RABBI'S COLUMN: GORDON GLADSTONE
Among the many things that make Temple Beth Am wonderful is the way we welcome and seamlessly integrate anyone and everyone who wishes to become part of our Temple Family. Just how deeply, wholly and unconditionally this characteristic is woven into our Temple's cultural fabric should not go unappreciated.
The late Rabbi Alexander Schindler, of blessed memory, during his lengthy tenure as President of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations - now the Union for Reform Judaism - began a controversial outreach program. He sought to reclaim the prophetic mandate to draw near all who might otherwise be marginalized in the Jewish community. His outreach enbraced Jews-by-choice, Jews and their spouses who have intermarried, the offspring of such unions - regardless if which parent was Jewish - and gay and lesbian Jews. ... A generation ago, all would have been "strangers at our gates."
Driven by the mandate, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples," Rabbi Schindler summed up his outreach vision, saying, "My dream is to see our Judaism unleashed as a resource for a world in need: not as the exclusive inheritance of the few, but as a renewable resource for the many."
During the High Holy Days, and throughout the year, our doors are open to every member of the Jewish community. At Temple Beth Am, we openly embrace a tradition of ceaseless change, and in doing so sustain the life of our synagogue and the Jewish community.
May the members of our Temple Family be inscribed in the Book of Life for a year of health and happiness.
