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Interfaith

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Interfaith Couples Find a Balance During the Holidays

Christmas trees and Hanukah menorahs sit side by side in many homes.

During Hanukah, Glencoe residents Renata and Greg Bregstone light a menorah and give their children a small gift for each of the Jewish holiday's eight days. But at the same time, their children, ages 3 and 5, are also counting down to Christmas with an Advent Calendar. Decorations for both holidays are displayed in the window and a Hanukah banner that their children decorated hangs above the fireplace beside a Christmas tree. Renata is Catholic and Greg is Jewish and both wanted to raise their children with the holidays they grew up on, but have come to value the different perspective celebrating both traditions provides. “I want them to be open-minded and understanding of others,” Renata said. The challenge of getting that balance right …

Friday, April 6, 2012

With Interfaith Marriages on the Rise, Families Utilize Support Networks

Easter and Passover fall on the same weekend this year, and local families are finding new resources to balance differing religious traditions between couples.

Tucked away from the Friday night din of traffic on Dundee Road, a handful of adults nibbled on cheese pizza and debated differences between Christianity and Judaism in late March. In a nearby room of the Board of Jewish Education, their children practiced verses of traditional Jewish songs in preparation for Passover this week. With the increasing numbers of interfaith marriages on the North Shore, more parents are reaching out to local support networks for help with sensitive situations, such as celebrating two faiths in one weekend, Easter and Passover. Interfaith Parenting "Our interfaith marriage didn't become a major factor until we had kids," said Jill Edgeworth, who attended the interfaith meeting with her husband, Tom, and their …

Dani Petrie

9:30 am on Friday, May 4, 2012

Interfaith families in the area might consider Lake Shore Unitarian Society as a resource. We provide Sunday morning programming that includes inspirational and thought-provoking speakers for parents, and interfaith religious education for children. www.lsunitarians.org   more ›

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