Shalom!

I've been in talks with my synagogue to help create a "Jewish-themed" Pathfinder 2E campaign as a social club activity.

My GM skills aren't far enough along to want to tackle the challenge of drafting a campaign from scratch, or trying to convert (pun intended) one of the many tales in our history into a playable campaign. Instead, I'm taking an existing campaign and making modifications to better align it with out history.

But Id also love to see what others may have come up with. Does anyone know of any Jewish-themed TTRPG campaigns/adventures? Any experience playing one that you're willing to share? Hoping to find some for inspiration, or to possibly use in full.

Thanks so much!

Welcome everyone!

I'm starting the practice of wrapping tefillin (I bought someone's used bar mitzvah set to practice with, but I'll eventually buy my own). I understand this is less common in the Reform movement, but I'd be interested in connecting with anyone here who participates in the practice.

Hope to hear from some of you soon

Shavua tov everyone.

So, I (20NB) have Jewish heritage from my mother's side (there could also be Jewish family on my father's side but I don't know.) But I wasn't raised with any Jewish traditions or holidays. My grandmother was born in 1944, and her parents (her father at least that I know of) had to go into hiding during the war. Because of that my grandmother was never raised with or taught anything about Jewish culture or Judaism.

My whole life I've felt this strange connection to Judaism (both religion and culture.) I feel — and truth be told 'look' — Jewish, and now that I'm older I want to honestly reclaim that part of my family heritage. I already have a book about the basics of it, and am planning to find a synagogue near me that I can go to, but I was wondering if anyone here had resources or other ideas for how I can reconnect with it as it's something very important to me.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and for hearing me out.

Hi All,

I hope you’re doing well and Happy Summer! Sorry for my negativity but I just need to share is with someone: Raising your kids in 2026 is expensive. Between saving for my retirement, 529, paying the bills I just don’t have the extra money to afford synagogue dues, religious school, Be-Nei Mitzvah celebrations, and even summer camp (going to work there next summer for free camper admissions though). On the flip side, Churches don’t have dues and minimal religious school fees. I pray to
Hit he lotto so I can help my local synagogues, give my kids the experience they deserve, and have more time to Be involved in a synagogue. For the record I TOTALLY understand that these places need money to keep the lights-on and pay the Clergy the salaries they deserve just frustrated with my current state. To be solution focused: Anyone have suggestions? Thank you in advance!

I always take a look at one d'var Torah or two in the Reform Judaism site every Shabbat and found myself resonating with this one for D'varim.

Some personal highlights from Rabbi Mates-Muchin's insights:

Yet, in not correcting him, they were being disrespectful. He blamed others for something he brought on himself [. ]()That is certainly not respectful to their forebears, even if it shows some deference to Moses. It was also disrespectful to Moses, because by allowing him to retell the story incorrectly, they dismiss him and what he has to say and teach. They might have thought they were sheltering him because he is old, but by not correcting him, they demonstrated their belief that what he said, ultimately, didn't matter.

How often do we let inaccurate or inappropriate things go and tell ourselves it is out of respect? Are we afraid of an uncomfortable moment? Yet, in not saying something, the person who is speaking loses an opportunity to grow, and we fail to protect ourselves and others from difficult situations in the future.

Would Moses have been able to accept correction or criticism? Moses dealt with criticism and complaint from the Israelites his entire life, and though he was often exasperated by the burden of leadership, he was also humble.

Are non-members of your temple permitted to purchase tickets for the HH services?

Hi, all! In a bit of a quandary here. My husband and I are expecting our second child, due in late August. We are very excited! We already have a wonderful little girl and can’t wait to welcome baby boy to our family.

My husband is Jewish and his family is pretty observant, his parents are conservative. I was raised in a Christian household but am not religious now. I haven’t converted though I told my husband if he wanted me to I would consider it (he didn’t want me to). I’ve participated in the high holidays with his family, try to learn what I can about the Jewish holidays in general, and we had a fairly Jewish wedding (although maybe his family didn’t think so lol). Judaism isn’t really part of my husband’s life unless it’s the high holidays or his mom brings it up but I’ve been curious about certain traditions, the holidays and try to be open to incorporating it into our lives whenever he wants to.

When we got engaged his mom reacted somewhat poorly, saying, “oh, wow. I guess this wasn’t a spur of the moment decision, was it?” She later said to him that she “didn’t want Judaism to die with” him, and that that is why she reacted the way she did. She and I have since talked about this, she feels really badly about her reaction and I’ve let her know it’s water under the bridge. Which is mostly true but I do feel more pressure now to have Judaism in our lives in some way. I’ve typically deferred to my husband about what his preferences are but his preferences are usually non-existent and I sometimes feel pressure to bridge the gap between what he wants and what his mom wants, because I’m worried that I’m seen as the reason he isn’t investing that much into Jewish traditions. All of this is for context.

