(This column first appeared in the J-weekly on Feb. 10, 2021) Dear Dawn: I was raised Reform, but am now a nonpracticing Jew married to a non-Jewish woman. We were married by my Reform rabbi and are expecting a baby. My wife has no religion and has agreed to raise the child Jewish and even…
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Another Pandemic Passover!
A year ago I didn’t think the pandemic would last this long. I made due with a Zoom Seder and enjoyed the novelty of it. But a year later I’m not so enthused. I have heard many people say they are sick of screens. Last April I read a fascinating article about “third quarter” of isolation when things…
Read More »March: One year of Covid
Rabbi Avi Schulman wrote this email to his congregation, Temple Beth Torah in Fremont. (I LOVE that he included Pi Day as a “noteworthy” event in March.) Then he goes on to describe a multifaith service coming up that commemorates our completing a year of Covid 19 lockdown. This date is significant and we all…
Read More »Growing up in an interfaith family shouldn’t be a barrier to Judaism
(This opinion piece originally appeared in the J-weekly on May 20, 2016) I’m looking forward to the “Growing Up Interfaith” conference. It’s still a bit uncomfortable to reveal that I am a so-called patrilineal Jew, but maybe it’s time for more of us to come out. I’m turning 50 this year, and it took…
Read More »Tu Bishvat can be an enhancement to your Jewish home
Next holiday: Tu Bishvat How perfect that our next holiday honors our natural world. Tu Bishvat begins at sundown on Wednesday, January 27. We’ll be celebrating at home this year and there are many activities that can lift our spirits and teach us about our beloved green world. Being Proactive Tip 2* Tu Bishvat can…
Read More »My daughter won’t circumcise her son — what can I do?
(This article first appeared in my Mixed and Matched column in the J-weekly on November 5, 2018) Dear Dawn: My pregnant daughter just learned her baby is a boy. She and I just had an animated discussion because she announced to me she doesn’t plan to circumcise him. Her non-Jewish husband is circumcised and on my…
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