LIST OF FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS BY SUBJECT
Questions on Contemporary Issues
Q: What is the Reform perspective on abortion?
Q: I know that there is a prohibition against erasing the name of God. Given today's technology and the widespread usage of computers, how is that prohibition being interpreted?Q: What is Judaism's view on homosexuality?
Q: What does Judaism have to say about the treatment of animals?Q: Is it true that you cannot be buried in a Jewish cemetery if you have a tattoo?Q: If a Jewish man marries a non-Jewish woman and they have a child, would the Reform movement consider their child to be Jewish?
Q:I understand that my Jewish faith comes by way of my mother and not my father. If this is true, why do we trace our heritage through Abraham and not Sarah? I have a Jewish mother and a Christian father. What am I?
Questions on Parenting
Q: My husband and I have adopted a baby boy who was circumcised by a doctor when he was 2 months old. Must he undergo a conversion ceremony to be Jewish? Q: Iam Jewish and my wife is not. We are raising our daughter as a Jew, but my wife wants her to be exposed to Christianity as well. How do go to the in-laws over Christmas without confusing to her or hurting my in-law's feelings?Q:If a Jewish man marries a non-Jewish woman and they have a child, would the Reform movement consider their child to be Jewish?Q:If our baby is a little boy and we want to have him circumcised in the hospital, can the ceremony of a bris still be held or would we have a baby naming?Q: We are expecting a child in a few weeks. We think it will be a girl. Is there an equivalent to the bris ceremony for boys? We want to do something to welcome her and give her a Hebrew name.Q: Is it possible to have a child christened and go through a bris/baby naming?
Questions About the Jewish Life Cycle
Q:If our baby is a little boy and we want to have him circumcised in the hospital, can the ceremony of a bris still be held or would we have a baby naming?Q:Can a child who was circumcised in the hospital but has not had an actual bris be considered a Jew? My husband and I are an interfaith family and we are not sure what to do with our baby. Q: What is the official Reform position on officiating at the wedding of a Jew to a non-Jew? Q: How does Judaism feel about interracial Jewish marriages? Q:My husband and I have adopted a baby boy who was circumcised by a doctor when he was 2 months old. Must he undergo a conversion ceremony to be Jewish? Q: We are expecting a child in a few weeks. We think it will be a girl. Is there an equivalent to the bris ceremony for boys? We want to do something to welcome her and give her a Hebrew name. Q:Is it possible to have a child christened and go through a bris/baby naming? Q:I am Jewish and my wife is not. We are raising our daughter as a Jew, but my wife wants her to be exposed to Christianity as well. How do go to the in-laws over Christmas without confusing to her or hurting my in-law's feelings. Q:Must all men (or boys) be circumcised prior to conversion? Q: If a Jewish man marries a non-Jewish woman and they have a child, would the Reform movement consider their child to be Jewish?
Questions about God
Q: In Judaism, what is believed to happen to someone after they die? Is there some idea of an afterlife, or is that purely a Christian invention? Q:What is the most fundamental difference between Reform Judaism and Orthodox Judaism? How does this difference then manifest itself in the ways these two respective groups live their lives in response to God? Q:How does Judaism view the relationship between people and God?
Q:What are the names for God that is used in the Hebrew Bible? Q:I know that there is a prohibition against erasing the name of God. Given today's technology and the widespread usage of computers, how is that prohibition being interpreted? Q:What are the main differences between a Jew and a Christian?
Questions about Reform Judaism
Q: How do Orthodox and Reform practices differ?Q: What is the most fundamental difference between Reform Judaism and Orthodox Judaism? How does this difference then manifest itself in the ways these two respective groups live their lives in response to God? Q: What is the "platform" of Reform Judaism, and specifically, what is it about Reform that makes some other Jews so angry? Q: If Reform Judaism is about making informed choices, how can the average Reform Jew be expected to have enough knowledge to interpret Jewish law without guidance from learned rabbis? Q: Is there such a thing as Reform Judaism outside North America? What are European Jews? Reform? Orthodox?
Questions about Intermarriage
Q:Is it possible to have a child christened and go through a bris/baby naming? Q: I am Jewish and dating a non-Jewish woman who is considering conversion to Judaism. I'd be so happy if she did convert, but I don't want to seem like I'm forcing her to convert. How can I best support her without coercing her? Q:Can a child who was circumcised in the hospital but has not had an actual bris be considered a Jew? My husband and I are an interfaith family and we are not sure what to do with our baby. Q: What is the official Reform position on officiating at the wedding of a Jew to a non-Jew? Q:How does Judaism feel about interracial Jewish marriages? Q: Iam Jewish and my wife is not. We are raising our daughter as a Jew, but my wife wants her to be exposed to Christianity as well. How do go to the in-laws over Christmas without confusing to her or hurting my in-law's feelings.
Questions about Choosing Judaism
Q: I have been very attracted to Judaism ever since I first began to learn about it over thirty years ago. I have some reason to believe that my family was originally Jewish, but converted. What would be the steps for me to take to return to Judaism? I am especially attracted to Reform Judaism. What can you tell me?Q: Is it possible to convert to Judaism via the Internet?
Q: Is it necessary to be conversant in the Hebrew tongue in order to be accepted in the Jewish community via conversion? That is, can I convert without learning Hebrew?
Q: What is necessary in order to convert to Judaism?
Q: I am in the process of converting to Judaism. When the conversion ceremonies are completed, is it considered customary to render a gratuity to the Rabbi that we have been working with? This is a sensitive subject to ask of our Rabbi, whom we love and have the deepest respect for. I want to avoid asking anything that may seem self-serving and could be embarrassing to him.
Q: Why don't Jews proselytize?Q: Is it the policy that men must be circumcised prior to conversion? Q: I am Jewish and dating a non-Jewish woman who is considering conversion to Judaism. I'd be so happy if she did convert, but I don't want to seem like I'm forcing her to convert. How can I best support her without coercing her?
Q: What is the meaning behind the tradition of bringing bread and salt to someone when s/he moves into a new home?Q: We had the interior of our house painted and want to put back the mezuzahs. Exactly how should they be put on the doorposts and what are the prayers?Q: Is it permissible for someone who is below average height to affix a mezuzah lower than the norm, in order that they may be able to touch it and "interact" with it as they enter and exit their home, so that it may not be merely a "decorative" element?
Q: I have been in the process of rediscovering Judaism for several years now. As part of that process, I am struggling with how to decide what to follow and what not to follow. Whether or not to keep Kosher, and how to observe Shabbat, are important pieces of my struggle. How do you justify not doing some and doing others?
