Resources

Abramowitz, Yosef I., and Rabbi Susan Silverman. Jewish Family and Life: Traditions, Holidays and Values for Today’s Parents and Children. Golden Books, 1997.
Accessible book offering Jewish parents a multitude of perspectives on raising Jewish children and bringing Jewish ritual and practice into all aspects of life.

Alpert, Rebecca T. "Our Lives Are the Text: Exploring Jewish Women’s Rituals." Bridges: A Journal for Jewish Feminists and Our Friends. 2:1 (Spring 1991/5751).
Examines the achievements and challenges of Jewish women’s rituals and their significance for Judaism and Jewish feminism.

Alpert, Rebecca. "Ahavat Hesed: Transforming Relationships," in Like Bread on the Seder Plate: Jewish Lesbians and the Transformation of Tradition. Columbia University Press, 1997.
Discusses issues raised by Jewish lesbians in dealing with families of origin, holiday observances, and lifecycle events, including marriage rituals.

Alpert, Rebecca T., and Jacob J. Staub. Exploring Judaism: A Reconstructionist Approach (Expanded and Updated). Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, 2000.
Jewish life and practice from a Reconstructionist point of view.

Ashton, Dianne, and Ellen M. Umansky, Ed. Four Centuries of Jewish Women’s Spirituality. Beacon Press, 1992.
A collection of diary entries, letters, prayers, poetry, sermons, and rituals reflecting Jewish women's spiritual concerns from the past four hundred years, including new rituals for healing and for marking lifecycle passages.

Broner, E. M. Bringing Home the Light: A Jewish Woman’s Handbook of Rituals. Council Oak Books, 1999.
Mixing memoir with practical suggestions, explores the ways in which Jewish women can create ceremonies for all occasions: personal, political, and religious. including a number of healing ceremonies for groups and individuals, and even for mourning a pet.

Cardin, Rabbi Nina Beth. The Tapestry of Jewish Time: A Spiritual Guide to Holidays and Life-Cycle Events. Behrman House, 2000.
Warmly explains the significance of ancient and modern Jewish rituals for holidays and lifecycle events, including suggestions on how to Jewishly ritualize secular milestones.

Cohen, Tamara. "Contemporary Jewish Women’s Rituals," in Jewish Women Living the Challenge: A Hadassah Compendium. Ed. Carol Diament. Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc., 1997.
How new Jewish women’s rituals can strengthen both Judaism and those who create rituals; emphasizes that new Jewish women’s rituals feel authentic when they blend Jewish tradition with spiritual and personal meaning.

Cox, Meg. The Heart of a Family: Searching America for New Traditions that Fulfill Us. Random House, 1998.
The author surveys real American families and reports on delightful rituals and traditions they have developed.

Diamant, Anita, and David Cooper. Living a Jewish Life: Jewish Traditions, Customs, and Values for Today’s Families. HarperCollins, 1996.
A guide to all aspects of Jewish life, including Sabbath rest and ritual, combining lore, history, quotations, and prayers, with religious approach covering the various liberal movements.

Donin, Hayim Halevy. To Be a Jew. Basic Books, 1972
An Orthodox rabbi surveys Jewish practice and belief in this classic work.

Falk, Marcia. The Book of Blessings: A New Prayer Book for the Weekdays, the Sabbath, and the New Moon Festival. Harper SanFrancisco, 1996.
Creative, feminist prayers based on the traditional liturgy, as well as poems for a number of occasions, including Shabbat.

Friedland, Ronnie, and Edmund Case. The Guide to Jewish Interfaith Family Life: An Interfaithfamily.com Handbook. Jewish Lights, 2001.
Practical and thoughtful book covering a wide range of topics, including wedding ceremonies, religion for children, parents and holidays, lifecycle events, divorce, gay relationships, step- and Grandparenting, and conversion.

Goldstein, Rabbi Niles Elliot. Gonzo Judaism: A Bold Path for Renewing an Ancient Faith.  St. Martin's Press, 2006.
A challenge to today's Jews to "reclaim their rebel roots," with tools for creating a more accessible, meaningful, and celebratory Jewish life.

