Dear Dawn: My dad is my Jewish parent and I was raised Reform. Being a “patrilineal Jew” was never discussed in my shul. My dad did tell me more traditional Jews wouldn’t accept me as Jewish, but honestly he seems more angry than helpful. In college I learned more about my status as I was…
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(This letter is from my Mixed and Matched column in the J-weekly and appeared Jan. 19, 2021.) Dear Dawn: My uncle recently had his DNA tested, and it turns out that we are from Jewish lineage. I had always wondered because my mother’s great-grandfather’s last name was Jewish. I’m trying to find out more about…
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(This column first appeared in the J-weekly on Feb. 10, 2021) Dear Dawn: I was raised Reform, but am now a nonpracticing Jew married to a non-Jewish woman. We were married by my Reform rabbi and are expecting a baby. My wife has no religion and has agreed to raise the child Jewish and even…
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(This article first appeared in my Mixed and Matched column in the J-weekly on November 5, 2018) Dear Dawn: My pregnant daughter just learned her baby is a boy. She and I just had an animated discussion because she announced to me she doesn’t plan to circumcise him. Her non-Jewish husband is circumcised and on my…
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(This article was first published in my Mixed and Matched column for the J-weekly on August 29, 2014) Dear Dawn, My fiancé is Jewish and I was raised basically Christian but not going to church. I really like his family traditions and am attracted to Judaism. I am thinking of converting, but a Jewish co-worker…
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(This article originally appeared in my Mixed and Matched column in the J-weekly on June 7, 2019) Dear Dawn: My father is 100 percent Jewish and my mother is Christian. They tried to have an interfaith wedding in the ’70s and the Jews wouldn’t accept them. Unfortunately, my father turned his back on Judaism and…
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