oldbadger
Skanky Old Mongrel!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Gentiles are welcome to visit. But why would a Gentile want to go there if he wasn't interested in conversion? We do have such sorts at my synagogue. First, we have a LOT of intermarried. We also get all the students from local universities that are studyiing Judaism. We have Gentile community members who sing in the choir, so have been there or over 15 years. Our organist is a Christian mensch. He's been at the synagogue so long that he's a fixture. He says if he converted to Judaism, we'd have to fire him for working on the Sabbath. LOL I know Gentiles who don't come regularly, but they are "nones" and sometimes just get the urge to worship.
I think the reception will depend a lot on the synagogue. Some are very welcoming, and some are downright unfriendly. The Orthodox have a much harder time understanding why a Gentile would want to come. But if you tell them you are not a Christian, but believe in God and living rightly (B'nei Noach) you have a very good chance they would welcome you.
Is your friend interested in exploring Judaism? Like, would he be interested in going to the synagogue for classes in basic Judaism and stuff? Or is he just looking for a place to hang out? Remember that Judaism is another name for Keeping the Covenant. As a Gentile he has no such obligation. But why would he want to come to a place where everyone is practicing a religion that he's not interested in, if that's the case? I'm trying to find the neutral ground between welcoming him, and telling him it's okee dokee if he's not a Jew
My suggestion is to call your local synagogue, and discuss it with the Rabbi. See what happens.. I think this is probably a good time to check out any number of possibilities, since he has no real home. I hope he visits a synagogue and inquires into what I consider to be an incredibly beautiful, meaningful faith. But he should also visit that mosque, a Unitarian Universalist Church, and others. And perhaps he should not be so quick to give up on Christianity. As the Jackson 5 sing: "One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch of girls." There are many Christian churches that are as far from toxic as you can get. Anglicans are very open on who they let attend, for example.
Personally, I think the journey or him to a new faith community sounds awesome. I've always enjoyed learning about other faiths. They all bring something to the table (even if I like mine the best LOL).
Thankyou for that guidance......
If we would be so fortunate as to be able to visit a Synagogue it would be for exploration and discovery. And if any might ask us why we wish to enter, then we would reply that exploration and discovery takes us to most other places, and could we please come in? And then we would leave the answer to Fate.
My friend already visits a Unitarian Church, and has been showing signs of wishing to step back just a little, and that has been (partly) the reason for our travels in search of those mugs of tea (and biscuits). But as my Opening Post explains, that has been showing us that some Churches do not recognise others. Some have been quite confrontational, asking us exactly why we have come, and quite often we have been able to remind these unhappy people that they have a board outside offering 'light refreshment and a chat' (whatever) to all visitors at a particular time on a certain day. Some have clearly forgotten about their messages outside because nobody ever responds, I'm guessing.
I do know that some Rabbis are very very understanding and liberated, in fact a very well known British Rabbi conducted my gentile father's funeral service in January1984, with a very prominent Jewish gentleman in attendance, although that gentleman asked not to be identified.
One place that I would really like to visit is the Quakers' Meeting House in the heart of the City..... they even let other religions and Faiths borrow or use their premises for meetings. Now that would be a real privilege, to go there.