There is a major principle in Judaism called Tikun Olam - literally translated as "fixing the world." We believe that acts of kindness towards others, helping those in need and working towards the greater good are all forms of Tikun Olam. It is a long held belief that we should leave the world a better place for our children than the way we found it. Synagogue youth groups or Bar/ Bat Mitzvah kids often do "Tikun Olam" projects - volunteering or raising money for one group or another. I wish that more kids would stick with their volunteer... 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

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

Something that came across my desk - if you'll be in the New Jersey area, this looks like a good event to attend. More information at the Rutgers website.

The Allen and Joan Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life invites you to:

The Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights A symposium addressing contemporary issues of genocide and human rights in Rwanda, Armenia and Darfur

Panelists Manus I. Midlarsky, Rutgers University Eric Weitz, University of Minnesota Helen Fein, Institute for the Study of Genocide, John Jay College of Criminal... more

Journeywoman has been talking about that recent case on the news where a family was asked to leave a flight because their three year old wouldn't sit in her seat for takeoff. Today, she has a great post about when to bend, and her own story of enforcing what she felt was the correct thing to do in a situation. After I posted a comment to her site today, I realized how lengthy it was (sorry! that's kinda when someone says, get your own blog!, right?) and since she brings up a great topic, I'm posting my comment here. At what point do you as parents bend the rules, or acquiesce... more

So, I'm nowhere near a sports fan - I'm only looking forward to this week's Stupid Super Bowl because I hear the commercials are going to be funny and my mom is serving good food - but I saw this article this morning that I thought was cool and thought I'd share.

From Sportsillustratred.com MIAMI (AP) -- Shaquille O'Neal put his police skills to use early Sunday. O'Neal, the Miami Heat's All-Star center and a reserve officer with the Miami Beach Police Department, followed a driver who allegedly crashed into his Cadillac Escalade and tried to flee... more

Along with all the happy and joyous traditions we have at this time of year, it has unfortunately become the norm in many places to take this time to vandalize religious symbols, houses of worship or even cemeteries. My students are often surprised to hear that anti-Semitism is alive and well in this country. It is on the one hand nice to see that there is still innocence in this world and on the other hand sad to see that they - or their parents - have their eyes closed to the realities around us.

I would hope that we as adoptive parents, who hopefully take more time in teaching our children about tolerance and acceptance of differences, can lead the way in changing the moral standards... more

What I'm reading today -

China is tightening their requirements of prospective parents looking to adopt babies from their country. It looks like the changes will go into effect May 1, 2007, but is good to know about now. China is a very popular country among those who adopt internationally, and has historically been popular among Jewish couples as well. An article appeared in today's New York Times and can be found here.

Also in today's New York Times, a great article on life books for children in foster care or adopted from foster... more

I came across this article today, the text of which can be found at the Jerusalem Post. I was going to give an excerpt here as I usually do, but I really couldn't find parts of the article that I wanted to cut out. What to do with the issue of intermarried families, and how to do outreach so that we maintain a sustainable Jewish population are topics that need to be addressed. Often times people only start to discuss religious matters when the topic of having children comes up. Food for thought on one of the major issues facing American Jewry today:

VIEW FROM AMERICA:... more

I've always - as many parents - feared SIDS, although I never had a newborn in the house or very young infant where the fear would be justified. But anyway, I bring you an excerpt from this article - something we should know about and certainly a way to look at SIDS in a new light.

In a small study with big implications, researchers found some of the strongest evidence yet that sudden infant death syndrome -- a medical and sometimes legal mystery once known as crib death -- may be caused by brain stem abnormalities.

The finding "takes the mystery away from SIDS," said Marian Willinger,... more