At one point in time, Jewish leaders assumed that those who were involved in inter-marriage were essentially giving up their faith, and that the children would be lost from the Jewish community forever.
Today, however, studies have shown that this is not the case. In fact, most Jews who are in an inter-marriage are determined to remain inside their religion and raise their children as part of the Jewish community.
In fact, the majority of Jews who have married in the last decade have wed partners who are not part of the religion. Furthermore, most of these couples are raising their children as Jewish, with at least two-thirds giving their children some kind of Jewish identity.
So How Do You Raise Your Kids In A 50/50 Jewish Household?
If you are married to a non-Jewish partner and are thinking of starting a family, then the first thing you should do is talk to your partner about how they feel about imparting your faith onto your children. It is important to note that, seeing as you will have likely been with this partner for quite some time, they have already been around your faith and have come to understand the virtues and messages that Judaism represents. They may have even asked about converting to Judaism, in which case you know they will be happy to raise the children as Jewish.
Nevertheless, it is important to communicate in a relationship to ensure that you will both be raising your children in the way that you want to. If you are in a strong and stable relationship, then you will probably already know the answer to the question, but it is always wise to sit down and talk about it, making sure to lay out the best ways forward.
Should You Change Your Home To Be More Aware Of Judaica?
When you have had this conversation, it is important to set things in place to give your children the best Jewish upbringing possible, no matter how strong an emphasis you are putting on it. Of course, there are many ways to raise a child in a Jewish household, including teaching them the learnings of the Torah and getting them involved in the local Jewish community. Apart from actively teaching them the religion, however, there are ways you can also keep Judaica at the forefront of their attention in the house itself.
On the Nadav Art Website, for example, there are a number of home décor options. These include dinner sets, as well as Mezuzah cases specifically designed for children’s bedrooms, such as the Spongebob Squarepants and Minions cases. These can be a fun way to grasp the children’s attention and allow the religion to speak directly to them, without being directly taught it.
As well as this, in order to raise your children to be engaged and linked to the faith, making sure to involve them during Jewish holidays can be integral to their connection. Food is a large part of holidays such as Purim and Hanukkah, so try to involve the whole family in making the dishes. Let them bake Hamantaschen and tell them the story of Haman whilst they are doing it. Small things like this can really open up a child’s mind, allowing them to feel together with both your family and the religion of Judaism as a whole.
