An excellent and informational read that is very prevalent and sadly not addressed as much as it should be. While its primary focus is on Jewish-Christian, it can be applied to other interfaith marriages, too.

The A-Z of Intermarriage by Rabbi Denise Handlarski is an excellent informational book that focusses on the subjects, situations, and possible options/solutions that pop up when there is a Jewish/Christian marriage. This was of particular interest to me as a Jewish woman married to a nondenominational Christian man.

There were so many things that were so close to home. Some of the subjects we have already encountered, and others that we have no yet, but most certainly could. There were several areas of advice that I am actually implementing as we speak. I loved the unique presentation of placing the material in the alphabetical format. It was cute and actually helped keep the material light and interesting.

This book is a must for anyone in a mixed religion marriage or relationship. The broad concepts overall could actually work for other denominations that find themselves in a similar situation. I plan on recommending this book to several couples I know. (Big compliment!)

An excellent and informational read that is very prevalent and sadly not addressed as much as it should be.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and New Jewish Press for this excellent ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR account immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Bookbub, and B&N accounts upon publication.

I cannot emphasize enough how much I loved this quick, handy, helpful, and loving little book. I'm a Catholic Indian-American, and my Jewish boyfriend of four years and I have talked a lot about culture and religion. His older brother just got married to his partner of seven years who is not Jewish, and their intermarriage was a major topic of concern for his family, who really, really wanted their son's spouse to be Jewish. They faced a lot of pushback when marriage was on the horizon, mainly because of Judaism's matrilineal heritage and the fact that the wife wouldn't be Jewish. Eventually, it all worked out - they had a Jewish wedding without her converting, and all families came around to accept their partnership. But that was it - acceptance. I love how Rabbi Handlarski goes far beyond tolerance and instead encourages, fights for, and demands actively embracing the beauty that intermarriage can bring. Not only is it a way for non-Jewish folks to learn more about Judaism and spread greater cultural dialogue and understanding, intermarriage can also be a happy coming together of like-minded people and an opportunity to immerse yourself in and even better understand your own cultural heritage.

Many Jews see intermarriage as the downfall of the Jewish people, but Handlarski emphasizes that it is quite the opposite. There is already a good dose of infighting among people who practice Judaism at various levels, which is itself destructive to practice - being even more exclusionary is certainly not the way to further the faith. As a non-Jewish person myself, I have seen firsthand how accepting Jewish people can be - I've been welcomed into Jewish services and holidays through Chabad and my boyfriend's family practices, and I've grown to appreciate what makes Jewish traditions spectacular: family, food, questions, reflection, and justice. I find that Jewish celebrations, much more than my Catholic ones, are a conduit for welcoming outsiders and starting dialogues. Although tradition is essential to Judaism, adapting to change is also a fundamental part of the Jewish people, and that resilience, compounded with a love of being Jewish, is what keeps the culture alive.

I am 100% going to buy this book for my boyfriend's family for all to read. I think it really helps address some of the challenging questions of intermarriage, like traditions, holidays, family, and more. I learned so much and felt so much better after reading this - it's truly an uplifting way to address the complex topic of intermarriage. Thank you Rabbi Handlarski!!

Dry in some places, yet fully laugh-out-loud-able in others, this is an alphabetical look at the struggles and unique situations interfaith marriage brings to the table. While its primary focus is on Jewish-Christian, it can be applied to other interfaith marriages, too. There's even a bonus section on Chrismukkah!