With the new availability of DNA research many people are finding that they have some Jewish ancestry. I’ve gotten quite a few emails asking, “Am I Jewish?” And some stating, “I just found out I’m Jewish.” It isn’t that simple. Recently Rabbi Milder of Beth Emek wrote a useful post to help clarify Jewish…
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I wrote the opinion piece for the J-Weekly because so many Jews told me they felt pressured to embrace Christmas. Please expand your idea of what other people “should” like. Growing up without a formal religion in the United States can lead many people to insist, “I have no religion. I’m certainly not a…
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A holiday season email from a non-Jewish guy came to my Mixed and Matched column: I love Christmas but my Jewish girlfriend won’t participate with me, and this is our first holiday season together. I’ve told her that Christmas isn’t really religious for me. The tree and Yule log are pagan originally; they have…
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Hanukkah and Christmas – the “December dilemma”. I never liked that term “dilemma”. Not that there isn’t an element of difficulty for an interfaith household, but the word made it seem so dire. I think I would prefer, December Questions, because it all boils down to a lot of questions. The core one being, how…
Read More »I offer workshops specifically for patrilineal Jews who want to solidify their confidence in their own Jewish identity. I ask those who are confident to share ideas and strategies that helped them reach this secure place. Jeffrey, a gentleman in his 60’s had this wisdom to offered. Very briefly, as a patrilineal Jew, what I…
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Rabbi Milder of Beth Emek in Pleasanton sent out this delightful message to his congregants. I simply HAD to share it with you. There are so many great things in it. 1. There’s a lovely blessing to say at your Thanksgiving table. (Below in italics) 2. There’s the delightful learning about the meaning of a…
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.