Jewish Family Services, BOLD Visions forms support group

Date: 3/28/2011

SPRINGFIELD — In the current age of intermarriage, many Jewish adults are left wondering how to best foster Jewish identity for future generations while respecting the choices of their intermarried children. Sometimes, parents and grandparents may have feelings that are hard to express and it may seem like there is no place to air these emotions.

Last November as part of its BOLD Visions Initiative, Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts sponsored the beginning of a candid dialogue for Jewish parents and grandparents struggling to develop happy and healthy relationships with their intermarried loved ones. The discussion continues for two more sessions on April 3 and April 10 from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. at Temple Beth El, 979 Dickinson St.

The meetings are open to all parents and grandparents as well as all community members. Topics for discussion include celebrating family holidays and life cycle transitions, relating to Christian relatives, and keeping the dialogue open with intermarried children.

Shoshana Zonderman, Interfaith Outreach coordinator at Jewish Family Service, will facilitate the two discussions.

Light refreshments will be served and there is no fee for the meeting; however, pre-registration is recommended. This program is co-sponsored with Temple Beth El and Sinai Temple. For more information or to pre-register, contact Jewish Family Service at either 737-2601 or JewishLife@jfswm.org.