A Baptist Among the Jews
by Mary Blye Howe, John Wilson

A Baptist Among the Jews" is a passionate blueprint for achieving ecumenical understanding and cooperation. The author has managed to transcend the confines of her narrow fundamentalist origins and allow herself to experience other approaches to the Divine. Howe isn't overly concerned with doctrine or dogma. She doesn't bring a list of theological preconceptions or doctrinal preconditions to her relationship with reform, conservative, orthodox, and even hasidic Jews. That a person can actually come closer to God in a faith tradition other than her own is perhaps the central lesson of her book and one that more people would do well to emulate.

The Intermarriage Handbook: A Guide for Jews & Christians, New York, Morrow 1991
By Judy Petronsk, Jim Remsen

The Intermarriage Handbook is a comprehensive, immensely practical self-help book for interfaith couples. Judy Petsonk and Jim Remsen interviewed hundreds of experts: psychologists, family therapist, sociologists, religious leaders--and especially the couples themselves. They discovered that the cultural differences between Christians and Jews are as significant as their religious upbringings. Even if husband and wife are not practicing a faith, they may be feeling the strain of being in an interfaith relationship.
It goes to decent length explaining the psychological development of children and the role religion and G-d plays in that development. Then the book explains inter- and mono-faith family options through the lens of child development. Thus, I gained a perspective on the pros & cons of interfaith issues from a tangible perspective which only this book has provided.

Interfaith Families: Personal Stories of Jewish-Christian Intermarriage, Praeger, 2004
by Jane Kaplan

This book will open your eyes to both sides of the story from the very different personal viewpoints of Jewish and Christian partners and is non-judgmental in the display of the difficulties that may arise. We all know our own point of view but how well do we understand our partner’s perspective? If your partner has problems putting his/her feelings into words, these vignettes may help.

Making a Successful Jewish Interfaith Marriage: The Jewish Outreach Institute Guide to Opportunities, Challenges and Resources, Jewish Lights 2003
by Kerry M. Olitzky, Joan Peterson Littman

In this first of its kind resource, Jewish and non-Jewish members of interfaith families--grandparents, parents, children, dating and committed couples, Jews-by-Choice, and extended family members--and the rabbis, cantors, family educators, and outreach professionals who work with them, offer you their own first-hand experience. This family reference guide is packed with advice and insight from a Jewish perspective on the day-to-day issues facing interfaith families.

Mixed Matches: How to create successful interracial, interethnic, and interfaith relationships, Ballantine Books, 1995
by Joel Crohn

Written by a therapist, this book focuses on communication skills. The author observes that the lack of a strong identification with racial, religious or cultural groups does not mean that there is not a deep loyalty to the past beyond what people realize. There are many exercises that can assist couples in examining their own styles and how this is related to their background.

Common Prayers: Faith, Family and a Christian’s Journey Through the Jewish Year, Houghton Mifflin, 2001
By Harvey Cox

Arranged as a journey through the Jewish year, a Christian theologian who is married to a Jew, shares his thoughts on the spiritual riches of Judaism.

A Baptist Among the Jews
by Mary Blye Howe, John Wilson

A Baptist Among the Jews" is a passionate blueprint for achieving ecumenical understanding and cooperation. The author has managed to transcend the confines of her narrow fundamentalist origins and allow herself to experience other approaches to the Divine. Howe isn't overly concerned with doctrine or dogma. She doesn't bring a list of theological preconceptions or doctrinal preconditions to her relationship with reform, conservative, orthodox, and even hasidic Jews. That a person can actually come closer to God in a faith tradition other than her own is perhaps the central lesson of her book and one that more people would do well to emulate.

The Guide to Jewish Interfaith Family Life: An InterfaithFamily.com Handbook,
Jewish Lights Publishing, 2001
edited by Ronnie Friedland and Edmund Case

A helpful, practical book that offers the perspectives of many intermarried families, as well as people who work with them, on how to handle issues that can be delicate. Respecting each family's need to work things out for themselves, this book presents several points of view for each cahpter, rather than one way that things should be done.

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JEWISH SPIRITUALITY: A Brief Introduction for Christians, Jewish Lights, 2003
By Lawrence Kushner

An engaging introduction to Jewish spirituality—written especially for Christians. Introduces readers to the Talmud, Midrash, and mystical and biblical stories. Reveals the essence of Judaism in a way that people whose own tradition traces its roots to Judaism can understand and enjoy.

