Building Belonging: Federation Partners with 18Doors to Launch B’Yachad Atlanta
The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s Engagement team has partnered with 18Doors to launch B’Yachad Atlanta, a nine-month cohort-based program helping Jewish institutions better embrace interfaith couples and families. The participating organizations are Congregation Dor Tamid (Reform), Temple Kol Emeth (Reform), Congregation Or Hadash (Conservative), the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, URJ Camp Coleman, and the Jewish Fertility Foundation.
The training prepared participants for the program’s immediate next step: the listening phase. Each organizational team will engage interfaith couples and families in conversations about their real experiences of belonging—and of not belonging.
“We begin with deep listening because meaningful change must be rooted in the lived needs and voices of interfaith families, not in assumptions made by professionals or lay leaders,” said Rabbi Miriam Wajnberg, Director of Professional Development at 18Doors. “By turning directly to couples and families, organizations not only gather essential insights but also begin building belonging through the very act of listening.”
At the kickoff, participants received practical tools to design listening plans, which they will now bring into their communities.
One of the most powerful moments of the training came when participants shared personal stories about times they felt a sense of belonging and times they did not. Being welcomed, thanked, or invited to help foster connection, while being overlooked or left unacknowledged created exclusion.
“Participants reflected that this activity put them in touch with their own feelings of belonging and not belonging,” Adam Pollack, Chief Program Officer at 18Doors, said. “That empathy is essential as they prepare to listen to the stories of interfaith couples and families in the next phase of the program.”
The Federation’s investment in B’Yachad directly advances its mission of Jewish engagement. By grounding the work in research on belonging and cohort-based learning, 18Doors equips Jewish professionals and lay leaders with tools to make Jewish life more meaningful for diverse families. Over nine months, organizations will transform lived experiences into action plans that expand engagement opportunities across Atlanta.
“By investing in and partnering with organizations like 18Doors, Federation helps strengthen the broader Jewish ecosystem supporting efforts to create communities where interfaith families and couples feel not only welcomed, but truly seen, valued, and empowered to belong,” said Samantha Kurgan, Vice President of Community Engagement at Federation.
This partnership is rooted in shared values and recognition of the changing Jewish landscape. Nearly half of interfaith respondents to Federation’s 2016 community study said they were less involved in Jewish life than they wanted to be—a gap B’Yachad seeks to address.
“At 18Doors, we define belonging as going beyond feeling welcomed—it’s when individuals are empowered to have a voice, a stake, and a role in co-creating the culture of Jewish community,” said Rabbi Wajnberg. “Our goal is to extend that same sense of belonging to interfaith families so they too feel they are shaping and sustaining Jewish communal life.”
Mike Wise, CEO of 18Doors, emphasized the initiative’s local importance: “As a resident of Atlanta, I am proud of 18Doors and the local leadership for working to build a welcoming and inclusive community. We deeply appreciate the partnership with the Federation and local agencies and congregations in our work.”
For Rabbi Lauren Henderson of Congregation Or Hadash, a B’Yachad participant, the program is deeply personal. “As someone who grew up in an interfaith family myself, I want to build a community of true belonging at Or Hadash for every single person who wants to make this their spiritual home,” she said.
Through B’Yachad, the Federation is investing in the future of Jewish life in Atlanta—cultivating leaders, strengthening institutions, and ensuring that every family has a place to belong.
To learn more about 18Doors and the programs and resources it offers, please visit https://18doors.org/.