Welcoming & Raising Children

Close-up of adult hands with rings holding a childs hand, symbolizing family and unity.

We greet each child with affection and joy. Every baby comes to us full of promise and potential. As parents, we are privileged to welcome them into our families, our communities, and the embrace of the Jewish people. Raising children to adulthood, we encounter many milestones along the way. Children are weaned, lose their teeth, and start school. Some get their driver’s licenses and eventually leave home for good. Here are rituals for welcoming children and for celebrating the milestones on their paths to adulthood.

Latest Rituals

This ritual guides you through the moment you choose to stop breastfeeding, packing up your breast pump and for your new relationship with your baby/child.
Close-up of an adult hand gently holding a babys hand, both resting on a soft, fluffy surface. Black and white.
Bris Dam Doros means a Covenant with the Blood of Generations. In this form of bris, blood is spilled to seal the covenant—but not the blood of the child, but rather the blood of the parent/s…
baby hand holding adult finger
“In this moment, though, I felt triumphant. Not only had I given birth and become a mother in my late 40s, but I had figured out a way to truly honor my father’s memory and wishes…”
a small white kippah with white strings
A complete ritual for a family to bury the new child’s placenta under a plant in the garden.
People handling a potted plant with small succulents and gardening tools nearby.
“I’m proud of you, my child, for the courage to step away from family and  familiarity / For venturing out to meet new people, try new things, discover a new You.”
teen jumping into a lake
A short reading of gratitude for those who support the Jewish people.
people holding lit candles at night
A complete ritual for monthly exams for all people with breasts
hand holding one apple blossom
“We have been waiting for you”
closeup of newborn white baby held by adult white hands
“May God make you like our adopted ancestors”
brown-skinned man and woman sitting in a wheat field with sun shining, holding cute toddler between them

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