This common question for this time of year came to me via my Mixed and Matched column in the Jweekly. I am getting serious about my boyfriend (who is not Jewish) and I want him to understand what’s important to me about being Jewish. I’m thinking that this year I should take him with me…
Read More »Non-Jewish family
My Catholic mom wants my baby to be baptized
A message from a young woman soon to be a mother sent to my Mixed and Matched column in the J-weekly. I was raised Catholic but no longer practice. I’m pregnant and happy to raise my children Jewish, and my husband and I belong to a Conservative synagogue. We plan to take our baby…
Read More »Honoring the religion of another while loving your own
Sometimes it is hard to put words to an idea. The idea of loving one’s own faith tradition and also finding value in other traditions is an idea we commonly discuss. But what does that really look like? Is there a simple way to explain it to children? Or to our parents? I came across…
Read More »Putting an Irish element into your Jewish wedding
A Jewish woman wrote to me asking about how to include something Irish in her wedding to reflect her fiancé’s Irish heritage. Here’s what she asked. My fiancé and I are starting to plan our wedding for next spring. Neither of us is particularly religious. I’m proudly Jewish and he is Irish and was…
Read More »Raising A Mensch
Compassion, generosity, respect and satisfaction are values shared by all religions. When do they become uniquely “Jewish” and why bother to color values with a particular religion? Because there are ways in which this helps a child identify with and incorporate the values you are seeking to transmit. Join other parents for a fascinating discussion…
Read More »Preparing for Bar/Bat Mitzvah for Interfaith Families
Planning a b’nai mitzvah is stressful enough if you had one yourself, but if you weren’t raised Jewish it can be truly nerve wracking. There are the questions of how the study process works, timing, sessions, amount to be learned, how to help your child succeed. Then there’s the non-Jewish partner and extended family. How…
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