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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Why draw attention to differences? In interfaith homes there can be a strong desire to focus on what is the “same” between two faiths. This focus can become extreme when the adults teach the children that there “really is no significant difference” between say, Christianity and Judaism; they share universal values. It is quite true…
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Are you on the same page with your partner when it comes to doing & being Jewish? “From Generation to Generation” This quote is repeated often in Jewish liturgy and conversation. The idea is that Judaism is passed from generation to generation. But in today’s world it is not so certain that Judaism will…
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If your child is a patrilineal Jew or a person of color, they may be assumed to not be Jewish. How can you build a strong identity for them? A wonderful couple I know has five grown children who are interracial and intercultural. Their Chinese mom converted before marriage. The couple raised their children Jewish…
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I am Jewish, and my husband was Catholic but no longer identifies with any religion. I care strongly about raising our children Jewish, and my husband supports me. Now, with three children, we find this decision to have an increasing impact on our time-strapped lives — what with weekly classes, each child’s class Shabbat, parent…
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