Raising Kids in an Interfaith Family As partners and parents we want the best for each member of our family. Does that mean putting our relationship before the children? Can’t we give equally to our partner and our kids? There is no one-size-fits-all approach to love and parenting in any family, including interfaith families. Together…
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Should I baptize my baby just to put my in-laws ‘at peace’?
From my monthly advice column, Mixed and Matched. I receive a note from a well intended wife/mother/daughter-in-law I am Jewish and my non-Jewish husband and I had a baby six weeks ago. My mother-in-law is Christian and planning to visit us now that we’ve settled in. She called me and begged me to let…
Read More »Adoption in Jewish and Interfaith Families
The number of Jewish and interfaith families who are adopting children is significant. Often these children are not Caucasian. As one very sweet Catholic social worker put it, “Jews don’t seem to mind what color their children are.” We take that as a big compliment! How do parents give their adopted child a feeling of…
Read More »Adoption and Conversion
I’m in the planning stage of a program on adoption in interfaith/intercultural and Jewish families. As I spoke to various local people who are adoptive parents I got this email from Michael Tejeda, a gentleman who has been generous in sharing his insights. As you might expect, I have some opinions about this. I didn’t…
Read More »I Want All Streams of Judaism to see my Kids as Jewish
The email from this Jewish Dad is a pretty common view for men from Reform congregations. For that matter, it’s a pretty common view period. But what do you do when your opinion differs from that of others? I replied to him in my Mixed and Matched column in the J-weekly. My wife is…
Read More »To Tree or not to Tree: What Will We Do for the Holidays?
You may want to decorate a Christmas tree while your partner wants to make latkes. What will work for you as a family? Whether December is your favorite month – full of Christmas cookies and chocolate gelt – or your most dreaded month – material surfeit and cultural overwhelm – you are invited to…
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