Author name: Judith Seid

Cantor and Rabbi Judith Seid is a graduate of the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism and holds a masters degree in Jewish Communal Studies from Hebrew Union College. She serves on the executive committee of the Congress of Secular Jewish Organizations. A graduate of the Secular Shule movement, she taught in and directed several Secular Jewish supplemental schools and directed the Ann Arbor Jewish Cultural Society for many years. She founded the Baltimore Jewish Cultural Chavurah in 1998 and Tri-Valley Cultural Jews in Northern California in 2005. She is also the author of We Rejoice in Our Heritage: Home Rituals for Secular and Humanistic Jews and the creative editor of Kumzits! A Festivity of Instant Jewish Songs. She is the parent of three fourth-generation secularists. She likes to sing, would rather dance than eat, and thinks e-mail is the best invention since hot running water. She also laughs more than is strictly necessary.

Elul

It’s the Jewish month of Elul, the only Jewish month with no holidays after the first day. The only month you’re not scurrying around cooking for the holiday, cleaning for the holiday, inviting friends and family, making sure you have whatever holiday supplies you need for your household’s traditions. The only month you have time […]

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No Experience is Wasted

We keep saying, “this is a weird time.” We keep saying, ‘this is different from anything we’ve ever experienced before.” We keep saying, “I’m not sure I know how to cope with this.” All those statements are true. And also not. Lessons from our past inform this new situation. Don’t touch your face. A guy

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Remembering Your Loved Ones at Your Wedding

People are getting married later in life than they did 20 or 30 years ago.  Because of this, there are often dear relatives the couple would have loved to have been present at their wedding, but who are no longer alive.  Sometimes the couple would like to remember them at the ceremony but not in

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Jewish Names

In our Secular Humanistic Jewish movement, we welcome all babies to the world and to the Jewish community in the same way, with a lovely baby-naming ceremony created with the parents. Most new parents have already chosen English names for their babies, but many are not sure how to find a Jewish name. Here are

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What I Hear

What I hear when you say you’ll pray for me: First, I hear that what you mean to say is, “I’m sorry this is happening to you.” Thank you. I appreciate the sympathy. It’s nice to know people care. But then I also hear one of the following: In other words, when you say you’ll

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