Jewish Identity, Again?

Evolutionary Spirituality, For Religious Educators, Interfaith Education, Interspiritual, Jewish-Interfaith, Spiritual Growth for Kids, , , , , , , , , ,

black and white sketch the actual House of Lauren ZinnThe New York Times today (1 Oct 2013) posted the results of the first major survey of American Jews in over a decade conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project. The data are not that surprising. But the conclusions confound me.

Data show that intermarriage continues to rise and that fewer Jews raise their children with a Jewish identity.  “Of the “Jews of no religion” who have children at home, two-thirds are not raising their children Jewish in any way. This is in contrast to the “Jews with religion” of whom 93 percent said they are raising their children to have a Jewish identity.” The conclusion is that “this secular trend has serious consequences for what Jewish leaders call Jewish continuity.” Which leaders? What do they mean “not Jewish in any way”? Is Jewish identity and continuity really threatened, or only these leaders’ idea of it? What if identity consisted of another idea?

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Interfaith Matters

Curriculum Design, Evolutionary Spirituality, For Religious Educators, Interfaith Children, Interfaith Education, Jewish-Interfaith, Spiritual Growth for Kids, , , , ,

Lauren Zinn lecturing in Toronto about responsible religion for a global culture.

Dear Parents,

I’m energized from presenting the model of interfaith education, Teaching Responsible Religion for an Interfaith World, that I developed while teaching your children! 🙂, to a welcoming audience at NAIN (North American Interfaith Network) hosted at The University of Toronto, August 11-14, 2013.  If I had any doubts about my devotion to developing a Jewish-Interfaith program, i.e., the Hebrew Play Group through ZinnHouse, they quickly evaporated among interfaith enthusiasts! Continue reading Interfaith Matters →

The Little Mermaid

Interfaith Children, Interfaith Inspiration, Interspiritual, Jewish-Interfaith, Spiritual Growth for Kids, , ,

Mixed media painting by Lauren Zinn of a back of a girl sculpting sand and the sky above.My 14 year old daughter and I took two neighbors, ages 4 and 6, to see June 2nd’s 2013 performance of The Little Mermaid produced by Young People’s Theater at The University of Michigan’s Power Center. The kindergarten through high school cast delighted our little guests who knew all the songs by heart.  But even for me, a member of the older half of the audience, the story’s universal message tugged at my heart, touched a chord, and tapped open tears. What is this emotional message, and what does it have to do with Jewish and Interfaith themes? Continue reading The Little Mermaid →

Responsible Religion for Getting Unstuck

Conversations with Leaders, Curriculum Design, For Religious Educators, Interfaith Education, Interfaith Inspiration, Jewish-Interfaith, Spiritual Growth for Kids, , , , ,

Mixed media painting by Lauren Zinn.Pastor Joe Summers’ hard work and dedication organizing “UnStuck: Reviving the Movement for Social Justice, Human Dignity, and the Environment” at The Michigan Theater on February 16, 2013 was a huge success. With Rev. James Forbes and Cornel West as the keynotes, along with musical performances, and wide support, the program delivered a whole greater than the sum of its parts. I was honored to be among several speakers about religion’s sticking points in unleashing social change. I’m sharing my talk here.
“Stick” with this; it’s  not that long.

I’ve been energized these days about my profession as an Interfaith Minister and my practice (vocation) as an Interfaith Educator.  So when Joe asked me to be part of this event, I agreed.  Because I thought I had a lot to say. But when I sat down to write, I felt “stuck.”  Now I’m going to tell you what I’ve learned about getting “unstuck.”

I grew up in a Conservative Jewish household.  I went to Hebrew School every Monday, Wednesday, and Sunday. My family attended Sabbath Services which meant I was at the synagogue on Saturdays, too. When I joined the Jewish Youth Group, I was there five times each week. I went to Jewish camps in the summer. I lived on a religious kibbutz in Israel briefly in high school. I attended the Hebrew University in Jerusalem for my junior year of college. I thought I would join the Israeli army, marry an Israeli, and live life on a kibbutz.  Would you be surprised if I told you that it didn’t work out that way?

What happened?

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“Life of Pi” ~ An Evolutionary Religion Teacher’s Dream on Screen

Curriculum Design, For Religious Educators, Interfaith Children, Interfaith Education, Interfaith Inspiration, Interspiritual, Jewish-Interfaith, Movies on Faith & Spirituality, Spiritual Growth for Kids, , , , ,

Poster for the movie, Life of Pi. How many literary characters can you name who embrace three religions? 

In Life of Pi, directed by Ang Lee and based on the winning novel by Yann Martel, we meet Pi, a Hindu-Christian-Muslim. Since most religions build their ideologies around stories, this film prods us to consider the ways in which faith, story, and life converge both on and off the screen.

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God Is Not One and the Paradox that Follows

Books on Faith and Spirituality, Interfaith Education, Jewish-Interfaith, , , ,

Orange backround with white letters that say God Is Not One, referring to the book by Stephe Prothero.In God Is Not One, author and Religious Studies professor Stephen Prothero sums up the problems that major religions try to solve and the solutions they offer. In the case of Judaism, the problem is “exile” and the solution is “return.” For Christianity, the problem is “sin” and the solution “salvation,” and so on. When you think about it, this theme of “exile and return” describes much of Jewish thought. Yet, a paradox soon follows.

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