Answers to Jewish Questions

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Is Passover 7 or 8 days?

Answered by

Ben Dreyfus

When does Pesach end? Why do some calendars say it ends after seven days and others after eight? Most Reform Jewish communities celebrate Passover for seven days, but the history is complicated.

What Does Judaism Say About the Treatment of Animals?

Answered by

Rabbi Emily Langowitz

Judaism teaches that it is our ethical and religious responsibility to treat animals with care and, when necessary, to minimize their suffering.

I have a Jewish mother and a Christian father. What am I?

Answered by

Rabbi Peter J. Haas

As you may know from watching the news, the issue of who is a Jew is a hotly debated one nowadays. There is no simple answer.

Is it true that you cannot be buried in a Jewish cemetery if you have a tattoo?

Answered by

Rabbi Leah R. Berkowitz

While the Jewish community might still be divided over tattoos, the prohibition against burying a tattooed person in a Jewish cemetery is a myth. Caring for the body after death is also a mitzvah, and we don't exclude people in our communities from that care simply because of markings on the skin.

What is the Reform Jewish perspective on abortion?

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Answered by

Rabbi Julie Zupan

Due to our fundamental belief in the sanctity of life and the Jewish value of kavod ha’briyot, respect for human dignity, Reform Judaism holds that abortion is both a medical and spiritual decision that should be made by the individual within whose body the fetus is growing.