RJ Blog

My name is Rachel Jurisz-Singh. Some of you know me by the name I use professionally – Jurisz – which is actually my maiden name. Yes, I am intermarried and my family is interracial too. Growing up I never thought I would choose to marry outside of my faith. I was always involved in my synagogue and youth group. I went to Jewish summer camp and attended Hebrew school through my senior year of high school. I even chose my career path in the Jewish field, working at four major Jewish organizations in the last 14 years.

Why do we celebrate this — or that? Do we combine holidays? How are the holidays different? How do *I* feel about being a Jew during this time of year? Why can’t I have a tree? What does going to church with your family mean to you?

by Rabbi Frederick Reeves There is a conversation I have frequently at this time of the year. It can happen anytime I find myself at a party that has people who are not members of my synagogue and I find that, through friends and my wife’s work colleagues, December brings on a fair number of just such parties. Invariably, small talk is made, and then comes the question: “So, what do you do?” After I reply that I am a rabbi, I get all kinds of remarks. Jews tell me about how spiritual they are even though they never go [...]

by Julie Unger December is a tricky month for many interfaith couples and their families. It evokes nostalgic childhood memories and family traditions that are deeply rooted; so you’re bound to have a little conflict. To respect both sides and to minimize conflict, it’s important to discuss the December holiday plans and practices early on in your relationship. After about a year of dating, Matt and I decided that Thanksgiving would be spent with Matt’s family in Seattle, Washington, and Hanukkah/winter break would be spent with my folks in Safety Harbor, Florida. We seriously discussed this setup while we were [...]

Erev Thanksgiving brings the annual pilgrimage to what my son nicknamed, IHOP – the International House of Prayer. My temple is a member of The Wantagh Clergy Council, a group of houses of worship from different denominations in Wantagh, Long Island. Each year, one congregation takes its turn hosting the Interfaith Community Thanksgiving Service. As we read the Gathering Prayer, the words to God “shower forth tranquility, peace and reconciliation in a world that is troubled and grieved,” which were intended to refer to Hurricane Sandy, took on a deeper meaning given the announcement that a ceasefire had been negotiated [...]

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelite people saying: When any of you or of your posterity who are defiled by a corpse or are on a long journey [on the date of Passover, the 14th of the first month] would offer a Passover sacrifice to the Lord, they shall offer it in the second month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight. -Numbers 9:9-11 When we met with the parents of the Galilee Circus kids to discuss our planned trip to the US, I expressed concern as to how the Muslim performers (half [...]

by Ellen S. Glazer Several years ago I had a running buddy who was a rabbi. We covered many miles together and many topics, among them his beliefs about interfaith weddings. As a member of the Conservative Movement, he said he would not perform interfaith marriages because he felt that Jews should be married in Jewish ceremonies and, in his words, “It’s not a Jewish ceremony if it is between a Jew and a non-Jew.” Interestingly enough, when two of our fellow runners – both Christians – asked him to marry them, he happily said yes. “After all,” he quipped, [...]

I knew a woman whose husband was having trouble getting work. He was offered a position quite far from home, but times were tough so they took their two sons and moved. The family did well, the boys grew and married, and life moved forward. Unfortunately, the husband became ill and died. Shortly after that, the sons were involved in a terrible accident in which they perished. And my friend was left a widow, as were her two daughters-in-law. My friend decided to move back to her family’s hometown, where she still had relatives. She had a good relationship with [...]

When the founders of modern Zionism hoped that having a country of their own would make Jews like all other nations, they didn’t think that the Jews would adopt any of the despicable traits of the anti-Semites among whom they lived in dispersion. The aim of Zionism was not only to liberate the Jews from their perilous existence as pariahs but also to enable them to live by the highest ideals of their tradition. Yet more than six decades after the establishment of the State of Israel that has indeed afforded Jews who settled here freedom from persecution  – and [...]

by Mark Wendel My Rabbi motions me to come up to the bemah. I am reading a Psalm in front of the congregation. The week before we were worshiping in a church I had actually looked forward to being in a church – the first time in decades. I remember Dad reading Psalms in front of our congregation back when I was a Christian. Because of Dad I am now part of a religion again, I never even cared to talk to him about religion back when I was anti-religious. Last year we had plenty to talk about. This year [...]

by Pat Whitlock “So, how many children do you want?”  Not an unusual question for a man to ask his girlfriend when he is beginning to think about a future with her.  However, when I heard this question, it came from the cute, industrious Israeli I had been dating for about six months and I actually laughed.  “You mean grandchildren, right?”  You see, at 38, I had been a single parent for 18 years, and I was looking forward to the next phase of my life.   But, as we continued to talk, I started to think that parenting with a [...]

by Rabbi Brian I. Michaelson It was Yom Kippur morning.  I had just sat down after doing the blessing of the non-Jewish spouse and introducing the Haftarah portion.  As I sat, I kept thinking about the fact that we have done the blessing of the non-Jewish spouse for a number of years and I know that it was appreciated, but what else were we doing for them?  It was then that the idea came to me that I should set up some kind of meeting with the non-Jewish spouses who are part of the congregation.  This was the moment when [...]

by Marcia Brandt Frezza Several years ago my husband Tony and I moved to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina and joined Congregation Beth Yam.  What a blessing for us to find this amazing community!  What is unique about Congregation Beth Yam is that the  we have developed  a culture of caring that is part of the fiber of our congregation.  We believe when it comes to the members of our congregation you cannot talk the talk without walking the walk.

by Annette Powers It was over brunch on our fourth date when I told him, “This can’t go anywhere…I’m Jewish and you’re not.” After years of Jewish camp, Hebrew school and lectures from my parents, I was fairly certain that the eleventh commandment was “Thou shalt meet a nice Jewish boy, get married and have beautiful Jewish babies.” With an ancestral chain of more than 2,000 years I couldn’t bear the guilt of deviating from the plan. After all, my people had been fighting for survival for lo these many centuries. Who was I to go and ruin it all [...]