Raising kids culturally but not religiously Jewish

[Anonymous]

Is this too confusing? Partner is atheist and happy to participate in all the holidays at home, including Shabbat every week, but has no interest in synagogue, and I honestly don’t really either, so no bnai mitzvah. Would also love to send them to Jewish summer camp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this too confusing? Partner is atheist and happy to participate in all the holidays at home, including Shabbat every week, but has no interest in synagogue, and I honestly don’t really either, so no bnai mitzvah. Would also love to send them to Jewish summer camp.

Totally fine to do

Why would this be confusing? Kids are not dumb signed a Jew

Right now as a Jew I would not go to synagogue and I grew up orthodox/ conservative raised my kids reform.

Nope absolutely no synagogue as too many Jews forgot Never Forget

Just buy some age appropriate books now and again do holidays your kids will be fine

Religion is indoctrination ie cults

[Anonymous]

Totally fine. Jewish camp was a welcoming and positive experience for my nonobservant child. If you are interested in a bar/bat mitzvah and/or community, consider a humanist congregation. The two I know of are Beth Chai and Machar.

[Anonymous]

This is definitely fine. You don’t have to believe in god to be Jewish. It’s a religion, an ethnicity, and a culture. Many ways to be Jewish.

[Anonymous]

This is how most kids are raised, OP, in every religion. I am culturally Catholic, my in-laws are culturally Buddhist, we know lots of cultural Muslims and Jews. It's all fine.

[Anonymous]

Not confusing though if you end up doing Jewish summer camp your kid may want a bar/bat mitzvah as they may get invited to many and enjoy it - but there are lots of ways to do this that don’t involve synagogue membership

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is how most kids are raised, OP, in every religion. I am culturally Catholic, my in-laws are culturally Buddhist, we know lots of cultural Muslims and Jews. It's all fine.

+1 similarly we are culturally Hindu. Kids enjoy the stories and some of the traditions and feel a connection to the religion and their heritage.

[Anonymous]

We did this. Our kids have a pretty strong Jewish identity from secular Jewish preschool at a JCC and maintaining those connections but we’ve never belonged to a temple or done religious training. Many of their friends are similarly Jew-ish. It’s an ethnographic identity not just a religious one so it works

[Anonymous]

Based on the big uptick in synagogue attendance for the high holidays I’d guess that many Jews are not attending synagogue regularly (or in my case ever). Same thing for many Christian religions - there are people who only go on Christmas and Easter.

I was raised culturally mixed in both and religiously in neither and it’s not confusing.

[Anonymous]

The Google search term is "secular Jewish circle".

There's one based in Kensington MD.

Most Reform congregation members are also secular, even the leadership nowadays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is definitely fine. You don’t have to believe in god to be Jewish. It’s a religion, an ethnicity, and a culture. Many ways to be Jewish.

I know a Jewish guy who does all the rituals at home, doesn't go to synagogue and says he doesn't believe in GOd.

[Anonymous]

You may be interested in Machar if you want a community of likeminded people

[Anonymous]

Isn't this the norm? It seems that very few Jews actually believe in the religion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Google search term is "secular Jewish circle".

There's one based in Kensington MD.

Most Reform congregation members are also secular, even the leadership nowadays.

Huh?

[Anonymous]

Check out Camp Airy (for boys) and Camp Louise (for girls). They're Jewish overnight camps, but very light on the Judaism.