Burial and Mourning in Jewish Tradition A unique opportunity for interfaith families to learn about a difficult topic-issues around death and mourning, from your own family’s perspective. Is cremation OK? Can my partner and I be buried together? Join Dawn Kepler and Robin Reiner for a short introduction to Jewish traditions and a lively, open…
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Sitting Shiva
Observing death in a Jewish home In any family it is important to discuss how people will respond to a death. In an interfaith family this is particularly important because there is no shared tradition to fall back on. Here are some basics about Shiva, to help you understand the role of observing shiva and…
Read More »What if One of us Dies?
Where and how will each of us be buried? I’ve been asked how to plan for a funeral in an interfaith family. What things should be taken into consideration in order to plan for that inevitable day when one spouse must bury the other? Can the non-Jew be buried in a Jewish cemetery? Who will…
Read More »Tisha B’Av: Mourning the Destruction of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem
When we look at this photograph of a relief on the Arch of Titus celebrating his siege and destruction of Jerusalem, that historical event can feel as old and foreign as the stones depicting it. Yet for Jews the idea of ‘never forget’ is not a new one. Jews remember the events of the past,…
Read More »Laws & Customs of Tisha B’Av
Laws and Customs of the three Weeks, the Nine Days & Tisha B’Av The 17th of Tammuz, commemorating the fall of Jerusalem prior to the destruction of the Temple, marks the beginning of a 3 week national period of mourning culminating with the 9th of Av. The five events which we mourn on the 17th…
Read More »Teaching Children about the Holocaust
It can be quite difficult for some non-Jews to grasp the profound depth of feeling that many Jews have about the Holocaust. I’ve heard non-Jews says, “Why dwell on something so terrible? Just get on with your life.” Others fear that it will frighten the children or that negative thinking will bring on negative events….
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