InterfaithFamily launches in Los Angeles

A Massachusetts-based initiative to engage interfaith families has received a $250,000 grant over three years from the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles (JCFLA) to set up shop in Los Angeles.

InterfaithFamily (IFF) was one of seven recipients of Cutting Edge Grants this year from the JCFLA, with all of them sharing a common theme of Jewish engagement, inclusion and continuity, according to Elana Wien, senior program officer at the foundation’s Center for Designed Philanthropy. 

The other entities receiving grants were The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles (two programs), USC Davis School of Gerontology, American Jewish University, the Jewish Graduate Student Initiative and JQ International.

IFF offers answers to some serious issues facing modern Judaism, Wien said: “One of the challenges we face in the Los Angeles Jewish community is how to engage the increasing number of interfaith families and their children.”

The numbers show the scope of the issue. A 2013 survey conducted by Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project showed that 58 percent of American Jews who married since 2000 have a non-Jewish spouse. 

“Historically, interfaith families are often not embraced by the Jewish community,” said Jodi Bromberg, president of IFF.

Already serving interfaith families in Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area, the foundation’s Cutting Edge Grant ensures the addition of Los Angeles to IFF’s growing list. Atlanta will follow suit one month later.

Bromberg said that in addition to giving one-on-one support to interfaith families, the nonprofit also serves as a central resource for organizations, professionals, lay leaders and clergy. Through inclusivity training, IFF instructs clergy and organizations on how to be more sensitive and welcoming to interfaith families, “whether that’s the language on their membership form or their website or that’s taken through the programing that we’re offering,” Bromberg said.

One program that IFF offers is “Love and Religion,” a workshop of four classes that promotes discussion between family members about the role of religion in their life. IFF also has a rabbi and Jewish clergy officiation request form. Using this form, interfaith families can seek a clergy referral for a lifecycle event through interfaithfamily.com. 

Within the next two weeks, IFF expects to announce a community director for its L.A. office who will be in charge of community engagement, conducting inclusivity training, managing the officiation referral service and acting as the connection between local operations and IFF’s national offices.

Bromberg said IFF has six organizational partners in the area: Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills, the Pico Union Project, the Westside Jewish Community Center, the Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center, IKAR and Temple Israel of Hollywood.