with Rabbi Marvin Goodman
How Do Secular Holidays Relate to Jewish Life?
If you have a question for our experts about raising Jewish children or issues about family life and relationships between people of different faiths, please email us at bridges@sfjcf.org.
Celebrating secular holidays is in our Jewish tradition. We are told to support the country in which we live – to be good citizens. Thus it’s natural to celebrate the holidays of our nation.
Like Jewish holidays, secular holidays are also holy days. On Jewish holidays we take time to acknowledge the moment and express our thanks and appreciation for the opportunity to do so. We can do the same on secular holidays. These celebrations can be more than just a day off. Why not consider the source of the holiday, its true meaning, and how you can acknowledge and sanctify that meaning... [continued]
Two Faiths – One Home
By Suzan Berns
When two people of different faiths marry, the most important thing, experts agree, is to do the work of deciding how you will practice (or not practice) your faiths in your new family up front, before you marry.
However, the reality is that many couples don’t. And even for those who do, when children arrive, it’s not unusual to discover you care about things you didn’t think you cared about.
In a growing relationship, there’s a tendency to talk about each other’s theology, says Rabbi Henry Shreibman. But, he warns, “Those equations may change once you’re married and again upon anticipation of children”... [continued] |
