Discovering A Jewish And Interfaith Rabbi

By Dennis West


When it comes to couples of different faiths whom wish to marry, it has long been a taboo among religious leaders. While this is the case, couples can now request a jewish and interfaith rabbi to lead these and other ceremonies. For, these non-traditional services are now becoming more popular, especially in more liberal areas of the United States. At the same time, it can still be difficult to find the right officiant or co-officiants to provide this service.

When it comes to locating an interfaith rabbi, it can often take much longer than when acquiring a traditional religious leader. While this is the case, as these ceremonies are most common in Northern California where most of the more liberal rabbis reside, it is not impossible. For, while still a rarity, there a number of rabbis whom will not officiate at mixed-faith weddings.

Regardless of the survey, no denomination recognizes co-officiating though reconstructionist movements provide rabbis with autonomy if and when performing these non-traditional services. Whereas, the conservative movement remains against any and all rabbis participating in or officiating at weddings or other mixed-faith events. While this is the case, there are still a limited number of rabbis in the conservative movement whom will do so in secrecy.

A large number of rabbis were surveyed to determine how many would or would not officiate at these non-traditional weddings. The results were mixed with twenty percent saying yes to officiating though only twenty percent of the individuals suggested co-officiating was the only option. As such, couples must then find two officiants which are willing to work along side one another with differing beliefs.

One Rabbi in California whom also directs InterfaithFamily, an non-profit organization in the Bay Area said that the findings are not surprising, especially for Northern California. Whereas, these services, though now becoming more common throughout the United States might be more of a shock in the Bible Belt states of South.

Some rabbis have noted that when officiating these non-traditional weddings, it can often be easier to connect with the couple for counseling when and where necessary. For, there are a number of uncharted areas when it comes to mixed-faith households. In most cases, these areas relate to how to honor each faith, raise children and how to become involved in events being held at a church, synagogue or temple.

In a time when individuals can become ordained in minutes online, one Jewish rabbi suggest that it is a good sign that couples are requesting these interfaith rabbis to officiate at weddings. For, it shows that faith is more important to the couple, even if of mixed faiths than others whom simply acquire an ordained minister from a website. As a result, more rabbis are considering officiating or co-officiating at weddings and other mixed-faith events.

All in all, interfaith officiants and ceremonies seem to occur mostly in the liberal areas of the United States. While this is the case, rabbis providing these services hold on tight to Jewish traditions when doing so. For example, one Jewish chaplain and rabbi whom works at a hospital and nursing home in California will co-officiate as long as the ceremony does not include any mention of Jesus Christ. As such, couples often still find difficulty in selecting the right officiants for these non-traditional weddings.




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