Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on May 26, 2017

SUDBURY Congregation Beth El of the Sudbury River Valley is one of nine synagogues in Greater Boston, spanning all movements, selected to become a Congregational Partner of the Ruderman Synagogue Inclusion Project, a collaboration between Combined Jewish Philanthropies, Boston's Jewish Federation, and the Ruderman Family Foundation.

The nine synagogues were recognized at a community event on May 23 at Temple Emanuel in Newton. Tom Fields-Meyer, an author whose work includes his memoir, Following Ezra: What One Father Learned About Gumby, Otters, Autism, and Love from His Extraordinary Son, delivered the keynote speech at Celebrating Inclusion: Opening the Doors to Community. The Ruderman Synagogue Inclusion Project provides partner synagogues with funding and other resources to support innovative programs, improvements or training to become more welcoming and inclusive. Last year, the Project added eight synagogues to the original three from the launch two years ago. All of these synagogues already had strong inclusion efforts underway. The Project helped them expand and strengthen programs and inspire other synagogues to become more inclusive by sharing their experiences and best practices with the wider community. I kept hearing from many people over the years who did not feel welcome at their synagogue," said Sharon Shapiro, trustee and director of the Ruderman Family Foundation Boston Office. "When these families felt turned away, they left their synagogue and often the Jewish community altogether. We wanted to do something about this and in partnership with CJP, we created the Ruderman Synagogue Inclusion Project. We are thrilled with the Project's success and are so happy to welcome nine new partners. Our goal is to engage every synagogue in the Greater Boston community in this essential movement. For us, inclusion begins with a deeply held conviction that every person who journeys with us is entitled to a full and meaningful participation in Jewish and congregational life. With the help of RSIP and all the partnering congregations, we look forward to discovering new ways to remove obstacles and make our community even more open to all, said Rabbi David Thomas of Beth El of the Sudbury Valley.

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Congregation Beth El selected for Ruderman Synagogue Inclusion Project - Wicked Local Sudbury

Category: Synagogue
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