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The IFFP FY 2025–2026 Annual Report
This past year has been an extraordinary time of reflection, celebration, and structural transformation for the Interfaith Families Project. Most notably, we officially celebrated a historic milestone: IFFP’s 30th Anniversary. Our newly released FY 2025–26 Annual Report captures the joys, resilience, and shared leadership that defined this landmark program year. It also highlights several exciting milestones and…
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The Interfaith Families Project Presents: An Evening of Interfaith Storytelling
Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to bring a community closer together. On Sunday, August 26th, 2026, nearly one hundred Interfaith Families Project (IFFP) community members crowded into a room at Busboys and Poets Takoma Park for an evening of heartfelt storytelling. The eight storytellers who took the stage boldly and beautifully presented…
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Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Best
This post is adapted from a reflection given by Rabbi Debbie Reichmann at IFFP’s Gathering on May 3rd, 2026. If you ask AI about the saying “hope for the best but prepare for the worst,” it will tell you that it is a “proactive mindset combining realistic risk management with positive thinking.” I disagree. I’m…
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The Simple Truth: Doing Justice and Walking Humbly in an Age of Exclusion
This reflection was offered by IFFP Teen Elena Callway Kleiner at our Teen-Led Gathering on April 19th, 2026. In the fall of 2025, Samantha Fulnecky, a student at the University of Oklahoma, received a zero on a psychology essay—an event which sparked national debate across both Christian and academic communities. In her assignment, Fulnecky referred…
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We’ve Been Here the Whole Time: Response from IFFP
With the recent, sobering news that 18Doors is drastically cutting back staff and programming due to budget losses, the Jewish communal world is suddenly scrambling. Experts and funders are asking: Where will interfaith families go? Who will support them? To that, the Interfaith Families Project (IFFP) has a simple answer: We’ve been here the whole time. If funders and communal leaders actually care…
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Why Are You Weeping? Rev. Sam’s Reflection for Easter
When was the last time you had a good cry? I’m serious, I’m talking about leaned over, drenched cheeks, snotty nose, audible inhales: when was the last time you had a good, hard cry? Maybe it was just this week – or even this morning. No shame!Maybe it’s been months or years – or maybe it’s been so…
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Rabbi Debbie’s Passover Message For 2026
Passover remains one of the most beloved and significant observances in the Jewish calendar. Through the interactive and engaging Seder, we bring together family and community, blending ancient tradition with modern innovation. We are invited to retell the story of liberation from Egypt not as a distant historical event, but with the mindset of having…
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Stepping Out – A Reflection for Lent
This post is adapted from Rev. Samantha Gonzalez-Block’s reflection at an IFFP Gathering on Sunday, February 22nd, 2026. Click here to watch it on YouTube. Traveling by plane, train, automobile, or foot – particularly in the DMV area – can be compared to moving through the Lenten wilderness. It’s nothing close to the torturous tale…
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Waking the World: Tu B’shvat, the Almond Tree, and Our Sacred Responsibility
This post is adapted from a reflection given by Rabbi Debbie Reichmann at our IFFP Gathering on February 8th, 2026. Tu B’shvat is the birthday of the trees. It began as a practical means to calculate when a tree’s produce could be used according to sacred law. Leviticus 19:23-25 instructs us that when we enter…
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A Door Opened
This blog post is adapted from Rev. Samantha Gonzalez-Block’s 2025 Christmas Eve reflection. Maybe you’ve heard this one:What do you do when a reverend gets locked out of their house?You call a rabbi! Well, at least I do. You see, I have been locked out of my home more times than I’d like to admit…
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The Beloved Community Is Not a Dream
Adapted from Rabbi Debbie’s reflection at the IFFP Gathering on January 11, 2026 Among the big questions our COA class tackles each year is how to build the Beloved Community. Let’s take a moment to examine that question together. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. envisioned the Beloved Community as a society grounded in justice, equal…
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Carrying the Light: A Chanukah Reflection Across Traditions
This reflection was offered by Rabbi Debbie Reichmann at our IFFP Chanukah Gathering on December 8th, 2025. Reading 1: I Maccabees 4: 36–37, 41, 48–49, 56 “Then Judah and his brothers said, “See, our enemies are crushed; let us go up to cleanse the sanctuary and dedicate it.” So all the army assembled and went…
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