Outreach: Breaking Barriers to Save Reform Judaism

"My conviction is that Judaism cannot today be an exclusive club, but must be a faith for all those who wish to join." 
​​​​​​​~ Rabbi Alexander Schindler, 1995, Los Angeles Times

On December 2, 1978 in Houston, Texas, Rabbi Alexander Schindler delivered his “Outreach Speech.” In response to the rising rate of intermarriage, his bold outreach proposal broke traditional, exclusionary barriers of Reform Judaism by urging outreach to non-Jewish partners in interfaith relationships, the “unchurched” seeking religion, and accepting patrilineal descent. These outreach efforts strengthened the Reform Movement to ensure its continuity notwithstanding the rising rate of intermarriage.