rosh hashanab
Interfaith Challenger
Six tips for interfaith families
facing the High Holidays.
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14611 W. 11 Mile Rd. (On I 1 mile between Greenfield & Coo
THE ISAAC AGREE
OWNTOWN SYNAGOGUE
Invites the Community to Observe
HIGH HOLY DAYS
The Holocaust Memorial Center
28123 Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills, MI
(Less than a block North of the Orchard Lake Road Exit of 1-696)
A Warm, Friendly Environment.
No Admission Charge. No Tickets Required.
ROSH HASHANAH SERVICES
Sunday Evening, September 16: Maariv
Monday Morning, September 17
Monday Evening, September 17: Mincha/Maariv
Tuesday Morning, September 18
6:30 p.m.
8:30 a.m.
6:00 p.m.
8:30 a.m.
SHABBAT SHUVAH SERVICES
Friday Evening, September 21: Mincha/Maariv/Kabbalat Shabbat
6:30 p.m.
Saturday Morning, September 22
9:00 a.m.
YOM KIPPUR SERVICES
Tuesday Evening, September 25: Kol Nidre
6:30 p.m.
Wednesday Morning, September 26
9:30 a.m.
Yizkor
Mincha
N' ilah
Blowing of the Shofar
12:30 p.m.
5:30 p.m.
6:45 p.m.
8:04 p.m.
For further information, call: (313)962-4047
66
September 13 • 2012
iN
From InterfaithFamilV
Because family meals
are universal, inviting
extended family mem-
bers who are not Jewish to join
in the holiday meals can serve
to focus on the commonalities
of your traditions. Over time,
these gatherings become part of
the year's cycle for the extended
family. They become familiar.
Try to cook traditional foods
eaten on that holiday. Or you
can invite close friends, both
Jewish and not, to bring along
their favorite dishes.
Try to involve each
member of your family
in the holiday. On Rosh
Hashanah, you can begin new
family traditions by discussing
how to make the year a bet-
ter one or how you as a family
want to grow. Come up with
three or four ways you can attain
your goals. On Yom Kippur, you can
talk about how you as a family have
"missed the mark" and what you can
do to repair any wounds.
42
3
If your spouse doesn't like to
attend synagogue with you, try
to create a group for others in
your situation. Set up a certain area
in the synagogue where you can all
sit together so that you don't have
to feel alone. The seating area could
also welcome widowed, divorced or
single members. Another option is
to join a chavurah (informal study
and worship group) that will sit
together.
If your spouse would go
Ito synagogue but doesn't
understand how the service
is put together, why certain prayers
are said, and/or what the Hebrew
means, ask your rabbi or synagogue
educator to hold a special learn-
ing service for people who need an
introduction or a refresher (it could
also include Jewish members). At
that special service, the rabbi can
explain the different elements in the
service, the Hebrew, and the overall
goal, and also answer questions.
5
If you are the Jewish partner,
remember that your spouse
may be feeling uncomfortable
with the traditions, the synagogue
and all your family members. So pay
attention to your partner, explain as
much as possible to him or her and
appreciate your spouse's willingness
to participate.
If you don't usually attend syn-
agogue and your partner can't
understand why you want to
now, you can explain that for many
Jews in this country, attending High
Holiday services (particularly the
first evening service of Yom Kippur)
is a way of affirming that we still are
part of the Jewish people. We still
care about being Jewish — even if
we're not very religious and are not
sure how we feel about the content of
those services. For many American
Jews, Jewish identity is primarily
ethnic, cultural or communal, as
opposed to religious.
interfaithFamily is a Web-based resource
for interfaith couples exploring Jewish
life and making Jewish choices, and the
leading Web-based advocate for attitudes,
policies and practices that welcome and
embrace them.