Celebrating Life's Passage: A Birth-to-Death Sampler of Resources and Ceremonies. Humanistic Judaism Vol. XXVII, no.1-2, Winter/Spring 1999.
These ceremonies focus on the connection to family, to the Jewish people and to humanity as a whole, with no references to God or supernatural authority. Available from the Society for Humanistic Judaism, 28611 West Twelve Mile Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334, (248) 478-7610, info@shj.org, www.shj.org.
Geffen, Rela M., Ed. Celebration and Renewal: Rites of Passage in Judaism. Jewish Publication Society, 1993.
Essays by rabbis, psychologists, sociologists and educators from all branches of Judaism, discussing Jewish legal and contemporary perspectives on the lifecycle and accompanying rituals
Goldberg, Harvey. Jewish Passages: Cycles of Jewish Life. University of California Press, October 1, 2003.
An anthropological perspective on the diversity within Judaism lifecycle events, examining beginnings, rituals of education, marriage, and death and mourning, and how Jewish life is organized around these rituals.
Isaacs, Ronald H. Rites of Passage: A Guide to the Jewish Life Cycle. KTAV, 1992.
An accessible exploration of traditional lifecycle ceremonies.
Levine, Elizabeth Resnick. A Ceremonies Sampler: New Rites, Celebrations, and Observances of Jewish Women. Woman’s Institute for Continuing Jewish Education, 1991.
A collection of new celebrations and ceremonies created to recognize significant events in women's lives, including a number of healing rituals.
Neusner, Jacob. The Enchantments of Judaism: Rites of Transformation from Birth to Death. Basic Books, 1987.
A liturgical theology of Judaism, discussing lifecycle and holidays rituals and synagogue worship, and the relationship between individual and community.
Orenstein, Rabbi Debra, Ed. Lifecycles, Volume 1: Jewish Women on Life Passages and Personal Milestones. Jewish Lights Publishing, 1994.
Covering the spectrum of lifecycle events, this landmark volume includes new rituals and ceremonies and personal essays on how Jewish women are marking events in their lives in traditional and innovative ways. The afterword, "How to Create a Ritual," includes the stages of ritual creation and a helpful checklist for evaluating your newly created ceremony.
Schulweis, Harold M. Finding Each Other in Judaism: Meditations on the Rites of Passage from Birth to Immortality. UAHC Press, 2001.
Explores the meaning and significance of Jewish lifecycle events, showing how the events and their rituals connect us to community and to God.
Waskow, Arthur Ocean and Berman, Phyllis Ocean. A Time for Every Purpose Under Heaven. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2002.
The authors, teachers in the Jewish-renewal movement, see lifecycle (or “life spiral”) rituals as presenting “sacred possibilities” along a rhythmic Jewish pathway. They go beyond the conventional list of lifecycle rituals, including, for example, weaning, menstruation, getting a driver’s license, and friendship, and offering renewed perspectives on ancient ceremonies.
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