164.

Gentile Members in Congregational Committees

QUESTION: My congregation contains a number of couples in which one spouse is Christian and the
other is Jewish. Several of these non-Jews have indicated interest in working on the committees of the
congregation. What limits to participation, if any, should be set? (K. S. Cleveland, OH)
ANSWER: We Jews have considered Christians as benei noah since the early Middle Ages, so all the
statements made during previous periods which deal with idolatry do not apply to Christians or Moslems.
Christians are monotheists who have added elements (shituf) to One God. We should note that even in
the Talmudic period, there was considerable doubt about classifying pagans in the same category as the
idolaters of previous periods for it was clear to many of the Talmudic authorities that the old idolatrous
religions had lost their hold on the people (Hul. 13b; Yad Hil. Melakhim 11; Maimonides, Moreh Nivukhim
I.71; Responsa II, #448, ed. Blau).
This age old change in our attitude and the new mood brought by the French Revolution have led to a
completely different approach to the non-Jewish world. This began with the Paris Sanhedrin of 1807,
which dealt with numerous questions concerning the relationship between Jews and non-Jews (Tama,
Transaction of the Parisian Sanhedrin, tr. F. Kirwan; W. G. Plaut, The Rise of Reform Judaism).
The Responsa Committee, in recent years, has addressed the question of non-Jewish participation in
congregational life a number of times. We have discussed their participation in religious services and life
cycle events as well as burial in our cemeteries (W. Jacob, American Reform Responsa, #6, #10, #98,
etc.). The Committee has stated that non-Jews should not become formal members of a congregation in
a responsum (see "Non-Jews as Congregational Members"). Our congregations are established to
continue and further the traditions and goals of Judaism; they are not general charities or social clubs
open to everyone. In this way they differ from Hadassah, ORT, Brandeis and other groups whose
constituency may be largely Jewish but has always included non-Jewish members. Many other examples
could be given.
When a mixed couple joins a congregation, the membership and the voting rights should be limited to the
Jewish spouse. That, of course, does not exclude the non-Jew from participation at services, educational
or social functions, but means that due to the nature of the synagogue, such individuals can have no
voice in its governance. This would also apply to congregational committees. Those committees which
deal with matters which specifically involve Jewish knowledge or feelings must, by their nature, exclude
non-Jewish participation. We must also exclude non-Jews from committees which are viewed as
stepping-stones to congregational leadership.
It would, however, be perfectly possible to include non-Jews in committees of a more general nature
(without a vote) which deal with community projects. For example, committees on scholarship, social
action, community service, the handicapped, etc., could draw their membership from Jewish congregants
as well as non-Jewish spouses. We should be careful, however, not to have non-Jews as chairpeople of
these committees or as representatives of such committees to the general community.
In other words, non-Jews who wish to be active in some aspect of synagogue life should be encouraged
in that direction both through membership on committees with a broad communal purpose as well as
attendance at synagogue functions with the hope that they will eventually join us as fully committed Jews.
April 1983