Liberal Judaism featured on this week’s Sunday programme on BBC Radio 4.

The station covered our movements groundbreaking change on mixed faith marriage blessings, which can now, at rabbinic discretion, be held under a traditional Jewish chuppah.

Liberal Judaism chair Ruth Seager, who is Jewish, and husband Andrew, who does not follow a religion, are planning to renew their vows under the chuppah 38 years after their first wedding.

Ruth (pictured above with Andrew) told the programme: “By the time we got married, it was very clear to us both that we would have a Jewish home and a Jewish family.

“So for us not to be allowed to have a blessing in the synagogue was disappointing and a bit sad. It was a long time ago, but I still remember feeling a certain sense of shame.”

Andrew added: “I describe myself as a person of no faith who lives in a Jewish household. Liberal Judaism is a faith that makes an awful lot of sense to me, were I religious, and was something that I certainly wanted to see that perpetuated and continued. The right approach was to bring the children up as Jewish.

“The symbolism of being able to have a blessing under the chuppah – given that it represents the formation of a new Jewish household – feels to me very right to be made available to families where one person is Jewish and the other isn’t, who are now going to embark on the approach that we took.”

The Sunday programme also interviewed Liberal Judaism’s interim director Rabbi Charley Baginsky – who spoke about how the change came about and what it will mean to people.

Charley said: “This change was led by the Conference of Liberal Rabbis and Cantors after much study and discussion.

“We are 20 years into doing blessings for mixed faith couples and are seeing the homes they have built. Introducing a ritual that really recognises these homes became very important.”

She added: “As you heard with Ruth and Andrew, there will be many of our members renewing their vows. But there will also be people out there who thought there was nowhere that recognised their relationship, that they didn’t have a home for their Jewish story, and seeing this I hope they will know that the door is open and there are lots of rabbis waiting to have a conversation about their ceremonies.”

To listen to the broadcast, please click here (starts at around six minutes).