Every year at High Holy Day services we greet fellow congregants, wishing them a happy and healthy new year. But in the midst of old friends and acquaintances sitting in the sanctuary and gathered around the coffee urn are those we have not yet met.
Many are attending for the first time, seeking a community where they will feel at home.
Some are couples, interested in getting their children involved in the religious school.
Some are singles, seeking further involvement in Jewish life as well as, perhaps, an opportunity to become part of an extended community.
Others are Jews at midlife who have long been estranged from the community and seeking a way back home.
Some may be single parents. Others may wish to build a Jewish life for themselves.
Chances are, among the newcomers at your synagogue, there will also be college students, gay men and lesbians, people who “don’t look Jewish,” the disabled. And chances are, some of them — like all newcomers — will remain invisible to congregants who are busy greeting friends.
As we enter 5758, let us reach out to all those who want to be a part of the Jewish community. At High Holy Day services — as well as at upcoming Shabbat services and other events — take some time to extend a hand to newcomers, including those who are not yet members.
It is critical that Judaism be an inclusive religion. We can’t afford not to be.