Jews have always come in every shape, size, and color. It’s no surprise that Jews have taken on the appearance and characteristics of every population they have lived among over 2000 and more years of Diaspora existence.
But there is a new twist in our tale of expanding Jewish genetic diversity.
Jewish couples wanting children, more than one child, with infertility issues , or who may be in the latter years of biological child-bearing, have been turning to adopting children from other countries. Their children are often of Latino, Asian or African descent and that, in turn, is slowly changing the face and faces of American Judaism, reports the Huffington Post.
To help Jewish communities and congregations adapt to these new members of the tribe of Abraham Susan Abramson, the rabbi at Temple Shalom Emeth, a Reform synagogue in Burlington Vermont founded Stars of David, the first national group of Jewish adoptive families. Her program is to facilitate the integration of adoptive children of color into their local congregation helping parents who wondered how their children, who didn't share the same Jewish ancestry, would be accepted.
We can find part of a Jewish solution to this new phenomena in the words of Jenna Greenberg, the associate cantor at Washington's Adas Israel Conservative synagogue who reminds us that, "Judaism is a religion, not a race, and we are enriched by the diversity these kids bring. “
You can read more here.
How do you and your congregation deal with our newest tribal members?
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