A Christian’s Guide to Judaism, Paulist Press, 2004
By Michael Loker

In an easy, kitchen-table, friend of the family voice, this book guides the reader through all the topics of an Introduction to Judaism.

Introducing My Faith and My Community: The Jewish Outreach Institute Guide for the Christian in a Jewish Interfaith Relationship, Jewish Lights, Woodstock VT, 2004
By Kerry Olitsky

This book addresses the role of belief and God in Judaism, as well as the place of Judaism’s core values of study and charity and the place of Israel and community to American Jews.

The Jewish Approach to God: A Brief Introduction for Christians, Jewish Lights, Woodstock VT, 2003
By Neil Gilman

A guide to the different ways Jews have related to God and how they originated.

What I Wish My Christian Friends Knew About Judaism, Loyola Press, Chicago, 2004.
By Robert Schoen

A concise overview that explains the differences and highlights the similarities between Judaism and Christianity.

Jewish Ritual: A Brief Guide for Christians, Jewish Lights, 2004
By Rabbi Kerry M Olitzky and Rabbi Daniel Judson

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Married to a convert herself, Anita Diamant provides advice and information that can transform the act of conversion into an extraordinary journey of self-discovery and spiritual growth. Here you will learn how to choose a rabbi, a synagogue, a denomination, a Hebrew name; how to handle the difficulty of putting aside Christmas; what happens at the mikvah (ritual bath) or at a hatafat dam brit (circumcision ritual for those already circumcised); how to find your footing in a new spiritual family that is not always well prepared to receive you; and how not to lose your bonds to your family of origin. Diamant anticipates all the questions, doubts, and concerns, and provides a comprehensive explanation of the rules and rituals of conversion.

My Jewish Year, Behrman House Publishing, 1993
By Adam Fisher

Full-color photos, illustrations, games, and puzzles makes this an irresistible book on the Jewish holidays for seven- and eight-year olds. Geared for kids - but good for newbies. The stories for each holiday are presented along with the traditional symbols, rituals, and legends. Holidays included: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simhat Torah, Shabbat, Hanukkah, Tu B'Shevat, Purim, Passover, Yom Hashoah, Yom Ha'atzma'ut (Israel Independence Day) and Shavuot.

The Jewish Holidays: A Guide and Commentary, Harper Resource, 1993
By Michael Strassfeld

The coeditor of the enormously popular Jewish Catalog "help[s] readers understand more fully the meaning of our holidays and thereby to observe these festivals . . . with a greater devotion and joy."--Rabbi Alexander M. Schindler

How to Run a Tradtional Jewish Household, Fireside, 1985
By Blu Greenberg

"I am a Jew by Choice (who chose Reform) who wants to learn more about the other Jewish movements. Blu Greenberg is open and honest about raising an Orthodox family in modern society. She is not the perfect Orthodox wife, nor does she pretend to be. Her book is part autobiography, part instruction. I found it very helpful as I move toward keeping a kosher home and as I move toward closer observance of Shabbat. She explains a ritual, followed by the appropriate prayer in Hebrew, transliteration, and English. If you want to see how the other half lives, here is your chance. I heartily recommend it." --Cynthia E. Larson

The Jewish Book of Why, Volumes 1 and 2, Penguin Books
By Alfred J. Kolatch

In this complete, concise, fascinating, and thoroughly informative guide to Jewish life and tradition, Rabbi Alfred J. Kolatch clearly explains both the significance and the origin of nearly every symbol, custom, and practice known to Jewish culture-from Afikomon to Yarmulkes, and from Passover to Purim. Kolatch also dispels many of the prevalent misconceptions and misunderstandings that surround Jewish observance and provides a full and unfettered look at the biblical, historical, and sometimes superstitious reasons and rituals that helped develop Jewish law and custom and make Judaism not just a religion, but a way of life. L'chaim!

To Be a Jew, Basic Books 1991
By Hayim Donin

Here in one handsome volume are all the laws and customs as they apply to contemporary Jewish life. In simple and powerful language Donin presents the laws and observances for the daily life and for the major and minor holidays, as well as the guiding principles and practices for all the special occasions of life.

To Pray as a Jew, Basic Books 1991
By Hayim Halevy Donin

A handsome and indispensable guide to Jewish prayer--unexcelled for beginners as well as the religiously observant.

