Being Black, Asian, Danish…and Jewish — Taking Charge of Your Jewish Identity Adults from interfaith families often have their Jewish identity challenged by both Jews and non-Jews. Having a name that is not perceived as Jewish, like Anderson, Christiansen, O’Toole, or Wong, can lead to questions like, “How did you get to be Jewish?” For…
Read More »Adult Child of an Interfaith Family
Taking Charge of Your Jewish Identity
Taking Charge of Your Jewish Identity Being Black, Asian, Danish… and Jewish Adults from interfaith families often have their Jewish identity challenged by both Jews and non-Jews. Having a name that is not perceived as Jewish, like Anderson, Christiansen, O’Toole, or Wong, can lead to questions like, “How did you get to be Jewish?” For…
Read More »I wish I’d learned about my Jewish side as a child
The following message was sent to me via my monthly column, Mixed and Matched – My dad is Jewish, but my parents raised me with no religion at all. I’ve always been spiritually minded and wanted a connection to God. I found a rabbi who was very kind and sympathetic. I told her that I…
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 »‘My father is Jewish and my mother is not’
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 »What Did People Say about the Growing Up Interfaith Conference?
The speakers were fantastic and voices of adults raised in interfaith families were HEARD. So goal accomplished. Some comments: *It was therapeutic. It was interesting to hear a variety of people’s experiences in a safe place. Usually there’s one person that tries to give explanations or invalidate others experiences but in this setting, people can…
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