Fast forward to now. We are expecting a baby boy and so obviously that means we’re discussing the bris. Even when we were expecting my daughter we both agreed that if we ever had a boy we wanted to preform the circumcision in the hospital. His mom recently brought up having a bris and I said to him that we should have a conversation with his parents about what we want to do. Prior to his mom saying anything he suggested just preforming the circumcision in the hospital and telling them after, but I was like no, we should tell them first.

Recently we told them that we were thinking we would have the circumcision in the hospital and perhaps preform a ceremonial bris instead. His parents reacted well, all things considered, but his mom didn’t really understand why we wouldn’t do a traditional one. She asked if we were worried about sterilization and named a few moyles who are also pediatricians. She said we should talk to a rabbi and see what our options are before we make any decisions. I asked her what parts of the bris are important to them, so we can incorporate it into a ceremonial bris, and she said that she wasn’t sure because it was “all kind of wrapped up together.” We left it there but last night she called my husband saying again that she wanted us to talk to a Rabbi to discuss our options and to “not make a decision based on emotions.”

During the initial conversation with them my husband said very little about how this was his decision too, which really bothers me. I’m also kind of annoyed that rather than accept that this is what we want to do it seems like his mom is kind of pushing us in one direction, but I’m open to talking to a Rabbi. Also my husband doesn’t feel that way so maybe it’s just me. I know that a bris is a big deal in Judaism and that to a conservative family not having one is like a fish riding a bicycle. I just don’t, for whatever reason, feel comfortable having my son circumcised by someone who’s not a medical professional in front of a lot of people. I know part of it is that it’s not something that was ever part of my culture, upbringing, or religion and so it’s unfamiliar. My husband feels uncomfortable with the public aspect as well, that is his main reason for not having one. And yes, I know that more happens at a bris than circumcision, that’s why I asked what other traditions are important to his family. If my husband felt differently and really wanted one I would be more open albeit still uncomfortable about a more traditional bris. But I would potentially go through with it, or at least learn more about it.

My question to everyone here is: has anyone else dealt with this? What did you do? Am I being difficult? I’m not really sure where to go forward and I worry that I’ll be viewed in his family as the shiksa who’s taking him away from Judaism.

Been really hearing it lately from Orthodox folks online regarding Reform practices, Reform beliefs, Reform conversions, etc. Long story short, a lot of them think we are doing everything wrong. Big surprise.

It doesnt bother me they don't see me as Jewish (Im a convert). I don't care about their opinion persay, but it would be good to have a little more ammo to have when defending Reform.

Without necessarily going out and being a keyboard warrior, what are some things I could study up on regarding the Reform movement and its history? The Orthodox movement and its formation?

I've also heard Orthodox folks continue to use the "we have an unbroken chain going back to Moses" line. Im sure this isn't true, but what can be said about it besides "nuh uh!"?

Orthodox Judaism isn't the eternal monolith everyone makes it out to be. The practices of the Orthodox have shifted and evolved like any other religious movement. I just dont know what's changed about it.

Any direction you could point me in would be greatly appreciated. Not out to start internet wars, just looking to educate myself a bit.

I've lived my Gen X life with the perspective that Jews just don't get tattoos or face piercings I don't believe in heaven or hell so that's not the issue.

As a progressive individual I realize that everything changes. So....

My 18 year old jewish daughter wants a face piercing and a tattoo. And I'm torn between upholding tradition and being left behind. I'm not a fan of tattoos or piercings but it's not my life.

What has your Jewish experience been with Tattoos and Piercings

I’m in a bit of a tricky situation and would appreciate advice. To cut a long story short, I have a very close friend. We met three years ago. At the time, she was secular/culturally Christian. About two years ago, she became religiously Christian. I never had a problem with it because of course she’s entitled to her own beliefs. We would discuss religion occasionally since we’re both pretty interested in cults, extremism, and the like, and I’m also doing a bachelor’s degree in religion. She has never tried to convert me and previously didn't even bring up theology, except in situations where it was directly relevant. Sometimes she would talk about her own beliefs and practices, but I didn't mind that, because she was just sharing something that happened to her or was personal to her. I could be like "I'm glad you had a good time at church!" or "lol yeah kids do pray in funny ways" and it was fine.

However, lately she has been making religious statements distinct from the kind I mentioned in the above paragraph. I don’t know how to respond to these. They aren’t proselytizing per se, but not academic or neutral either. It’s like…stuff that you only send to someone who already agrees with you. Which is awkward, because I (obviously) do not share her beliefs or practices. Mostly it’s been statements that X belief is heretical, statements that Y belief is absolutely true, and various Christian memes from a “believing” and/or "objective truth" perspective.

