What is the Grandparents Circle?
The Grandparents Circle is an education and support program for Jewish grandparents whose adult children have intermarried, created by the Jewish Outreach Institute. The explanations below describe how YOU can take advantage of the four free models of the Grandparents Circle program:
The Grandparents Circle Course
This five-session in-person Grandparents Circle Course will both inspire and teach you how to nurture the Jewish identities of your grandchildren while respecting the choices of your intermarried/interpartnered adult children. In this supportive environment, you will learn techniques for listening and talking with your adult children, incorporating Judaism into everyday conversations, and creating Jewish memories for your grandchildren. Most importantly, you will emerge with an optimistic mindset and the understanding that, like you, your grandchildren will have their own religious journeys. Click here to find out if your community is hosting a circle!
Grandparenting Your Interfaith Grandkids: A Self-Guided Learning Experience
Prefer to explore on your own? Try the “Grandparenting Your Interfaith Grandkids Self-Guide,” a new and thought-provoking set of self-guided questions to accompany the book Twenty Things for Grandparents of Interfaith Grandchildren to Do (And Not Do) to Nurture the Jewish Identity of Their Grandchildren by Rabbi Kerry Olitzky and Paul Golin. The questions in this guide offer self-reflection and serve as a practical tool to help you outline the next steps you can take to nurture the Jewish identity in your grandchildren.
Rabbi Kerry Olitzky and Paul Golin wrote Twenty Things… to address concerns among Jewish grandparents of interfaith grandchildren. The book provides concrete tactics and strategies to nurture the Jewish identity in our grandchildren, while calling for a sense of optimism and respect for the choices made by our adult children. You can find Twenty Things… on Amazon by clicking here or you can receive the first three chapters on PDF for free by completing the form here.
The Grandparents Circle Discussion Salon
Do you feel strongly about nurturing the Jewish identity of your grandchildren being raised by your intermarried adult children, and know other grandparents in similar situations? Consider convening a Grandparents Circle Discussion Salon! By bringing these grandparents together and initiating a discussion, you can create the sense of optimism needed to improve your relationship with your adult children and help your grandchildren identify with Judaism.
The Grandparents Circle Discussion Salon allows YOU to convene a group, lead a discussion, and help fellow grandparents feel empowered to nurture the Jewish identity in grandchildren being raised by intermarried adult children.
To form a salon, you can either work in conjunction with an existing group like a chavurah (Jewish study circle) or book club or simply gather a group on your own. In addition, the discussion questions will help you lead a robust conversation. To form a group on your own, click on the ”Grandparents Circle Discussion Salon” option here to receive our “Guide to Organizing a Grandparents Circle Salon,” and the “Grandparents Circle Salon Discussion Questions.” You can find Twenty Things for Grandparents of Interfaith Grandchildren to Do (And Not Do) to Nurture Jewish Identity in Their Children on Amazon by clicking here or request the first three chapters on PDF for free by clicking here.
The Grandparents Circle Listserve
Connect to Jewish grandparents all across North America by participating in an online discussion group called the Grandparents Circle National Listserve. You can ask for advice, offer support, and get practical answers just by sending an email! Indeed, you will find the listserve to be a safe space where you can discuss the joys and challenges that you are experiencing as you share your Jewish identity and heritage with your grandchildren. If you are a Jewish grandparent with grandchildren being raised by intermarried/interpartnered children, the listserve is open to you!
“The existence of the Circle has comforted me greatly and encouraged me in my efforts.” -Judith, listserve participant