The Everything Judaism Book - A Complete Primer, Adams Media Corporation, 2002
By Richard Bank

The Everything® Judaism Book explains the major precepts of this robust religion in language anyone can understand and appreciate.

The Complete How to Handbook for Jewish Living: Three Volumes in One, Ktav Publishing House, 2004
By Kerry Olitzky, Ronald Isaacs, and Dorcas Gelabert

This comprehensive guide answers a multitude of questions on Jewish rituals and customs: the basic prayers and blessings and information on baking challah bread, lighting the Shabbat candles, blowing the shofar, and conducting the Passover seder. Rabbi Olitzky and Rabbi Isaacs give instructions on visiting the sick, dancing the hora, eating kosher food, observing the Hebrew calendar, choosing a religious school and synagogue, and putting up a mezuzah. Information on the order of the prayer service, marriage and divorce, the Rashi script, and the 613 biblical commandments is followed by a "how-to" section dealing with such topics as explaining death to children and honoring the memory of the deceased. George Cohen

Jewish Holidays All Year Round: A Family Treasury, Harry N Abrams, 2002
By Ilene Cooper

The traditions and history of each holy day are explained in simple, clear language, along with the ways in which the day is observed, both in the synagogue and at home. Great crafts (including a miniature sukkah) and recipes (for tasty treats such as hamentashen) invite children and families to make every celebration uniquely their own.

The Book of Jewish Values, Harmony/Bell Tower, 2000
By Rabbi Joseph Telushkin

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin has combed the Bible, the Talmud, and the whole spectrum of Judaism's sacred writings to give us a manual on how to lead a decent, kind, and honest life in a morally complicated world. Telushkin speaks to the major ethical issues of our time, issues that have, of course, been around since the beginning. He offers one or two pages a day of pithy, wise, and easily accessible teachings designed to be put into immediate practice. The range of the book is as broad as life itself.

Embracing the Covenant: Converts to Judaism Talk About Why & How, Jewish Lights
Edited by Rabbi Allan Berkowitz and Patti Moskovitz

Through personal experiences of twenty coverts to Judaism, illuminates reasons for converting, the quest for a satisfing spirituality, the appeal of the Jewish tradition, and how conversion has changed lives--the converts, and the lives of those close to them.

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For the grown children of intermarriage. How do grown children find a place of their own, to inhabit in spiritual and emotional comfort? What does it feel like to be raised "both or nothing?" Read Between Two Worlds if you think doing both works for kids. It can be done, but it takes a LOT of work and self awareness and doesn’t always create the intended results.

If I'm Jewish and You're Christian, What are the Kids? A Parenting Guide for Interfaith Families, UAHC Press, New York, 1994.
By Andrea King

The most difficult decision for interfaith parents is choosing a religious identity for their children. This book explores the options and discusses the impact of interfaith families on the developmental stages of the child.

The Blessing of a Skinned Knee: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children
by Wendy Mogel

Digging into the rich traditions of the Torah, the Talmud and other Jewish teachings, Mogel builds a parenting blueprint that draws on core spiritual values relevant to families of all faiths. With warmth and humor, she offers strategies for encouraging respect and gratitude in children, and cautions against overprotection.

Mingled Roots: A Guide for Jewish Grandparents of Interfaith Grandchildren, B’nai Brith Women, 1991
By Sunrie Levin

Discusses how Jewish grandparents can play an important role in imparting Jewish Values to their interfaith grandchildren without being intrusive.

The J Girl's Guide, Jewish Lights, 2005
By Panina Adelman and Ali Feldman

An inspirational, interactive book designed to help pre-teen Jewish girls address the spiritual, eduational, and psychological issues surrounding coming of age in today's society.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, Laure Leaf, 1970
By Judy Blum

This book began as a controversial tale about about puberty. However, "so much did these shocking topics dominate discussions of this novel for children between ten and twelve that hardly anything was said about the title character's perplexity concerning relgious identity--a theme that runs through the book as dominantly as matters of maturing bodies do (Daniel Klein and Freke Vuijst)."

