(This letter originally appeared in my Mixed and Matched column for the J-weekly on Nov. 17, 2020) Dear Dawn: Can I first say how impactful and helpful I have found your writing? I am a non-Jew in a relationship with a Jewish man. I love him, and his Orthodox identity is a big part of…
Read More »Couples
Being Jewish is more than avoiding Christmas
(This article was first published in my Mixed and Matched column in the J-weekly on Nov. 11, 2014) Dear Dawn, My wife loves Christmas, and it makes me so uncomfortable. I know I’m a Scrooge every December, but I just can’t help it. She doesn’t go to church, but she decorates the hell out of…
Read More »My Atheist Wife Refuses to go to Jewish Events
Dear Dawn: I am Jewish and my wife is an atheist (family hasn’t been Christian for three generations so there are no issues with that). We had a Jewish wedding and agreed to raise our future child Jewish. While we were engaged, my wife took a yearlong conversion prep class (didn’t convert). But since our marriage…
Read More »There is Life After an Interfaith Relationship Ends
I didn’t marry my Jewish fiancé and it worked out OK. Dear Dawn: I hope you remember me; I wanted to tell you what happened after my fiancé and I met with you several years ago. I am Catholic and he is Jewish. We wanted to figure out how to raise children in an interfaith marriage….
Read More »It’s Not Your Son’s Girlfriend’s Job to Seek Out Judaism
Dear Dawn: How many times do I have to hear a Jewish parent worry about the future of their child’s romance with a non-Jew? At a recent lunch with several Jewish girlfriends, one worried out loud about her son’s non-Jewish girlfriend. There is always this focus on the non-Jewish girlfriend/boyfriend’s perceived level of interest (or lack…
Read More »This Is Bay Area Jewry: a discussion & celebration
Beth Am, Lehrhaus Judaica and Building Jewish Bridges present a photo essay exhibition showcasing the range of diversity in our community. The exhibition features 23 intimate portraits of individuals and families from a variety of backgrounds and levels of religious observance — from the North and South Peninsulas, San Francisco, Oakland/Berkeley, Contra Costa, and Marin….
Read More »