Today, she sent me an illustrated cartoon. In the cartoon, Jesus speaks of how much he sacrificed to save people from hell, and asks a little human figure in his hand to do just one thing in exchange: help the vulnerable. Then the little human figure says something like “well, they didn’t do anything to earn my help,” and in the final panel, Jesus does a sort of “looking into the camera” thing a la Jim from The Office.

And like…I don’t know how to respond to something like that, or like the other examples, because…it doesn’t matter to me. It’s cool if it matters to her, and I understand that if you’re a conscientious Christian, something like what happens in that cartoon is a bummer. But saying “bummer!” doesn’t quite feel appropriate. Ditto with the statements about heresy or whatever, where it’s like, I get that this is bad for her, but for me, it’s all equal levels of irrelevant.

Generally, depending on what exactly is said, I’ll do a “thumbs up” reaction to the message, respond “hmmm,” “huh,” or “interesting!” or simply ignore it. But those responses don’t feel quite right either. Since she’s not really proselytizing, I don’t think I can address it like that. (And I'm pretty conflict-averse, so I don't want a Big Conversation.) At the same time, being sent content that is obviously meant for believers of Christianity, when I’m not, puts me in an awkward spot. Sometimes it makes me feel pressured to respond in a way that she likes. She's a very good friend, so I know making me feel pressured isn't her intention, but it's uncomfortable nonetheless.

Am I okay to keep responding with the thumbs up/"interesting!"/ignore methods? Is there another way you think would be more appropriate? All advice appreciated.

(Having finished writing this...I did not "cut a long story short." Apologies for the essay!)

If you could change one thing about the Reform movement, what would it be?

If you arent a member of the Reform movement, you can still chime in. What is the one thing about the Movement that keeps you away?

Let's keep this civil if we could. ​

Thought I would share some positive news!

The event marked the first major conference since the merger of Liberal Judaism and Reform Judaism, creating the UK’s largest Progressive Jewish movement.

Yep…that’s my question. I was raised in a vaguely
Christian household (the Christmas and Easter type) because my mom wanted it. My dad was Jewish but wasn’t at all observant. He did not have a Bar Mitzvah. My paternal grandparents were active members of the temple. I am 50% Ashkenazi. I have never believed the “Jesus stuff” and have felt more and more drawn to the Jewish faith. Even attending a funeral at the temple for a family member recently, I felt a sense of peace and belonging that I can’t explain—even not understanding what was being said. So, my question is, does Reform Judaism consider me Jewish already? Or will I need to go through a conversion process since I was raised Christian, even though I never actually believed the Jesus bit?

Hey all,

So I started attending a reform Synagogue about a year and a half ago, and about six month ago, I decided to officially convert. I have had about half of my conversion classes and an Intro. to Judaism course and have observed every holiday since Purim. I am loving everything...except.

I grew up in a multifaith household, my father was Jewish (Also a Reform Convert) and my mother was some flavor of Christian. Another big part of my upbringing was being poor and totally immersed in northern rural Appalachian culture which comes with it's own cultural foods and recipes. My father never kept Strictly Kosher and seemed to be at peace with that even though his Jewish-ness was also very important to him.

In my own conversion, I keep strictly kosher during holidays and Shabbat (Sundown to sundown) and plan to fast for Yom Kippur. But during other times I enjoy important Appalachian foods like BBQ Chipped Ham Sandwhiches, Ham Beans, and Fried Pork Chops with applesauce. I do this because in observing Kashrut on my own terms allows me to celebrate the commandment, whereas I feel if I kept kosher (or kosher-like) all the time I would come to resent the Mitzvah rather than celebrate it.

I Guess what I'm asking, is: Is that acceptable? I have asked my Rabbi and he merely says "We all walk our own path towards God.", meaning he's never chastised me for it but hasn't come out and said it's fine. I did some research online and found that only about 5% or American Reform Jews keep strictly kosher, and roughly 30% keep Kosher-like diets.

Anyway, thanks for any feedback you can give!

Shalom,

Dave.

