Hebrew School Didn’t Work

By Deb Morandi.  This article has been reprinted with permission from InterfaithFamily 

There has been a lot of discussion in my Interfaith home this holiday season, but not about what you would think. My husband is Jewish, I am not, and we decided more than nine years ago when our twin sons were born that we were going to raise them Jewish.

We had many reasons: My husband knew more about his religion than I did mine, relatives we lived near are Jewish, the list goes on and on. This has not come into question, nor has the age-old “Do we have a Christmas tree” dilemma. We have a tree and celebrate Christmas out of respect to my heritage and family in a secular way. This had all been ironed out years ago and I think we navigate it pretty well. What is being discussed now is how we are on the verge of quitting Hebrew school. We have been struggling for months with what the right decision is and no matter how we spin it, it comes down to: Hebrew school just isn’t working for our family.

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What is The Mothers Circle?

The Mothers Circle is an umbrella of free educational programs and resources for women of other religious backgrounds raising Jewish children within the context of intermarriage or a committed relationship. These five Mothers Circle programs explore the “how-tos” and meaning behind raising Jewish children, empowering mothers through education and support, and reminding them that the Jewish community is there behind their choice to raise Jewish children. You can sign up to learn more and request materials at the bottom of The Mothers Circle homepage.

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Hollywood Now: Girlfriends' Guide

By Gerri Miller

This article has been reprinted with permission from InterfaithFamily

Interfaith Drama in Girlfriends’ Guide

The new Bravo comedy-drama series Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce is about the end of a marriage and what happens to the couple involved, their families and their friends in the aftermath. At the center of it is an interfaith couple played by Jewish actors Lisa Edelstein (House, The Legend of Korra) and Paul Adelstein (Scandal, Private Practice), whose characters Abby and Jake are each from interfaith families (in her case, her mother is Jewish; in his case, his father is Jewish). In the second episode of the series, which premieres Dec. 2, religion becomes an issue as they discuss the divorce with a mediation counselor.

“All of a sudden, it needs to be spelled out that the kids are going to be raised Jewish,” Adelstein sets the scene. “What’s funny about it is the kids are already being raised Jewish—it’s not an issue until she makes it an issue. It feels out of nowhere: She’s saying, ‘Your mother’s not Jewish so you’re not really Jewish,’ and Jake says, ‘Your mother is Jewish but you weren’t raised Jewish.’ Jake was a bar mitzvah. Abby wasn’t a bat mitzvah. It ends up being ridiculous and the mediator has to weigh in on it.”

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Why Can't Our Trip to Israel Be Jewish?

From the Seesaw at The Jewish Daily Forward

I Want My Trip to Israel to Be a Distinctly Jewish Experience

I’m a spiritual but not exactly religious Jew with a strong cultural Jewish identity. My husband is a spiritual man too, who was raised Catholic but practices it no more. We have never been to Israel and are currently looking into different tour options and have found ourselves in disagreement. I want to go on something geared towards Jews, because this is a unique opportunity for me to fully immerse myself in Jewish life, from ritual to history to food. He wants to take an interfaith tour that would show us the Christian sites too. Seesaw, we have traveled around Europe and Latin America and visited so many churches and cathedrals and pilgrimage sites together. Is it really asking so much that this time we have a distinctly Jewish experience? —Journeying to the Jewish Home

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