week.

If you ask my daughter, she will tell you, with absolute authority that she and her brother are “Chanukkahs” but she has cousins who are “Christmases.” That’s just the way it is at our house.

So this year, maybe we will be having moon cake in our sukkah.

In case you were interested in more...

• Union for Reform Judaism's (URJ) Outreach Pages
• The Color of Water by James McBride, a book about a young black man's search to uncover his white Jewish mother's past and his own identity.
• Jacob Adopts Ephraim and Manasseh by Rabbi Marcus L. Burstein, a Torah commentary exploring and celebrating multicultural and multiracial nature of Judaism
• Jews of Many Colors: Honoring Jewish Diversity, a pamphlet
• In Every Tongue: Ethnic & Racial Diversity in the Jewish Community, by Diane Tobin, Gary A. Tobin and Scott Rubin, a book by the Institute for Jewish and Community Research
• Intermarried? Reform Judaism Welcomes You, a brochure
• Every Person's Guide to Judaism, a book by Rabbi Stephen Einstein and Lydia Kukoff
• Bechol Lashon, an eNewsletter celebrating multicultural, multiethnic and multiracial Jews
• An Introduction to Synagogue Etiquette, a pamphlet
• Jewish Outreach Institute's Questions and Answers
• Judaism 101: Everything You Wanted to Know about Judaism But Were Too Embarrassed to Ask
• Or email our Rabbi Paul Kipnes with your questions.

How do we talk about ourselves when the language we have is too narrow and confining, like outdated racial or ethnic categories on a census form? How do we describe a group for which there is no group label?

Sometimes we use what is admittedly inadequate language: “Jews of color,” “diverse Jews,” or “racially and ethnically diverse Jews.” All of these terms refer to those who are in currently distinct subcultures from the majority Jewish community in the United States.  Many people who fall into this category may not define themselves as “people of color” or as “Chinese, Vietnamese or Indian Jews,” yet many in the mainstream view them as being “other.” At Congregation Or Ami, we celebrate you as a Jew, no matter whatever name you call yourself by these people, whatever your origins and culture, whatever your skin tone or eye-shape, whatever your path to Judaism. You (and sometimes your family) are Jews, and we welcome you!

Membership: Here at Or Ami, multicultural, multiethnic and multiracial families are full members of our community.  We welcome but do not pressure non-Jewish family members to participate in whatever aspect of congregational life you enjoy and find meaningful. Rabbi Kipnes and Cantor Cotler welcome everyone in your interfaith family as part of our community. When joy brightens your life, whether in the Jewish or non-Jewish member’s extended family, our rabbi and cantor will help celebrate. When illness touches your life, whether in the Jewish or the non-Jewish member’s extended family, our rabbi and cantor will reach out to offer support. We invite you to find out more about membership and/or to begin a conversation with Susie Stark in our synagogue office who can answer many of your questions.

Conversion: Sure, some (but not all) non-Jewish partners in a Jewish family consider conversion. We welcome it, but do not pressure you to consider it. Rabbi Kipnes talks with, studies with, and helps people struggling with these issues in a non-threatening, open way. Rest assured that Rabbi Kipnes will be there for your family no matter what you decide. The choice is yours. We invite you to begin a conversation with Rabbi Kipnes.