How should Jewish communities respond to the non-Jews in their midst?
More liberal congregations allow some ritual participation for non-Jews. As one rabbi describes the practice in her synagogue: “We allow non-Jews to read parts of the service in English, to open the ark, and to stand with their spouse when they do an aliyah (recite the blessing over the Torah reading).” A good rule of thumb may be to bar non-Jews from reciting or performing such non-universal rituals as the Torah blessings, which are designed to celebrate Jewish particularity, but permit them certain more universal expressions of public prayer, such as reading many of the psalms. Some synagogues allow non-Jews to assume certain leadership roles–here again, it seems advisable to be very cautious about which roles are permitted. It may be more appropriate for a non-Jew to work with the social action committee, an activity that transcends religious denominations, than to work with a committee on religious or ritual matters. Yet perhaps the most important thing is the presence of a genera
