For years, intermarried families have found a comfortable and welcoming home at Beth El Synagogue, attending religious services and participating in its educational and social programs. Rabbi Mordechai Levin takes pride in the synagogue’s diverse membership, which includes couples with one spouse who has converted to Judaism, plus interfaith families who have chosen to raise their children as Jews and have actively participated in the synagogue's religious school.
“We want intermarried couples who don’t have children, as well as intermarried couples who decide to raise their children as Jews, to know there is always a place for them within our synagogue family,” Rabbi Levin said. “We invite them to join us and experience the warmth of our congregation."
Omaha native Ali Lerner and her husband Mark Doyle did just that, and ended up not only studying at Beth El, but exchanging wedding nuptials there in 2004. The couple, third-year medical students at Ross University School of Medicine, recently moved to New York City to complete their clinical rotations; they recently spoke about their time in Omaha and their experience with Beth El.
“From the moment we moved back to Omaha, Beth El seemed like the perfect place for us as a young couple,” said Lerner, who was raised in the Reform Movement, but said she began to relate more to Conservative Judaism during college.
“Everyone was so nice and they made both Mark and me feel so welcome. It was different for me especially, because at the time, my parents, Martha and Dick Lerner, were still members of Temple Israel.
“Once we met with Rabbi Levin and began going to services and classes on a regular basis, we felt so at home. Eventually my parents starting coming to services with us and then they also became members of Beth El.”
Doyle, who was born into an Irish Catholic family in South Glens Falls, New York, was first introduced to Judaism when he met Lerner in 2000, when both were working at the Double H Hole in the Woods Ranch, a Newman’s Own Foundation-sponsored summer camp for children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses.
“The Jewish community in my area was not large at all. Through Ali, my introduction to Judaism was a real eye-opening experience,” Doyle recalled. “I say that because instantly, I knew what the religion meant to her; she didn't even have to say anything to me. Judaism is not just a religion, it's family, it's loving life, it's all about being a good person. All of these things were very appealing to me, as these are values that I hold dearly myself. I continue to have a strong faith in God, but to me, Judaism is so much more than this. Judaism inspires me to be a better person and a better husband each day.”
Following their graduation from college, Lerner and Doyle moved to Omaha; when Doyle made his decision to convert to Judaism, the couple began their involvement at Beth El.
“Immediately, we felt welcome -- it was as if I had been Jewish my whole life!” Doyle said. “Both Rabbi and Cantor have been very helpful in both my conversion to Judaism and in the years following. Rabbi stressed the importance of being an active member in the community, and we have tried our best to do just that. As part of my conversion process, I participated in the Rabbi's Introduction to Judaism class, which was a wonderful experience, and it allowed me to integrate myself a little into the community.”
Doyle’s conversion studies began in late 2002, and culminated in his conversion in June of 2004. He credited his positive experience to Rabbi Levin’s warmth and teaching expertise.
“The experience of studying and conversing with Rabbi Levin was great,” he remarked. “It was a huge decision to convert, and the Rabbi made a difficult decision easier through his gentle nature and excitement for Judaism. He was an excellent teacher, and not only asked the tough questions, but also made me ask myself some tough questions. He gave me a profound appreciation for the religion, its history and customs. I don't believe I would have had as good of an experience anywhere else. Everyone at Beth El was encouraging and supportive, and I felt at home there.”
Lerner said that since joining the synagogue several years ago, “Beth El has become a very significant part of our lives. Instantly when we walk through the doors of the synagogue, we feel as though we are home. The rabbi and cantor are none like we have ever met. They welcome us with open arms and always have an ear whenever we need them. They are the Rabbi and Cantor we have always wanted to have. Through all of our travels, we have never met any pair like them, and we have met some great people. Also, the congregation is like family. It is so nice to go to services whenever we are home and be greeted with open arms.”
Longtime Beth El members Paul and Kelli Sadofsky have also found a home at Beth El for themselves and their daughters, Natasha, 22, Marissa, 20, and Brianna, 15.
Paul, a native Omahan who was raised at Beth El, and Kelli, a Council Bluffs native raised in the Baptist faith, decided before their marriage to raise their children Jewish.
“Paul and I decided to raise the children in the Jewish faith when we became engaged,” said Kelli, who was introduced to Judaism when she met her future husband. “It was not a difficult decision for me. My mother raised me to be open-minded about religion and encouraged all her children to experience other people’s religious practices. I would say that I was brought up to believe that we all worship and believe in the same God, but that there are many different ways that the world practices their faith in God.”
She continued: “Judaism, to me, teaches goodness, kindness, good deeds, and helping others. I am pleased with the education and values that Judaism has given our daughters.”
According to Paul, “Beth El was a natural fit for us, as this was the synagogue of my childhood.” He added that “Beth El has become significant because we have shared worshipping at the synagogue, not only with our daughters but also with my mother, Selma Sadofsky. We have celebrated all three of our daughters’ B’not Mitzvah, and my mother and I were in the synagogue’s first adult B’nai Mitzvah class.”
The Sadofsky family’s involvement at Beth El has been vast and varied: Kelli has volunteered her sewing expertise for a religious school class project and for a musical performance, she participated in this year’s Mothers Circle class, for non-Jewish mothers who are raising Jewish children, she is a regular synagogue attendee and, along with her husband, has helped bake for special synagogue occasions; Paul has assisted with maintenance issues at Beth El and has been a regular in several adult-education classes and programs. Their youngest daughter, Brianna, 15, is currently active in Hebrew High School and the USY group, and plans to attend to Camp Ramah (the camping branch of the Conservative Movement) this summer for the third consecutive year.
“I would encourage interfaith families to attend Beth El because I believe that the children get a fantastic education,” Kelli remarked, adding that regular service attendance provides familiarity with the liturgy and makes the service more enjoyable.
“Attending services is meaningful in many ways,” she said. “The first is that the synagogue is a house of God -- I've always found great comfort in being in a sanctuary, whether it be at a synagogue or a church. Second, it is important for Paul and me to be a family unit -- especially in the synagogue -- to show our daughters that our family is united in our beliefs. Lastly, the teachings that we receive in the synagogue from the D'vrei Torah are invaluable and quite often apply to something current in our lives.”
Describing the ambience at Beth El as “a feeling of ‘coming home,’” Ali Lerner said that, “We would encourage anyone we know to become members of Beth El. We feel that at Beth El, you can be yourself without being judged, engage in as many or few activities as you want, but not feel guilty for doing too much or too little.
“Picking Beth El was the easiest and best decision we made,” she continued. “The people are wonderful and its leaders are gems in this world. The rabbi and cantor have the most amazing ability to reach you, the individual, inside of this fabulous congregation. They have pure joy and love in their hearts and it radiates throughout the entire congregation. We are so lucky to know them and have them in our lives.”
With this recent move to the East Coast, Lerner vowed that, “We will take the love we feel from the community and the CDs that Cantor Gastón has made, with us to New York. After being a part of such a fabulous community and synagogue, it is tough to find the ‘Beth El’ in other places. We have lived in Saratoga Springs, NY, Dominica, West Indies, South Glens Falls, NY, Miami, FL, and now New York, and Dorothy was right, ‘There’s no place like home!’”
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