What is the Jewish expression to refer to someone who has died?
In Judaism, when someone has died, it is customary to add the expression, “May their memory be for a blessing” after mentioning the deceased by name. In Hebrew, the expression is “zichrona livracha” (feminine, “zichrono livracha” (masculine), or “zichronam livracha” (plural or gender-neutral) and is typically abbreviated as z”l when writing. This serves a similar function as describing someone as “the late [insert name here].” Alternatively, the honorifics “aleha hashalom” (feminine) or “hashalom alav” (masculine)
Is it possible to have a child christened and go through a bris/baby naming?
Honestly, no. What I mean by this is that if you are going to be truly honest with yourself, then, on many levels, you cannot have both a christening and a bris/naming
We are expecting a child in a few weeks. Is there something for girls that is equivalent to the bris ceremony for boys?
Traditionally, a brit milah is the ceremony whereby a Jewish boy is brought into the covenant. For a girl, there was a naming which took place in the synagogue, usually done by the father or grandfather coming to the synagogue and having a blessing said on behalf of the baby, who usually wasn't present.
If our baby is circumcised in the hospital, can the ceremony of a bris still be held?
If our baby is a little boy and we want to have him circumcised in the hospital can the ceremony of a bris still be held or would we have a baby naming?
I'm Jewish and my wife isn't. Every year, we go to my in-laws to celebrate Christmas with them. Will it be too confusing to my daughter?
There are many opportunities to share in the beauty of different faith traditions that may exist within one family. There is no reason why sharing your in-laws traditions would end up being confusing to your daughter.
We are adopting a baby boy. We had him circumcised, but must he undergo a conversion ceremony to be Jewish?
My husband and I are in the process of adopting an African American baby boy. We had him circumcised by a doctor -- as he was already 2 months old, my husband was concerned about safety. Must he really undergo a conversion ceremony to be Jewish?
What does Judaism have to say about the treatment of animals?
As far as how Jewish tradition, and the Torah in general speak of God's love for animals, there is a rabbinic concept of tzaar baalei chaim - literally the woe/pain of living things - roughly rendered as concern for cruelty to animals, but runs deeper than that. The principle is that animals experience pain and suffering, and although are not equivalent to human lives, they must still be dealt with caringly and thoughtfully.
I have a Jewish mother and a Christian father. What am I?
As you may know from watching the news, the issue of who is a Jew is a hotly debated one nowadays. There is no simple answer.
Is it true that you cannot be buried in a Jewish cemetery if you have a tattoo?
While the Jewish community might still be divided over tattoos, the prohibition against burying a tattooed person in a Jewish cemetery is a myth. Caring for the body after death is also a mitzvah, and we don't exclude people in our communities from that care simply because of markings on the skin.
What is the Reform Jewish perspective on abortion?
Due to our fundamental belief in the sanctity of life and the Jewish value of kavod ha’briyot, respect for human dignity, Reform Judaism holds that abortion is both a medical and spiritual decision that should be made by the individual within whose body the fetus is growing.
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