Feature | Menorahs and Christmas Trees?
How We Do It: Keeping Traditions Alive Here’s a peek into the rituals and celebrations of two local families.
The Kaplan Family Jeff, Julie, Molly (age 11) and Sam (age 9)
While Julie Kaplan grew up Episcopalian, her husband grew up Jewish. After deciding early on to raise their children Jewish, the Kaplans also agreed to expose them to Christianity. In the process, says Julie, “I learned more about Judaism, and I love a lot of things about it,” she says, although she has no “burning desire” to convert at this time.
The Kaplans sent their children to the Jewish Community Center preschool and take them to Shabbat services on Fridays. For Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, the Kaplans generally go to synagogue and have a meal with the family. “We eat apples dipped in honey for a sweet year, and we have a special meal with family.” Yom Kippur follows. “That is the Jewish Day of Atonement and is low-key.” But, she says, they celebrate Hanukkah big, even though it isn’t one of the bigger Jewish holidays. “We usually travel to my in-laws’ house, do a gift exchange, light a menorah, play dreidel,” says Kaplan. For Passover, which celebrates the exodus from Egypt after generations of slavery, the Kaplans hold a traditional seder, a big ceremonial meal. “We tell stories of the exodus and follow the traditions of the holiday, such as the youngest child reciting the four questions in Hebrew,” she says. “Obviously, since we are raising the children Jewish, these celebrations are bigger than our Christian celebrations.”
As for those Christian celebrations, the Kaplans go to church services with Julie’s parents on both Easter and Christmas Eve. “I want to share my magical memories with them,” she says. That’s why they put up a decorated tree and lights on the house. “My husband understands how important that is to me, but we always have a menorah in the window,” she says. “Santa and the Easter Bunny come to my parents’ house, and I explain the importance of the holidays from a Christian standpoint. The kids understand that it’s what I believe and not necessarily what they believe.”
However, says Kaplan, the most important thing is to be proud of your identity and Kaplan Family Photo by Amy Smith
respect your partner’s religious beliefs. “Once the wedding is over and you have children, all the questions become a little more real, so communication and respect are so important.”
The Soliman/Elkach Family Toni, Rania, Joseph (age 11) and Michael (age 9)
In the Muslim religion, there are three main holidays: Ramadan, Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The holy month of Ramadan is a time when Muslims fast during daylight hours to celebrate the time when Allah revealed the fi rst verses of the Qur’an. While Rania fasts during this time, her children and husband do not.
Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan. Eid ul-Fitr starts the day after Ramadan ends, and Eid ul-Fitr’s importance is equivalent to the importance of Christmas for Christians. “We celebrate this with my family and have a huge meal. The kids get presents, and my mom and I make a lot of the traditional Muslim foods and desserts,” Rania says. “There is a big prayer at the Central Florida Fairgrounds, and we took the kids to it one year. It’s an hour long, with a prayer and what is the equivalent of a sermon. It was a way to expose them to my faith; however, it’s hard to go every year because it always falls on different days of the week, depending on when Ramadan ends,”
44 PLAYGROUND Winter 2011
she says. “A big part of this holiday is about giving to poor people, so we always send money to the [less fortunate] in Egypt.”
For Eid al-Adha, the Soliman/Elkach family travels to Rania’s parents’ home, where they eat traditional foods and feast.
For Christian holidays, Rania and Toni take the children to church for Easter and Christmas. “We don’t go to church every Sunday, but because they’re going to a Christian school, they are learning about Christianity that way.” Of course, Santa comes, and the boys get presents. “We have a big traditional dinner.” The same goes for Easter, when the Easter Bunny leaves the kids baskets full of goodies.
The key, says Rania, is to fi nd what is common about the faiths. “We believe in the same God, and Toni and I are on the same page about how we’re raising the boys,” she says.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60