URJ Crane Lake Camp, a Reform Jewish summer camp in Stockbridge, MA, recently released this beautiful video about what it means to be a Reform Jew, both at summer camp and beyond. In sharing the video, Crane Lake posted, “We are all different and unique and yet so similar. Being Jewish isn’t about what you look like or where you come from. It’s about how it makes you feel.”

When my brother Jerry died, the questions were not just where to sit shiva or for how long. They were more fundamental: Should I sit shiva for my non-Jewish brother at all?

I get asked a lot if I’m “half.” Often, people are referring to my mixed Caucasian and Asian American heritage, their curiosity sparked by my Korean last name on my Jewish business card or by whatever other seeming tip arises on a given day.

The challenges and contradictions of being a Jew in America are never more obvious than in the month of December. Christmas is unavoidable from before Thanksgiving until well after New Year's.

My parents raised my brothers and me to have a strong identity as Reform Jews. We were clear about our Jewish ancestry. We fully embraced our connection to and responsibility toward synagogue life. We appreciated all the rituals we celebrated as a Jewish family. At the same time, though, they taught us to not be afraid of "the other"–those of different races, ethnic backgrounds and, especially, different religions. In fact, our respect and appreciation for the "the other" helped to strengthen our identity as Jews. So when it came time for celebrating Pesach, our seder was a perfect reflection of that philosophy.

For parents of different faiths, December often brings holiday challenges. For divorced parents with joint custody, these challenges can be amplified.

Before we married, my ex-husband and I decided we would have a Jewish home.

In the opening chapters of Exodus, we read about a Jewish man who failed to circumcise his son. Aside from incurring God’s wrath by not having a brit milah, or ritual circumcision, he failed to uphold the oldest Jewish ritual of the Bible that had started with

When I lead Jewish grandparenting discussion groups, the topic of creating an extended interfaith family often arises.