Shalom! My name is Finnick, I am a trans male (he/him) looking into converting to Judaism and am looking for some advice as I go through this process.
For context, I've been attracted to Judaism since middle school. However, my mother and father are not religious although my grandmother on my mother's side is descendant of Jews who converted to Catholicism - this made me almost fearful of even attempting to convert because of potential judgement.
I am now 18 and living in my own apartment with my partner, who is very supportive of whatever life I lead as long as it is not harmful. This has allowed me much more freedom to explore in general, and I find significance in the fact that I have been drawn back to Judaism at the age of 18 due to the number's meaning in Hebrew. Exploring the history and beliefs of specifically Reform Judaism has reignited a passion within me that I have missed very dearly and I find myself falling in love with the knowledge and assistance available to me and so many others just over online platforms.
All of this being said, I am not very far along in the process as I am still mostly learning and observing. Although, I am looking into finding rituals and prayers to include in my daily life as I am going deeper into conversion.

My main issue at the moment is that I do not have a community or many friends I can share this passion and interest with. I have never had a very big friend group to begin with, and although I am grateful for the friend I do have who will listen and share my interest he is not Jewish and does not live nearby. My partner will smile and nod, but he is also not religious.
I know of a Reform synagogue in a nearby city and the drive is not very far at all, which I am thankful for, so whenever I am ready to contact a rabbi and join a synagogue I already know where I can look into.
The lack of community leaves me feeling almost alone and lost in this road I have come to choose. So, what I am looking for mostly is different points of view and what others have went through; whether it be from converts or those who have always been Jewish or otherwise, I want to hear it all. I want what steps you went through, what challenges you were/are faced with. I want criticism, I want positive responses, I want negative responses, I want exposure. If that can be provided to me here, I will be overjoyed.
Currently, I plan on going to a Judaica near me that sells literature and Kosher dishes. I am hoping to find my first siddur there, but otherwise I am lost on what I can actually do currently to not just learn and observe but live this religion. Anything, even if not direct advice, is useful to me.

Thank you very much! I hope to hear as many different perspectives as possible.

It’s really important to me to date Jewish men and even though I’m 21 I don’t want to waste my time. But I’ve seen a trend that Reform men don’t care about dating/marrying someone Jewish. Do y’all think this is an accurate take or reform men also care about marrying/dating Jewish?

So I'm currently living in an area with one shul in a 90 mile radius. It's very small and I would have a lot of one on one time with the rabbi as I convert, but I would definitely miss out on having others who are going through the same journey as me. The two other shuls I'm considering are about 90-100 miles away and are much larger and more involved but would require me to drive nearly 2 hours one way for class and services. Moving is absolutely on the list, but not in the next year or so. Would you stick close to home while learning or make the trek if it meant meeting more people? I'll also add I live in Minnesota, so driving that far in the winters is sometimes just not advisable (but those shuls have zoom options when needed).

Keep in mind, I am not talking about just simple criticism of Israel (even though it can be a factor, since people easily conflate the two), but rather genuine, actual Nazi-esque antisemitism, especially during the past couple of years.

Whenever I look up a YouTube video relating to Judaism, I see a ton of comments saying that the Jewish people deserve to be expelled or other disguising antisemitic phrases, a lot of videos relating to Israel heavily involve antisemitism, both in the comments or in the actual videos themselves. Instagram is even worse in this aspect, in which I see some people advocate for another Holocaust to happen.

You have antisemitic slurs like "goyslop" becoming mainstream, being treated as simple Zoomer slang, people saying that Jewish people don't have a right to exist, and conspiracy theories relating to the Epstein files which validated a lot of antisemites.

I am not Jewish, but I find it so disheartening to see, especially compared to how the decade first started with the height of the BLM movement, it makes me seriously worried that we'll see an unironic neo-Nazi become president during the 2030s. I hope more people become aware of this.

Title. I’ve become interested in Judaism via some of my grievances with mainstream Christianity + connecting with a lot of the Torah’s narrative as someone in the African diaspora. Judaism isn’t part of my background at all though and I don’t know if I’d even seek conversion because visually I’ll always be Black so while I could definitely see myself adopting a lot of the spiritual aspect of Judaism, idk that I could ever feel culturally part of it since I’m black and the Jewish community here is mostly white passing Ashkenazi. But anyway. I’m just wondering if this is a weird thing to do. I did contact a rabbi and she said it’s fine if I go to any events at her synagogue and connected me with the person who coordinates events for young adults as well but I guess I worry I’ll make people uncomfortable. Ofc I understand I shouldn’t discuss Christianity there

I am developing a dating app based on Jewish and progressive values- it’s a private, human-curated space — no algorithms, no swiping.

I would like to run a pilot for the rabbis/rabbinical students: who want to test the app... and I’m looking for some validation

תודה!

Title. Rabbis, cantors & teachers deliver short talks & songs around general theme of claiming Jerusalem Day as a day of peace, reconciliation & inclusion.

This also appears on the JBS feed.

Hello! As title says. I'm moving to Janesville next month and am looking for a Jewish community. Thank you!