This time of year, many interfaith family communities sponsor events for Passover, and for Easter. Below, I round up links for those who are seeking out ways to celebrate as interfaith families. Some of these events are designed to be educational and are often held before the actual holidays: a model Seder to teach the meaning behind the various rituals and readings, or a discussion of the various perspectives on Easter within interfaith families. Other events are celebrations, often identical to more traditional holidays, except that they are designed by and for interfaith families.
Many interfaith families, even those with children in interfaith religious education programs, continue to attend church and synagogue, and to celebrate important holidays with extended family. But they still also enjoy learning with, and celebrating with, a community made up entirely of interfaith families. For others, either because they live far from relatives, or because they have not found church or synagogue homes, celebrating with an interfaith family community provides a crucial way to stay connected to Judaism, and Christianity, in a context that is inclusive.
For those who live near an interfaith family community, here are some upcoming events. This Sunday morning, the Interfaith Families Project of Greater Washington DC will host a potluck community Seder. On that same morning, the Interfaith Families of Greater Philadelphia will host an early Easter gathering, with an egg hunt and egg dying. And in Suffern, NY, the Orange/Rockland/Bergen counties chapter of the Interfaith Community (IFC) will have an Easter and Holy Week event designed to share the meaning of the season and its traditions, followed by an Easter egg hunt and a bunny hop race. In the afternoon on Sunday, the Westchester chapter of IFC will hold also hold a model Seder and Holy Week event, in Larchmont, NY.
Next weekend, on Sunday March 24, the Long Island chapter of the Interfaith Community will have a Palm Sunday service in Brookville, NY. On Tuesday March 26 at 4pm, the same chapter will host a model Seder at 4pm. During Passover, the Interfaith Families of Greater Philadelphia will have a Seder on Friday March 30. And the DC interfaith group will have an Easter service, and a pancake breakfast, on Easter itself, on March 31. Events in Boston and in lower Manhattan happened earlier this year, but if you live in those locations, contact them now so that you don’t miss the events next year.
For those who live elsewhere, you have at least two options. One is to find progressive religious institutions in your area that will welcome interfaith families. Most progressive churches welcome interfaith families, though very few provide specific programming for them. Many Jewish communities now welcome interfaith families (though they probably don’t approve of educating children in both religions), and many are holding community Seders. Check out Jewish Community Centers (JCCs) and Hillels (on college campuses) as well as synagogues and havurot (smaller, informal, or independent Jewish communities). Many Unitarian-Universalist communities have a also significant proportion of interfaith couples, and they may also be hosting holiday events you could join.
The second option is to build a new interfaith families community in your area. Inviting a few families for a Seder, or an Easter celebration, could be a great way to start.