A dear friend just lost his non-Jewish father. My friend was not raised Jewish but has chosen Judaism as an adult. Grief has impinged on his Jewish confidence and he keeps turning to me and asking, “Is it alright for me to do this?” His father, Dale, specified that he wanted to be cremated. Is…
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I’m headed off to New York to visit a beloved friend who has been diagnosed with cancer. I have a not-so-secret plan – if at the end of each visit I say, “See you next month,” he won’t die. He’ll have to stick around for my next visit. Do you ever make deals with God?…
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If you are on my email list you just received an invitation to request a pair of free tickets to see a film at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. As a partner with the Film Festival, Building Jewish Bridges always receives a couple of free tickets that we offer to our folks on the…
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Guess what’s back? The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival! Once again we can sit in a theater, elbow to elbow with other Jews and Jewish-adjacent friends & family. This year Building Jewish Bridges is co-presenting Sons of Detroit. About the Film: Jeremy Xido is a world-traveled artist who finds he is missing something. When he…
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(Image of a chuppah available for rental at Afikomen) It’s the very end of June – a favorite month for weddings in America – and I received an email from Afikomen titled, Easy Chuppah Rentals, Home Gifts and Breaking Glasses. I decided to write to you about weddings this week. Let’s start with some rarely…
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Last month I had another online workshop with adults who grew up in interfaith families. Their comments were profound and moving. They had been raised in various degrees of Jewish observance and identity. There was stunning moment when one of them talked about explaining their background in a conversation. She said, “I told the man…
Read More »Our weekly email goes out to hundreds of interfaith couples & families in the Bay Area. Topics cover the many questions and mysteries that interfaith couples want answered.