My partner is Jewish and I am not.  Will I be welcomed at Temple Shir Tikva?

Yes!  All family members are warmly welcomed at our synagogue. At all times, alone or in the company of your family, you are welcome within our doors.

Are there other interfaith families at Temple Shir Tikva?

Yes!  Temple Shir Tikva has many couples and families who identify as interfaith.  We welcome all individuals who come in search of a sacred community, education, social action and friendship.  At Shir Tikva, we believe that the presence of members from different faith and cultural backgrounds can enrich us all, and that we all have much to learn from one another.

Will I be able to understand services if I don’t speak Hebrew?

If you don’t speak or read Hebrew, you are not alone!  In our community, there are people (who were raised Jewish or otherwise) who understand Hebrew and people (who were raised Jewish or others) who don’t understand Hebrew—and all sorts of people in between!  Our prayer book (siddur) includes Hebrew, transliteration into English, and English translations of every prayer.  Throughout our service, our clergy explain the service in English and lead the way through it.  But, the most important part of being here is being together, in any language, and the most important prayer is the one that comes from the heart. Participate in the ways you feel most comfortable:  read, sing, hum along, meditate, watch, listen, be present with us.

When my child celebrates becoming Bar/Bat Mitzvah, how will my partner, who is from another background, participate in the service?

We include the entire family in celebrations of Bar/Bat Mitzvah, including parents, grandparents, and other relatives who are from other faith traditions.  We work with each family in making decisions about whom they want to invite to participate in the service, and we help them do so in ways that honor individual backgrounds and Jewish tradition.