I received a number of comments on my March 26 Mixed and Matched column about an 11-year-old who wants a bat mitzvah but would be starting from scratch because she has not been raised Jewish. I’d like to reply to all of you: “A bat mitzvah need not take place at age 13. You can have a…
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My practicing Christian husband and I have two girls. Our oldest will be 11 in the fall and has announced that we must join a synagogue and give her a bat mitzvah. I was raised Reform and didn’t have a bat mitzvah, though I was confirmed. We haven’t done anything to raise them with religion,…
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I received the following letter and answered it in my column because it is such a common question. The J weekly gave it a different headline; one that didn’t really speak to the question. Individuals seeking a Jewish conversion often believe that they want an Orthodox conversion, but seldom know what that really means. …
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(The headline given to this article online at J weekly in my Mixed and Matched column was written by someone who did not convert to Judaism. They meant well, but missed the point of the letter. This is not about changing shuls; it’s about changing one’s identity. Please forgive the confusion.) Dear Dawn: I am single…
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From my Mixed and Matched column in the J weekly Dear Dawn: I am Protestant and my husband is Jewish. We belong to a wonderful synagogue where our children attend Hebrew school. We enjoy services and have a nice group of friends. The problem: his relatives. They are way too involved in our day-to-day lives,…
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Dear Dawn: You wrote previously about a couple where one partner is Jewish and the other claims to be an atheist. But the atheist still had “warm” feelings for his church. My boyfriend is a true atheist and dislikes all religion. He doesn’t have any warm memories of community or shared holidays. He thinks religion is just…
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