Dec. 2025
Cantor Paula Baruch, Richard Levy and Paul Jaye
At our recent Annual General Meeting, Temple Anshe Sholom voted to allow our clergy to perform interfaith weddings within the walls of our temple. This moment represents more than a policy change; it is a statement of faith in the future of Jewish life in Hamilton. By welcoming interfaith couples into the heart of our community, we affirm that love, family, and belonging strengthen Judaism rather than threaten it.
A Community at a Turning Point
Across North America, Jewish communities are undergoing profound change. Younger generations are redefining what it means to live Jewishly, and interfaith marriage has become part of that story. The 2018 Survey of Jews in Canada found that 30 percent of married Jews in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area have non-Jewish spouses, and among non-Orthodox Jews under 40, that number is much higher. In the United States, 72 percent of non-Orthodox Jews who married after 2010 married partners from outside the faith. These numbers tell us what we already see: interfaith families are part of our community’s future.
Inclusion as a Path to Continuity
Research shows that when interfaith families feel welcome, Jewish engagement deepens. They celebrate holidays together, raise Jewish children, and strengthen communal life. Continuity depends not on whom someone marries but on whether our community opens its doors after they do. By meeting interfaith couples with respect, education, and compassion, we ensure that Judaism remains vibrant for generations to come.
A Promise for the Future
Temple Anshe Sholom welcomes Jews and the people who love them. Our congregation is built on the values of kindness, learning, and shared purpose. As we take this next step, we do so with confidence that inclusion is the surest path to continuity. Interfaith marriage is not an obstacle to Jewish life; it is an opportunity to renew it, deepen it, and pass it forward with joy. Our process for any prospective couple includes pre-marital counselling with Jewish learning, a sole Jewish officiant for the ceremony, and a shared commitment to create a Jewish household and raise Jewish children.
To learn more please read our new policy at the TAS website.
