Patralineal Descent, Reform Judaism & Those Other Jews In 1983 the Reform movement officially recognized children of Jewish fathers as Jewish. But if you read the statement it says that every child of a mixed marriage, whether the mother or father is Jewish, must establish their identity as a Jew “through appropriate and timely public…
Read More »Archives
Do you have one Jewish Parent?
Do you have one Jewish Parent? A couple years ago I asked Dr. Bruce Phillips to direct me to research done regarding the experiences of adults from interfaith families. He told me that there was none and that WE should do a study. So that’s what we’re doing. We want to offer a picture of…
Read More »Parents’ divorce set young Jew adrift at the Holidays
The High Holy Days can bring up some intense feelings for every Jew. One young man contacted me with a unique issue around the Holidays – his interfaith parents’ divorce and the subsequent lack of clarity about his status. My dad is Jewish and my mom converted before they got married. Her conversion was…
Read More »Share your Experience of Growing up in an Interfaith Family
Feeling confident as a Jew can be complicated for individuals with one Jewish parent and one non-Jewish parent. For people who have a Jewish mother, Jewish law (halachah) is on your side. No matter how you were raised, if you decide you want to identify as Jewish, the Jewish world accepts you. But it may…
Read More »Books for Adults who grew up in Interfaith Families
There are very few books about the experience of people who grew up with parents of different faiths. These individuals typically get portrayed in one of two extremes -tragically mixed-up or messiahs of religious peace. They are neither. The current books that have anything reasonable to say are these two. Between Two Worlds Written by…
Read More »Jewish Identity for those who Grew up in an Interfaith Family
Getting a good strong grip on your identity can be complicated. For people who have a Jewish mother, Jewish law (halachah) is on your side. No matter how you were raised, if you decide you want to identify as Jewish, the Jewish world accepts you. But it may not be that simple for the individual…
Read More »