There are definitely strong opinions on the topic of circumcision, as evidenced by the comments on my last post! Thanks for your opinions, and sorry it's taken me a while to get back online - technological difficulties.

Anyway, here's the thing: Adam is already 'medically' circumcised, but from what I understand he would need, um, a little bit more work done to be considered 'Jewishly' circumcised. So it's not like he needs to have the entire procedure, and he'll be under general anesthesia so he won't remember any of it anyway.

And even if he wasn't already circumcised at all, we would still go ahead with the circumcision and not a Brit shalom - which is a ceremony similar... more

I realized that I have not yet posted some sort of 'glossary of terms' that I use often here. Please feel free to ask me in general if I don't explain something, but in the meantime, here's a start. The definitions are my own, unless otherwise noted. If there are other terms or phrases you'd like to see added, let me know. And as I go along I'll try to update this list from time to time.

Conversion - A specific act or series of acts under rabbinic guidance whereby a person who was born into a different religion is officially brought into the Jewish faith.

Mitzvah - A commandment. There are 613 mitzvot in the Torah (Five Books of Moses) and... more

So your friend or relative is celebrating the adoption of their child and you'd like to get them an appropriate gift, but you're not sure where to start. Here are a few ideas to get you going:

-- Are they registered? Many (though not all) families decide to register for the arrival of a baby - it's okay to ask or ask around to see if they've registered. Quite often, people prefer to buy something that is really needed or wanted rather than guess.

-- Is this a first child? Or first child of that gender? If so, go with clothes. Clothes are always good. Actually, when we first met Anna (on a Friday - she came to live with us that Monday) one of the first things I did was to check... more

What is meant by the term "Jewish Adoption?" It is, after all, the title of this blog. Jewish Adoption - in my humble opinion - refers to the adoption of a child by a Jewish couple [Edited to add: or single adult] with the intent that the child will be raised Jewish regardless of his or her religion at birth.

Adoptionblogs.com has a nice variety of blogs on different types and aspects of Adoption - which makes sense. Especially when you are first starting out and are looking for information on the different types of adoption, what your options really are and when you are looking to hear from "been there done that" parents, it's nice to see that there are lots of people out there to... more

The topic of "Adoption in Israel" can be summed up with one word: hard. If you thought adopting in the United States was difficult, adopting in Israel is even harder.

People have often asked me why we don't look into adopting a child from Israel. The answer: We can't. Israel, like many other countries, does not allow their children to be "adopted out" to foreign countries.

So what if you live in Israel or move to Israel? If you have recently moved to Israel, all the sources I have spoken with state that you must be living in the country for a minimum of three years before you are allowed to formally look into the issue. For probably the same reasons that there are relatively... more

I found a good article at the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism site that I want to share with you. Some of you may be aware of the issues facing converts to Judaism from denominations other than Orthodoxy (for more information on the details of that please see my earlier posts "Sticky conversion issues parts I and II). This article from USCJ touches on those issues without making it the focus of the article. It's a nice overview of the idea of adopting as a Jewish family, looks at different angles of the subject,... more

Anna is four. She realized at an early age that her skin is 'brown' and my husband and I are 'tan.' Just as she understood that she was a girl and other creatures are boys. She knew she was adopted. She knew she was Jewish. Today, at four years old, she is still working to put the pieces together. And underneath all my feelings, as much as I suppress it and have never voiced the thought, I wonder if we made the right choice for her.

I know we made the right choice. Anna could have spent her entire childhood bouncing from foster home to foster home, only to find herself on the streets at eighteen years of age. I know Anna could have been abused in the system. I know how she may have... more

I think being a parent is the hardest job you will ever have. It certainly is the hardest one that I have held - and I've worn many, many hats. But it is by far the most rewarding one, and I can't imagine my life any other way.

And when I say hardest, I suppose I really mean challenging. I have been blessed with a really smart four year old daughter who asks tough questions. So, based on the few years of experience I have had trying to answer her as she ponders the mysteries of life, I'll share some ideas with you now.

-- Only give answers you are comfortable giving. Saying something like "G-d made each of us a little different" or "G-d wanted us to be part of the same family"... more

One of the things that all families should do from time to time is have a family field trip. While long vacations are lovely, they are expensive and few and far between. I think all families can find at least one day a year when everyone is available to do a day trip, taking advantage of local museums, theaters, concerts etc. that are often overlooked. Here are some ideas:

-- Look for something that appeals to everyone in some way. That doesn't mean it needs to be everyone's favorite activity.

-- Check your local paper. Many newspapers have a weekend section, datebook, or some sort of listing of events locally. Many are free and open to the public. Don't forget to check out... more

Oftentimes, especially in America, people move away from their religious background during much of their teenage and young adult years. They seem to drift back in some shape or form when they have children of their own, or are contemplating having children. The high rate of intermarriage - Jews marrying non-Jews - complicates the discussion couples have on what level of observance they will have in their home. One has to first discuss what religion will be taught and followed.

"I'm half Jewish and half Christian" is a line I have heard so many times. It always makes me think to ask which half, in a joking way. But I don't. Instead I wonder how they work it out. Sure, you can technically... more