Welcome to 2010! Wow, an entire decade behind us and a lot of hope for the coming year. A long time ago I worked for UC Berkeley’s adult evening education program. What I was surprised to learn is that more people decide to plunge into a new class in January/February. I had assumed most people…
Read More »Couples
Discussion for the Non-Jewish Partner in an Interfaith Family
Are you not Jewish, but keeping a Jewish home and raising Jewish kids? Do you have questions about “doing Jewish,” or Jewish home rituals? Do you have concerns about your child’s coming bar/bat mitzvah? Has something bothered you or puzzled you in the Jewish community? Are some (or all) of the holidays confusing? Or fun,…
Read More »Let’s Talk about Christmas
Every year I tell you not to start negotiating change in December. Here we are in early November so we can talk about tweaking the December holidays. I’m not suggesting a complete overhaul. (Making big changes should be discussed and anticipated.) But knowing that we are heading into December brings up the question: of…
Read More »Gay, Jewish and Interfaith in the Bay Area
About 2 percent of Americans are Jewish. Somewhere around 10 – 15 percent are gay, lesbian, transgendered, bisexual. So how easy is it to be Jewish & gay and find another gay Jew? You do the math. It won’t surprise you to learn that most LGBT Jews are in interfaith relationships. There are things about…
Read More »Finding a Rabbi for Your Wedding
Of the many kinds of calls that I get, couples seeking a rabbi for their wedding is at the very top of the reasons list. The caller is more frequently a woman, whether she is Jewish or not. It could be because the woman is usually planning the wedding day, but I believe it is…
Read More »Planning Your Interfaith Jewish Wedding
NEW LOCATION FOR PROGRAM: PALO ALTO What makes a wedding “Jewish”? How can we integrate elements from both our backgrounds? Where will we get an officiant? Do we want a rabbi? What are other couples doing? Where can we get a chuppah (wedding canopy) or a ketubbah (wedding contract)? Join other interfaith couples to…
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