My parents (especially my mother) thought it important to raise me as a member of “the human religion.” The mantra: “I am not a this or a that – I am a human” rings as a distant memory in my ears when recalling that fundamental message. I think my father, a child prodigy violinist raised…
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My Conservative conversion didn’t grant ‘born Jewish privilege’
There are so many nuances to the concerns that patrilineal Jews have. It is VITAL that we listen to them and not get stuck in our own opinion. After receiving four different messages on this topic I merged them into a single letter for my Mixed and Matched column. I have a Jewish father…
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“My wife and I knew that raising biracial Jewish kids meant there would be situations when people would question their Jewish authenticity. We thought about scenarios that could come up. We brainstormed how to response and how to teach the kids to respond. We told them, “You owe nobody an explanation. No one has the…
Read More »What my Mom said about Christmas
My mom and I are Jewish, my dad is Catholic. Growing up we were members of a synagogue and I went to Hebrew school. When I got close to my bat mitzvah it suddenly hit me, We have a Christmas tree! I went to my parents and said, “We have to stop having a tree….
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Growing Up Interfaith First Person Stories | Current Findings | Best Practices What is it like to grow up in an interfaith family? For the first time we are asking young adults, “What was that like for you?” At this program adults raised in interfaith families will talk about: Taking charge of their Jewish identity…
Read More »Growing Up Interfaith – how are we defining “interfaith families”?
We are very much hoping to see YOU and many others at the May 22 conference, Growing Up Interfaith, about adults who grew up in interfaith families. How are we defining “interfaith families”? An interfaith family may have a Jewish home. That means there may be non-Jews living in a home that is Jewish in…
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