Tell me your Jewish Traditions

My FIL was in the Holocaust and while he didn't practice the religion, I think it is very important that my children understand their background and what their family went through.

I would like to put up a Menorah this year and teach my son about it. We make potato pancakes often (but my mom made them all the time growing up too).

What are other things I can do to have my children connect with this culture? (my FIL is not alive and I don't want it to die with him)

Re: Tell me your Jewish Traditions

when i lived with my parents, my mom always made potato latkes. when we were younger, we got one gift every night for eight nights. we would always light the menorah

Re: Tell me your Jewish Traditions

maybe you should join a Synagogue and attend services. and when the time comes, send your kids to Hebrew School so they can have a bat/bar mitvah.

Message edited 11/23/2007 9:31:00 AM.

Re: Tell me your Jewish Traditions

Actually, I would agree with joining a Synagogue, but since they can be incredibly expensive to join, you may wish to attend services every once in a while and THEN join when your children are old enough to attend Hebrew school. You do not have to be a temple member to go to Shabbat Services, just to benefit from temple membership. This is what my parents did when my brother was old enough (8 years old). A JCC may be another good alternative too.

My older sisters were not sent to Hebrew School as back then, girls rarely did that in the 60s. I chose to go after attending my brother's Bar Mitzvah in 1975 for the wrong reasons - to have a big party. I began Hebrew School in 1978 and finished in 1983 in a Conservative shul. I am glad I went as my parents would not have asked me or forced me to go. I got the party, but I worked my tuchas off for it.

As far as our traditions growing up, there weren't many. We celebrated the more popular important holidays like Passover, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and the lesser Chanukah but that's about it. My parents were not religious or observant and all that I know now, was pretty much self-taught. They simply were not prepared to teach us and I do not fault them for it one bit.

DH and I have discussed this at length. Before we were married, we talked about "how Jewish" we want our children to be. We both grew up in moderately conservative congregations and that is what we were used to. But since the Jewish population is dwindling in numbers, temple memberships are going down. Many conservative temples are becoming more egalitarian in nature as they embrace a woman's desire/need/right to read Torah and participate in Judaism as much as possible. Some conservative temples are even merging with Reform temples. I had originaly wanted to join a Reform (NOT REFORMED!!!! Sorry this drives me NUTS!!!) temple when the time comes, but he wanted Conservative. So the compromise was Conservative Egalitarian. This will not be until we buy a home - in the mean time, we worship at my sister's temple when we choose to and we are welcome there.

Our children will be going to Hebrew school without choice. HOWEVER, I feel very strongly that if our children are going to do this, that we must be willing and available to answer all of their questions and participate with them. They will be required to go to junior congregation services (as part of a prescribed curriculum) to help them learn prayer and history. If they are going to go, we feel we need to lead by example and go with them. Otherwise they will not see the value in the experience. I wasn't to thrilled about going once I started, but I continued and I am glad I did.

We feel a responsibility and obligation to our culture and our history. We are very excited about educating our children and started to wonder how we will finance B'nai Mitzvot in 14 or 15 years after we start having kids - probably a trip to Israel.

Sorry so long - I ran with it.

Re: Tell me your Jewish Traditions

Its funny, DH and his sister (who are Israeli) and I were just discussing this today. At my daughter's second birthday, we will become a Kosher home. As of now we only use Kosher meat in our house, but we have 1 set of dishes. We hope to teach her hebrew and have a Birkat H'bayit and our Ketubah in our living room.

For Shabbat, we have dinner together every Shabbat. We light the candles (when I get home before Shabbat begins), say a blessing over the challah and the kiddish over the wine. When Jordana is older, I will take her to temple on Fri. nights or Saturday morning.

For Rosh Hashana we have dinner with the family and go to temple.

Yom Kippur we strictly observe. We fast and no electricity or driving.

Sukkot we always eat in a Sukkah one night and try to go to temple.

Channukah we sing songs and I will decorate teh house. I make latkes and buy suffganiot. I like to have a party on chanukah.

Purim, Jordana dresses up and go to temple to hear the magillah.

Pesach: We keep it, have two traditional seders and when Jordana is older, we will watch the Prince of Egypt every Pesach.

On Yom Hashoa I will take Jordana to a program at a temple every year, once she is older.

Re: Tell me your Jewish Traditions

this website will be very helpful:
myjewishlearning.com

i agree with the OP.

you can also send your child to a jewish summer camp. i highly recommend the URJ (union for reform judaism) camps in the berkshires of MA-- either Eisner or Crane Lake.
there, they will be among other jewish kids their age and adults. and will have a very positive jewish experience, while also having a fun summer.
URJ Summer Camps

by joining and becomming involved in a synagogue and having your child attend religious school, they will have a religious, cultural and spiritual jewish education-- they will learn about the holidays and traditions.

Message edited 11/23/2007 4:08:51 PM.

Re: Tell me your Jewish Traditions

thanks everyone. Is it possible to not include the religious aspects of the culture?

FIL was an atheist, as are DH and I.

As for the summer camps - that sounds like a great idea - do they focus on religion at all? Would my child be the oddball if they weren't bar mitzvahed and didn't attend temple.

Do you think there is a temple that would allow us to attend occassionally? (doesn't have to be high holidays - as I know that is crowded)

I like near:

http://www.templebethelofhuntington.org/

and

http://www.hjcny.org/

Re: Tell me your Jewish Traditions

Re: Tell me your Jewish Traditions

Message edited 11/25/2007 6:56:09 PM.