Interfaith couples face many challenges, but one of the most overlooked area is in regard to Israel. Those of us who grow up Jewish are taught about Zionim from an early age, if we choose to marry a non-Jewish spouse, they may not have the same feelings and level of interest.
Honeymoon Israel has come up with a unique idea to tackle this issue: providing trips to Israel for Interfaith couples. Similar to Birthright for the younger crowd, this program is designed to form deep and lasting bonds with Israel’s people, land, and culture.
Participants must be ages 25-40, married, and one of the partners has to be Jewish. The 9-day trip’s value is supposedly $10,000 per couple, but only costs $2200 since it’s subsidized by donors. Each trip includes 20 diverse couples that are from the same city, which will hopefully provide lasting friendship with similar folks when they return home.
Personally, I think this is a great idea! With 70% of the Jewish community now intermarrying, we need to explore every avenue possible to embrace the non-Jewish spouse and welcome them into the fold.
One of the most stressful parts of being a mom is the chronic sleep deprivation. There have been some mornings when I was so bone-weary and stressed, I literally sobbed before I even left my bed, afraid to face the day! With a newborn, it’s an unfortunate given, but by the toddler stage, things can improve if the right steps are used. (No, it will never just happen magically.)
Certainly, establishing a set time frame for bed, usually a 1-2 hour window, is a great place to start. Some children are able to adapt quickly, while others seem to struggle for years. (All of mine have been terrible sleepers, probably because insomnia runs in the family.) We always read stories before bed and give baths, so there was a routine in place, but it still wasn’t enough.
I needed something relaxing, that would help the kids not only fall asleep on time, but also sleep through the whole night. After doing some research online and talking to some of my mom friends, I heard about SleepBuddy.
The complete SleepBuddy system contains everything needed to make bedtime and naptime easier:
Glowing Light
Children’s Book
Rewards Chart
Stickers
Parent’s Guide
I started by reading the Parent’s Guide to familiarize myself with how the system works. It contains lots of great info about how much sleep a child actually requires, based on age, which I found very helpful. Once I understood it, I then read the Children’s version aloud.
Basically, all that’s required is plug it in, set the desired time, and it will glow bright blue when in use. (If you can program an alarm clock, you can use SleepBuddy.) For little ones who don’t understand the concept of time but do understand colors, it was very simple for me to explain and for my kids to catch on.
Both naptime and bedtime can be pre-set and the progress is recorded with the incentive chart and smiley face stickers. Every time a sleep goal is reached, they are rewarded with a sticker plus another goodie. I use M&M’s and teeny stuffed animals as prizes. Since every child has different interests, by customizing the reward, this can be a huge incentive to make the system work!
As a bonus, it doubles as a nightlight (which we were already using) so that cuts down on things to buy. Since most kids have some fear of the dark, you probably have a nightlight anyway, and it won’t be tough to introduce it. If complaints about brightness occur, there are 7 different settings to control it.
Can pork be made kosher? According to some sources, the answer may be yes, provided that pig is created in a lab. Those of us who believe in the legitimacy of the dietary laws—whether we follow them or not—know that pork will never, under any circumstances, be considered Kosher and I personally believe that any lab created meat should never be eaten.
This Frankenstein mindset is exceptionally dangerous, just as cloning has proven to be. I believe in science and I have no problem with research and experimenting to advance humanity, particularly in the medical field. However, that doesn’t mean we should have a free-for-all without any ethics or boundaries.
God has given us a blueprint for healthy eating. If we choose to eat foods that are forbidden, the likelihood of food poisoning is much greater. Even foods that are permitted, when improperly prepared or stored can be bad (such as consuming raw milk).
GMO food, lab food, and other scary edibles do not have to replace good, old fashioned fruits, veggies, milk, and meat. We must use our common sense and not let dollars and cents dictate every decision. Of course, dietary preferences will vary for families, but the information needs to get out there about what is safe and what is not.
Jews of Color, Jews that don’t speak English, multi-cultural families, refugees, and yes, even Donald Trump supporters, can find a Haggadah that will serve their needs.
Rather than rely on the tried and true—stained and tattered?—Maxwell House version that most of us grew up using, there truly is now something for everyone—no matter how diverse.
These 5 new Haggadahs barely scratch the surface. I think it’s wonderful that different versions are available, but we always use the same old thing at my house.
