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What to Do When You're Dating a Jew : Everything You Need to Know from Matzah Balls to Marriage
Learn everything you need to know about the holidays, traditions, beliefs, and culture of the Jew you love . . . and his or her family. From what to order in a Kosher deli to what to wear to a Purim party, this book answers all the questions you'll face as the love interest of a nice Jewish boy or girl.
What to Do When You're Dating a Jew
give you a quick overview of the basics of Judaism
prepare you for meeting your significant other's Jewish family
brief you on Jewish holidays, ceremonies, and rituals
alert you to potentially embarrassing situations and show you how to avert them
entertain you with "It happened to me" stories from interfaith couples
Peppered with definitions of Yiddish terms, historical facts, jokes, quotes, and even recipes, this is essential reading for any woman or man involved with a Jew, whether looking for a deeper understanding of the Jewish faith or simply looking to survive a first seder at Bubbe's house.
What to Do When You're Dating a Jew
give you a quick overview of the basics of Judaism
prepare you for meeting your significant other's Jewish family
brief you on Jewish holidays, ceremonies, and rituals
alert you to potentially embarrassing situations and show you how to avert them
entertain you with "It happened to me" stories from interfaith couples
Peppered with definitions of Yiddish terms, historical facts, jokes, quotes, and even recipes, this is essential reading for any woman or man involved with a Jew, whether looking for a deeper understanding of the Jewish faith or simply looking to survive a first seder at Bubbe's house.
- GenresJewishReligionNonfiction
144 pages, Paperback
First published September 12, 2000
9 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 7, 2014
No, I am not dating a Jew, but having recently experienced my first Passover in NYC I decided it was time I learned more about Jewish culture. I selected this book because I wanted something that gave a good overview of the culture - not a doctrinal dissertation.
Topics covered included religious beliefs, important holidays, wedding and funeral traditions, and the Jewish lifestyle. Sprinkled throughout were fun facts, humorous stories of mishaps from mixed religion dating, recipes, and some great quotes. In fact, my favorite quote pertaining to the peacefulness of Jews, comes from Mark Twain. He wrote:
"The Jews constitute but one percent of the human race... Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of... He is as prominent on this planet as any other people... He has made a marvelous fight in this world, in all the ages; and has done it all with his hands tied behind his back."
While I had been looking for something that wasn't doctrine heavy, it was the sections about doctrine that fascinated me the most. Prior to reading this book, I knew next to nothing about the religion, and I was surprised by how many of the beliefs resonated with me.
According to the book, most Jews aren't waiting for a single 'Jesus Christ' type person to usher in the Messianic Age, but rather believe that the collective actions of mankind will achieve this. Because of this, they place great emphasis on individual good deeds. In a way, each good thing done tips the scales in favor of the coming of the Messianic Age, and each bad deed is a setback. To me, this way of thinking invokes a feeling of community. A good deed isn't just good for me - it's good for all of humanity. Likewise, a bad deed does more than just hurt me.
The Torah also doesn't not even mention the hereafter, and in general Jews chalk God up to being a mystery (they don't believe in trying to imagine what he looks like and aren't even suppose to write out his name). This leaves much of the unknown where I think it sometimes belongs - in the unknown, and frees Jews up to simply focus on the here and now of everyday living and every day doing those good deeds.
In essence, it is some of the common sense and even simplistic ideals of the religion that appeal me. That said, it's entirely likely that I feel this way because the book I choose to read was meant to be a brief overview. Had I chosen a more complex book, I have no doubt that I would have found that Judaism, like all religions, is cluttered with many obscure and sometimes quite strange doctrinal points.
All that said, I found this book to be quite informative, entertaining to read, and gave me a great deal of respect for the Jewish culture.
Topics covered included religious beliefs, important holidays, wedding and funeral traditions, and the Jewish lifestyle. Sprinkled throughout were fun facts, humorous stories of mishaps from mixed religion dating, recipes, and some great quotes. In fact, my favorite quote pertaining to the peacefulness of Jews, comes from Mark Twain. He wrote:
"The Jews constitute but one percent of the human race... Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of... He is as prominent on this planet as any other people... He has made a marvelous fight in this world, in all the ages; and has done it all with his hands tied behind his back."
While I had been looking for something that wasn't doctrine heavy, it was the sections about doctrine that fascinated me the most. Prior to reading this book, I knew next to nothing about the religion, and I was surprised by how many of the beliefs resonated with me.
According to the book, most Jews aren't waiting for a single 'Jesus Christ' type person to usher in the Messianic Age, but rather believe that the collective actions of mankind will achieve this. Because of this, they place great emphasis on individual good deeds. In a way, each good thing done tips the scales in favor of the coming of the Messianic Age, and each bad deed is a setback. To me, this way of thinking invokes a feeling of community. A good deed isn't just good for me - it's good for all of humanity. Likewise, a bad deed does more than just hurt me.
The Torah also doesn't not even mention the hereafter, and in general Jews chalk God up to being a mystery (they don't believe in trying to imagine what he looks like and aren't even suppose to write out his name). This leaves much of the unknown where I think it sometimes belongs - in the unknown, and frees Jews up to simply focus on the here and now of everyday living and every day doing those good deeds.
In essence, it is some of the common sense and even simplistic ideals of the religion that appeal me. That said, it's entirely likely that I feel this way because the book I choose to read was meant to be a brief overview. Had I chosen a more complex book, I have no doubt that I would have found that Judaism, like all religions, is cluttered with many obscure and sometimes quite strange doctrinal points.
All that said, I found this book to be quite informative, entertaining to read, and gave me a great deal of respect for the Jewish culture.
October 28, 2024
I’ve been a fan of this author for 18 years, I love Jen’s writing!
February 11, 2020
I started reading this book as a joke after seeing a Reddit of a picture of a girl reading it on the subway. (This title! 😂) Picked it out the day before going to Temple for the first time. Thought it would be a dull topical “for Dummies” type read. I was wrong and I finished it in one sitting! I cried laughing at points, I took notes, I learned about my the Jewish history and culture as well contrasting with my own culture. Thanks to this book, I appreciate my jewish friends and their backgrounds more. This book is great for anyone interested in learning about Judaism. No dating required! Highly recommend. Just... don’t read it on the subway.
October 14, 2014
This is a very basic book for everyone who is interested in knowing a bit more about what it's like to be involved (in any way) in the Jewish community, in particular in the American Jewish community.
Written by two Jewish women with gentiles in their family, the book covers a broad range of subjects in a very practical way. It has some funny parts, random facts and interesting quotes throughout the book.
Written by two Jewish women with gentiles in their family, the book covers a broad range of subjects in a very practical way. It has some funny parts, random facts and interesting quotes throughout the book.
January 14, 2015
This was assigned reading for my nonfiction writing class where we'll be interviewing members of the local Jewish community. Highly informative, everything was explained well and presented with a voice that made me want to keep reading.
November 23, 2017
Love it! Wish I read this before I married my Jewish husband. 😂 We've been reading it together all morning and laughing at the jokes. A great overview of what it means to marry into a Jewish family. I always wondered what the deal was with Kosher cooking! A fun and informative read. Buy this book!
February 5, 2018
A fun summary of all the things to know when you are dating or marrying a Jew. Personally I liked "Jewish as a second language" better as I found to be more fun and more appropriate to make fun of the culture a little bit. However, this is also a good one too.
February 25, 2008
Fairly decent introduction for the clueless. Often funny, sometimes insulting, never boring.
June 9, 2011
This book really explains so much of the basics that can get you through the holidays, events and daily life of dating a Jewish person. I loved reading this book!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews