Congregation Temple Israel is hosting a community-wide evening for interfaith couples on Thursday, Sept. 7. The evening will include wine and an assortment of other refreshments, heavy hors d’oeuvres, and an opportunity to create a hand-painted rustic-style Shalom (Peace) welcome sign to hang up in a loving space that the couple shares. An art instructor will be present, and examples will be provided. The program will also include a discussion about being in an interfaith relationship, which will be led by Rabbi Amy Feder and Rabbi Michael Alper.

The purpose of this new community-wide program is to bring Jews and their significant others of any religion together to foster a mutual understanding of, and respect for, the Jewish faith,. It also hopes to support and connect interfaith couples and families, and create a safe space for exploration and discussion of obstacles that interfaith couples face.

The event is from 6 to 8 p.m. at Temple Israel, #1 Rabbi Alvan D. Rubin Drive in Creve Coeur. The event is free, though RSVPs are required by Sept. 1 to Jody Gerth at [email protected] or 314-432-8050. Complimentary child care is available (include the names of children and ages with RSVP).

This program is supported by the Jonas Weil Endowment of Jewish Federation of St. Louis.