The Bay Area Interfaithfamily Facebook group shared the photo above and this quote from a discussion panel taking place at the Boston conference they are sponsoring on interfaith topics: Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie of Lab/Shul: “Judaism can be experienced as living in forts (walled off, closed off, frightened) or in ports (open, porous). (Quoting Rabbi Louis…
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Our differences shouldn’t divide us— we are family
I received this message from a reader of my Mixed and Matched column in the J-weekly. Your column is always suggesting convoluted ways that interfaith couples can deal with more traditional Jewish views. Why bother? Why don’t you just tell them to join a Reform synagogue and be done with the people who don’t agree…
Read More »Nothing’s wrong with the word ‘non-Jew’
Yes, being different is a fine thing to be I received this question to my column, Mixed and Matched: I’ve heard people say that Jews shouldn’t refer to people who aren’t Jewish as “non-Jews.” Is that really a pejorative term? What should one say? Many of my non-Jewish friends don’t have a religion at…
Read More »Basic Judaism classes around the Bay
Basic Judaism Fall 2016 I have put together a list of all the basic Judaism classes that I know of in the SF Bay Area. If you know of one that I have not listed, PLEASE email me the class info. You’ll see that the first three locations’ classes began in September. However, the one…
Read More »I want to raise Christian kids with Jewish holidays
One of the challenges for people who have grown up in an interfaith family that has created its own little universe is that there’s not necessarily a community that one can join that reflects your choices. Here’s one woman’s difficulty. My mother was raised Jewish and converted to Christianity when she married my Christian…
Read More »S’lichot, an Oasis in Time
I love summer and am a bit sad to see autumn arrive. But S’lichot gets me in the mood for the coziness of cool weather, the prayers of the High Holy Days, and the emotional warmth of returning my energies to the Jewish community from my garden. S’lichot translates as forgiveness and refers to the…
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