How do you tell your parents about the different choices you’ve made? It can be hard to say, we’re raising the kids Jewish. We will/won’t have a Christmas tree. The baby will/won’t be baptized, receive a bris, have a bar mitzvah. What can we tell the non-Jewish grandparents about what is appropriate and how they…
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Can we find something to worry about? How about food?
A Jewish woman marrying a non-Jewish man sent in this angst-ridden question to Boston’s Jewish Journal: I am marrying into a lovely family that is not Jewish. My family is hosting a dinner to meet the future in-laws. My mother, who prides herself on being a superb cook, is planning to serve all her Jewish…
Read More »Help! My Jewish grandsons went on an Easter egg hunt
From the Mixed and Matched column in the J-weekly. The question: My son-in-law isn’t Jewish. My daughter and he took their 2- and 4-year-old sons to a huge Easter egg hunt this year. It’s the first time they’ve done that and it really upset me. I’m sure my daughter knows this bothered me. I…
Read More »Writing Your Ethical Will (clarifying your common goals)
An ethical will is not a legal document and does not distribute material goods. It is a means by which you can share your values, blessings, hopes and dreams for the future of your loved ones. Ethical wills are not new. References to this tradition are found in Torah (Genesis 18:19) and in other cultures….
Read More »How to be a Fabulous Grandparent in an Interfaith Family
Your child has married someone not Jewish. You love their new spouse, but you worry. Will my grandchildren be Jewish? Will I say the wrong thing if I express my concerns and feelings? Should we invite the non- Jewish in-laws to Jewish celebrations at our home? Can we do Jewish activities with the grandchildren without…
Read More »Honoring Your Mother and Father…
How Can We Dealing Graciously with our children’s Grandparents? How do you tell your parents about the different choices you’ve made? It can be hard to say, we’re raising the kids Jewish. We will/won’t have a Christmas tree. The baby will/won’t be baptized, receive a bris, have a bar mitzvah. What can we tell the…
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