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Starting a Family

A happy family of three smiling at the camera, with a child in the center between two adults.
In contemporary homes, starting a family is often a deliberate choice. The experience of pregnancy, the drama of giving birth, and the miracle of adoption are occasions for joy and wonder. These are also experiences that can be fraught with pain and struggle, reflecting the full spectrum of life and death. We offer prayers for those who are trying to conceive, prayers for pregnancy and childbirth, rituals for parents preparing to adopt, mourning ceremonies for miscarriages, blessings for those struggling with infertility, rituals to prepare for or acknowledge an abortion, and much more. 

Latest Rituals

“Let us use our voices and our votes to cry out as loud as we can”
Protesters near the U.S. Capitol holding signs supporting abortion rights on a sunny day.
“For all of our failures to protect you, our daughters, mothers, partners and friends”
Protesters outside a government building hold signs advocating for abortion access.
“Let today be the day we learn our power”
Protesters holding signs, including a prominent one saying Keep Abortion Legal, near the U.S. Capitol building.
“And we will see to it that justice, the kind you fought for and died protecting, ever reigns”
A protest crowd holding signs, including one that reads STILL WE RISE, outside a modern building.
This is a script for an imagined infertility support group for Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Hannah
Three women with eyes closed, embracing closely in a serene, intimate moment against a light background.

“We pray that those yearning to conceive, carry, foster or adopt will lead to a joyful outcome”

Sunlight creating bokeh effect over dewy grass, with a warm and dreamy atmosphere.

Poems to be read by friends surrounding the person who has miscarried before she immerses in the mikveh

Person in an infinity pool, gazing out at the serene ocean view under a clear sky.

Ritual for moving into new phase of life post-childbearing

Pink rose petals, a pomegranate, small red berries, and purple flowers arranged on gravel in a circular pattern.

Poem on parenting new baby struggling to feed 

Adult hand gently holding a babys hand, both resting on a soft, patterned blanket.

“There is nothing mere about water”

Black and white image of a person underwater, bubbles rising from their mouth, and light beams filtering through.

The Reconstructionist Network

Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement

Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues

Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives

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The Reconstructionist Network