I know this is a common theme, and I’ve seen posts with related discussions, so forgive me if this feels repetitive, but:
I was raised in a completely secular household. My father is Jewish, but stopped practising before I was born. My mother had a paternal Jewish grandmother, but was raised Christian. I grew up without any religion, but with an awareness of having a lot of Jewish family history.
As I get older, I feel more of a desire to learn about Judaism and get closer to it. I can even imagine c.onverting one day, but I don’t feel anywhere near ready for that. In the meantime, I am trying to learn more through reading, but I would also really like to be able to take part in services, and to learn the practical side of observance, as well as much about Jewish culture that I was not exposed to as a child. I guess part of my question is: How can I go about this in a way that is respectful and non-intrusive, without having actually started the c.onversion process?
My second question is: My wife and I have recently had a child. For much the same reason as I think I need a lot more time before I can consider c.onversion, I’m not ready to bring up our child with a specific religion. However, I would really like her (unlike me) to have some sense of her Jewish family history as part of her upbringing. Then, later in life, if she wishes to connect more deeply with it she’ll hopefully have more of an intuitive feeling for what that might mean. My current thought is perhaps to try to incorporate celebrating (in a secular way?) some Jewish holidays (or just some cultural practices associated with them) every year. But again, obviously I would want to do this in a way that is respectful and not overstepping any boundaries.
I’d be very grateful for any advice on how to approach either or both of these. Thanks for your thoughts.
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