Answers to Jewish Questions

Why Do Jews Eat Fried Foods to Celebrate Hanukkah?

Answered by

Rabbi Emily Langowitz

One of the most recognizable and tastiest Hanukkah traditions is cooking (and eating) fried foods. While frying up a fresh batch of Hanukkah treats is certainly delicious, this practice is also deeply rooted in the meaning of the holiday.

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?

Womans hand holding a piece of paper bearing a question mark

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.