Creating Strong Unions From Different Paths

Modern couples bond over a wide range of shared interests, values and needs. But our religious and cultural heritage plays a large and perhaps underappreciated role in our identities. Join with other interfaith couples as we explore the role religion and its culture plays in shaping our identity and our expectations in our most important relationships. In particular, we will look at the challenges faced by both partners when they have decided to make Judaism a central part of their and their childrens’ lives.

Our program will consist of three, ninety-minute sessions (7:00-8:30 pm) and explore these topics:

Week One(January 10): Nourishing our spiritual selves. Our various faith traditions inform subtle but significant parts of our identity - our values, our humor, our sense of priorities. What is it about our partner that has drawn us together? How does our partner nourish that sense of self within us? And how do we really understansd what the other feels at stake when you have decided to preserve Judaism in the home. 

Judaism in the home? Week Two(January 17): Things we hold on to. Regardless of our religious background, all of us have habits and traditions that evoke strong memories and meaningful connections. What are those traditions and practices? How does the relationship honor them, and do so in a way that recognizes their importance to our sense of self? And can we balance that respect for different traditions in a Jewish context?

Week Three(January 31): Things we pass on. With the decision to raise our children as Jewish, how do we respect and honor the traditions of the non-Jewish spouse? How do we make that person feel fully engaged in their child’s religious upbringing? How do we incorporate their family so that our children are comfortable and secure in their own identity, while learning to cherish beloved family members (grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins) for their customs and beliefs?