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 »A meaningful life
Happy Tu B’av! (the Jewish Day of Love)
I really enjoyed this article by Rabbi Larry Milder. He sent it to his congregation, Beth Emek of Pleasanton. It gives you a nice summary of the rather obscure holiday, Tu B’Av. Why not take his advice and tell someone that you love them, maybe even give them flowers. The Jewish Day of Love Today,…
Read More »Black Lives Matters & Yes, there are Black Jews
I had an ah-ha moment this week. I had attended a community meeting on the subject of responding to the violence against black people. We met at a black church. The event was organized by PICO, an organization that teaches faith-based community organizing. There were people of different faiths and races present. Afterwards there was…
Read More »I’m Jewish but People Keep Questioning Me
In the June 2016 column of Mixed and Matched, I responded to a comment from a woman who had experienced what was described in the previous month’s column – having her Jewish authenticity questioned. I can relate to your May 20 column “My father is Jewish and my mother is not.” My mother and…
Read More »Avoid Senseless Hatred
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…
Read More »Apologies, Forgiveness & Forgetting – are they all good?
“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 »