The Mozart Season, Scholastic, 1991
By Virginia Euwer Wolff

The Mozart Season is long on rumination and short on action, as Allegra wrestles with everything from what it takes to be a musician to what it means to be half Jewish and half Gentile to the exact nature of her connection with her grandmother, murdered in a concentration camp during World War II. For a youngster who is thoughtful, it is a pleasure to have a novel of ideas for young adults that describes the delicate dance between honoring traditions of the past and being your own person in the present. Ages 11-13.

Kaddish for Grandpa in Jesus' Name Amen, Antheneum, 2004
by James Howe and Catherine Stock

PreSchool-Grade 2–This gentle story approaches the subjects of family, grief, and religion as a little girl struggles to come to terms with her grandfather's death. A simple narrative takes readers through five-year-old Emily's thoughts and feelings as she watches her parents and other relatives go through the process and rituals of grieving. Since Grandpa was Christian and Emily and her parents are Jewish (her father converted as an adult), the way each side of the family mourns is very different. This book is a good vehicle to explain the rituals of death to children.
--Jane Marino, Bronxville Public Library, NY Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Wrestling with God and Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition, University of Wisconsin Press, 2004 By Steven Greenberg

For millennia, two biblical verses have been understood to condemn sex between men as an act so abhorrent that it is punishable by death. Traditionally Orthodox Jews, believing the scripture to be the word of God, have rejected homosexuality in accordance with this interpretation. In 1999, Rabbi Steven Greenberg challenged this tradition when he became the first Orthodox rabbi ever to openly declare his homosexuality. Wrestling with God and Men is the product of Rabbi Greenberg's ten-year struggle to reconcile his two warring identities.

Twice Blessed: On Being Lesbian, Gay, and Jewish, Beacon Press, 1991
By Christie Balka and Andy Rose

The essays address everything from growing up in a yeshiva to finding a new Judaism-based theology of gay sexuality, from the search for Jewish gay role models to Jewish marital commitment ceremonies. This is a necessary book, not only for Jews who live their sexuality in silence, or gays and lesbians who long to reclaim their Jewish upbringing, but for family members, lovers, and friends of those who struggle to unite both worlds and to discover "the blessing of affirming both our Jewish and our lesbian and gay identities, and to living our lives based on the wisdom of two cultures." --Kera Bolonik

Like Bread on the Seder Plate, Columbia University Press, 1997
By Rebecca Alpert

The title, Like Bread on the Seder Plate, refers to a tradition that began in the 1980s among Jewish lesbians, whereby they placed a piece of leavened bread on the Seder plate at Passover to evoke their feelings of isolation from Jewish tradition. As one of the first women to be ordained as a rabbi, author Rebecca Alpert asserts a visible place for lesbians within Judaism, reinterpreting the homophobic strictures imposed by the Torah to construct a framework in which Jewish lesbians can feel included and accepted. A brave, accessible, and important book, Like Bread on the Seder Plate is sure to inspire many Jewish lesbians to reclaim a cultural and religious life that previously excluded them. --Kera L. Bolonik

Nice Jewish Girls: A Lesbian Anthology, Beacon Press, 1989
By Evelyn Torton Beck

A stunning collection of angry, bitter, proud, and joyful writing--poetry, stories, history, analysis, autobiography--on Jewish lesbian identity. With a new section on mother/daughter relationships, new and updated material on Israel, and new poetry and photographs.

Homosexuality and Judaism: The Report of the Reconstructionist Commission on Homosexuality, Reconstructionist Press, 1993

Lesbiot: Israeli Lesbians Talk About Sexuality, Feminism, Judaism and Their Lives, Cassell, 1999
By Tracy Moore

The Pink Triangle: The Nazi War Against Homosexuals, Owl Books, 1988
By Jean Swallow

This is the first comprehensive book in English on the fate of the homosexuals in Nazi Germany. The author, a German refugee, examines the climate and conditions that gave rise to a vicious campaign against Germany’s gays, as directed by Himmler and his SS--persecution that resulted in tens of thousands of arrests and thousands of deaths.

Gay American History: Lesbians and Gay Men in the USA, Plume, 1992
By Jonathan Ned Katz

Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman, Beacon Press, 1997.
By Leslie Feinberg

Leslie Feinberg has been a leader in the transgender rights movement as long as such a movement has existed. This book is both deeply personal and widely researched. Feinberg examines perceptions of the body, the status of clothing, and the structures of societies that welcome or are threatened by gender variance. The portrait gallery that closes the book contains photographs and capsule biographies of contemporary transgendered people.