ELIGIBILITY: All couples at any stage of an interfaith relationship are eligible to participate.

WORKSHOP PROCESS AND GOALS: The Workshop on Raising Children in the Intermarried Home is primarily experiential. It is conducted by Rabbi Irwin Fishbein, a licensed marriage and family therapist, who for over thirty years has specialized in helping intermarried couples work through the issues they present. In its current format this workshop is unique and not available elsewhere. It is appropriate only for couples who do not see each other socially. The purpose of the workshop is to help you understand where you are in the decision-making process concerning raising children and to guide you in taking the next step, whatever that step may be. The specific goals of the workshop can be summarized as follows: 1) to help you explore your feelings and concerns about the religious identity of children, 2) to promote your understanding of the dynamics of what you struggling with, 3) to enable you to find ways of resolving your differences in ways which are acceptable and comfortable for both of you, and 4) to equip you with the tools for finding your own answers. No attempt is ever made to impose values or beliefs.

PRE-WORKSHOP REQUIREMENT: In order to participate in the workshop it is necessary for you to come in for an initial counseling session. The purpose of this session is to help you define your issues, to acquaint Rabbi Fishbein with those issues that are uncomfortable or difficult for you and to determine whether this workshop or some other program would be best for you. If you live too far away to schedule a counseling session in advance, you can arrange for an initial phone conference and then plan the counseling session for the day before the workshop or the day of the workshop. If you feel this workshop can be of help to you, please contact Rabbi Fishbein at (908) 233-0419 to set up an appointment.

DATE, TIME AND PLACE: The workshop usually takes place on a Saturday or Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Rabbinic Center in Westfield, New Jersey.

A specific date is set whenever three couples register. Prior to setting a date, all registrants are consulted in order to insure everyone's availability. As many as five couples may participate in the workshop but registration is closed whenever five couples have registered. Every effort is made to accommodate the needs of couples who live at a considerable distance from the Rabbinic Center.

The Rabbinic Center is accessible by air, train or bus. The office is a ten minute walk from the Westfield train or bus station. It is a twenty minute cab ride from Newark airport. Specific directions will be provided upon registration.

REGISTRATION: The charge for the workshop is $425.00 per person or couple. The fee for the initial conference is $175.00. A fee reduction for the workshop is available to those whose financial circumstances warrant.

If you have further questions about the workshop or the other programs offered by the Rabbinic Center, please call Rabbi Fishbein at (908) 233-0419 or write to him at ihf@rcrconline.org.

Click here for other Programs offered for intermarried couples by the Rabbinic Center. For programs in other cities by other organizations, click here to go to Links and Resources.

Please feel free to click here to email any questions you might have regarding marriages between Jews and non-Jews.  Rabbi Fishbein will personally answer all email on a regular basis.

Searching for a Rabbi | Location of Rabbis
Conditions of Officiating | Frequently Asked Questions
Order List of CCAR and RRA Rabbis Who Officiate
at Intermarriages

> email: ihf@rcrconline.org