In my May Mixed and Matched column in the Jweekly I chose to address a question I hear regularly: “My father is Jewish and my mother is not. Where will I be accepted? Where can I go that they won’t quiz me?” *** Ever since the Reform movement refined its views on so-called patrilineal…
Read More »I feel very strongly that we need to teach compassion for our fellow Jews and to avoid sinat chinam (senseless hatred). Many Jews condemn other Jews, citing internalized anti-Semitism, in-group elitism and the unpleasant practice of figuring out whether a person is Jewish or Jewish-enough. I think it is important to stimulate compassion for the…
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“The first to apologize is the bravest. The first to forgive is the strongest. The first to forget is the happiest.” This statement, from Rabbi Ken Cohen, is truly worth considering Apologize? I know people who can’t get the words, “I’m sorry” out of their mouths. They sometimes will say, “I’m sorry if I…
Read More »I read this sentence on Rabbi Ken Cohen’s Twitter profile. It is so beautiful I had to share it here. I also discovered his website. The first to apologize is the bravest. The first to forgive is the strongest. The first to forget is the happiest.
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A message from a young woman soon to be a mother sent to my Mixed and Matched column in the J-weekly. I was raised Catholic but no longer practice. I’m pregnant and happy to raise my children Jewish, and my husband and I belong to a Conservative synagogue. We plan to take our baby…
Read More »Many synagogue congregants are receiving emails from their clergy about the tragedy in Orlando. I am confident that many church members are getting similar messages. I share with you the one that Peninsula Temple Sholom‘s clergy, Rabbi Dan Feder, Rabbi Lisa Delson, Rabbi Molly Plotnik and Cantor Barry Reich. **** Over the weekend, the Jewish…
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.