“She is hoping to convert” a parent recently told me about their son’s non-Jewish girlfriend. “That is great news! Why do you look so disappointed then?” I asked. “I don’t know. I just am. I paid all this money for Jewish day school and this is what we get…” he responded. He didn’t have to…
The debate over intermarriage — once again erupting across the Jewish community — has too easily slipped into a binary equation. Opinions are shared, statistics are drawn as weapons and institutions often double-down. Sides are chosen, often reduced to a simple yes or no: “No, never; Jewish Law forbids this.” (Or “no, never; it will…
The issue of whether or not a Conservative Rabbi can officiate at an interfaith marriage ceremony is first and foremost a matter of integrity; integrity not only for the officiant but also for the couple and witnesses. Integrity means there is alignment between a person’s inner essence, their words and actions. It would be disingenuous,…
A version of this article originally appeared in the Texas Jewish Post. It was one of the more uplifting articles I had read this year. The Jewish News Service reported on the inspiring story of Rabbi Ari Sytner, who had donated a kidney to a stranger living in Israel back in 2012 when he was…
There is no reason that Nuseir Yassin and Alyne Tamir should be dating. He is Palestinian. She’s Israeli. He’s Muslim, she comes from Jewish and Mormon traditions. He is two years younger than her. When they met, her divorce was barely finalized. She’s a vegetarian. He loves to eat meat. And yet. Yassin, an internet…
As a Cantor, I’ve sung the Sheva Berachot (seven marriage blessings) countless times and I know the words by heart. They were recited for me at my first wedding some seventeen years ago. My then-husband and I simply followed the familiar formula: place a Jewish groom and a Jewish bride under a chuppah (wedding canopy),…
Dear Couple of Jewish and non-Jewish Backgrounds: It’s possible you decided not to meet with me because I could not be with you under the chuppah (Jewish wedding canopy). I don’t know for sure, but what I do know is that I missed out on hearing your story. Getting to know you and your relationship….
The Jewish Theological Seminary affirms that the study of Torah, the sacred wisdom of our people, and the performance of mitzvot, Judaism’s sanctified pattern of religious practice, stand at the very core of Jewish identity. Torah and mitzvot have always been the foundation of the Jewish people’s covenant with God, guiding and sustaining us for…
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