Gottlieb, Lynn. She Who Dwells Within: A Feminist Vision of a Renewed Judaism. HarperSanFrancisco, 1995.
Focusing on four components of Jewish culture—theology, story, ceremony, and community—the author weaves together women's history and stories, poems and prayers to address a number of topics, including the importance of creative Jewish women's rituals.

Greenberg, Blu. How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household. Fireside, 1985.
Part instruction manual, part autobiography, an informative, detailed guide to shaping one’s home along a traditional Jewish path, through a personal account of the author’s life as an Orthodox woman, feminist and mother of five.

Greenberg, Blu. On Women and Judaism. Jewish Publication Society, 1994.
A collection of essays by this leading Orthodox feminist thinker and writer, including a chapter on Jewish law and divorce.

Hammer, Rabbi Jill. The Jewish Book of Days: A Companion for All Seasons. Jewish Publication Society, 2006.
Entries for every day of the Jewish year include a biblical quote, a midrash related to the day, and the author's own commentary linking the text to the season. Appendices with additional material for the equinoxes and solstices offer further opportunities to explore the intersection of nature, time, and spirit in the Jewish tradition.

Imber-Black, Evan, and Janine Roberts. Rituals for Our Times: Celebrating, Healing and Changing Our Lives and Our Relationships. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, 1998.
How to create meaningful rituals adapted to individual lives and family structures, in order to new meaning in old and new traditions and celebrate life's milestones.

Imber-Black, Evan, Janine Roberts, and Richard Whiting, Ed. Rituals in Families and Family Therapy. Norton, 1988.
Uses case studies to demonstrate how family rituals can be identified and used to enrich family therapy and therapeutic practices.

Klein, Isaac. A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice. Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1979.
An extensive guide to halacha (Jewish law) as it relates to religious practice, by a prominent 20th-century Conservative halachic expert.

Kula, Rabbi Irwin, and Vanessa L. Ochs, PhD, Ed. The Book of Jewish Sacred Practices: CLAL’s Guide to Everyday and Holiday Rituals and Blessings. Jewish Lights, 2001.
Offers new Jewish rituals and prayers for myriad occasions from burying a pet to building a sukkah.

Lang, Virginia E., and Louise B. Nayer. The Intentional Family: Simple Rituals to Strengthen Family Ties. Quill, 1997.
Describes how families can use rituals to strengthen connection, and teach and re-enforce values; very realistic about how rituals develop in families, how parents meet with resistance and how rituals are ultimately implemented.

Maslin, Simeon J., Ed. Gates of Mitzvah: Shaarei Mitzvah. Central Conference of American Rabbis Press, 1986.
A Reform movement guide to Jewish life, focusing largely on lifecycle events, but also containing essays on sexuality, keeping kosher, single parent families, divorce, Jewish ethical wills, and other topics.

Ochs, Vanessa L. Inventing Jewish Ritual: New American Traditions. Jewish Publication Society, 2007.
An exploration of how Jewish practice can be more meaningful through renewing, reshaping, and even creating new rituals, along with creating ritual objects and sacred spaces.

Plaskow, Judith. Standing Again at Sinai: Judaism from a Feminist Perspective. Harper SanFrancisco, 1990.
The first, full-length Jewish feminist theology. Analyzes the concepts of Israel, chosenness, images and language for God, Jewish views on sexuality and social justice from a feminist perspective.

Rothschild, Sylvia, and Sybil Sheridan, Ed. Taking Up the Timbrel. SCM Press, 2001.
A book of new women’s rituals, including a divorce ceremony using stones (traditionally associated with mourning), and a number of healing rituals, including one for mastectomy.

Strassfeld, Michael and Sharon, Ed. The First, Second and Third Jewish Catalogs. Jewish Publication Society, 1973, 1976, 1980.
A far-ranging collection of topics in this do-it-yourself guide to Judaism (now somewhat dated, but still rich and useful) that can help any Jew—whether steeped in tradition or just discovering it—become personally involved in any aspect of Jewish ritual life, customs, and culture. The Third Catalog contains an index to all three books.