Four interfaith couples joined Rabbi Shira Stutman, and attendees heard a little about the hopes, fears, and joy in being welcomed into the Jewish community , exactly as they are.
Sherry and Alan Leventhal Center for Interfaith Families
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Life Cycle Events: Interfaith Weddings
A wedding is often the first milestone that joins two families & brings two faiths together. How can we ensure our loved ones have the wedding they are most comfortable with & makes them happiest?
The Sherry and Alan Leventhal Center for Interfaith Families is an in-house initiative of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans working to create a broader and more inclusive Jewish community through programs and community partnerships for families and households who identify as interfaith regardless of age, observances, and where they fall on the Jewish spectrum. In collaboration with area synagogues, Jewish organizations, and non-Jewish partners, the Leventhal Interfaith Center aims to create nurturing and inclusive opportunities for people to explore and connect to Jewish community, values, traditions, experiences, texts, and spirituality to create their individualized Jewish or Jewish adjacent journey.
The Leventhal Interfaith Center will provide a centralized resource and support system for interfaith partnerships and families in Greater New Orleans.
The four goals of the Sherry and Alan Leventhal Family Foundation Center for Interfaith Families are:
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Connecting all members of interfaith households and their extended families to Jewish life
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Enriching and enhancing the Jewish community through non-judgmental acceptance
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Increasing the Federation’s visibility and connection to interfaith households in Jewish and non-Jewish communities
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Strengthening relationships with Jewish and non-Jewish community partners
The Leventhal Interfaith Center is led by an advisory council co-chaired by Teri Hunter and Alex Gershanik and made possible by a generous gift from the Sherry and Alan Leventhal Family Foundation.
Let’s Connect! Please feel free to reach out to Erica Golden at erica@jewishnola.com or 504-780-5672.
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likes Why do you stand under a chuppah at a Jewish wedding? Does anyone walk the groom aisle?
Join Cantor Lucy Fishbein, Deacon Debbie Scalia, and local rabbis Rabbi Gerber and Rabbi Silverman to ask these questions and more tomorrow June 15 at 12:00pm.
Register now: tinyurl.com/interfaithweddings
Celebrate Pride month with JP NOLA and Temple Sinai tonight for an in-person Pride Shabbat service! A special Oneg Shabbat will take place immediately following services at a local residence (address will be emailed following RSVP).
Join us on Tuesday to learn more about interfaith weddings, ask questions and hear from our featured speakers and local clergy!
About Erica Golden
Erica Golden graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 2015 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology and Jewish Studies from Tulane University followed by a master’s degree in Behavioral Health Psychology. Committed to making meaningful change in the Jewish community, Erica earned her Master’s of Social Work and a Certificate in Jewish Communal Leadership from the University of Michigan. During her time in New Orleans, Erica worked at Slater Torah Academy, and was actively involved in Chabad at Tulane, Tulane Hillel, and Tulane’s Jewish Studies department. She has worked with numerous Jewish community organizations across the country, most recently serving as the Youth Engagement Director at Temple Beth Am in Miami. In that position, Erica guided hundreds of young congregants and their families on their Jewish journeys through relationship building and frequent programming. Erica is dedicated to lowering barriers to entry to the Jewish community for all and sharing the joy she finds in Judaism.
Thrilled to return “home,” you can find Erica exploring Mid-City with her Shih Tzu Jack.
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