I had a fight with my parents about the fact that my partner is not Jewish.
My future wife is not Jewish, and my family tried to pressure her into converting because, according to them, I am destroying a tradition that has existed for generations. She is currently almost 10 weeks pregnant with my child. We got into a huge argument because it really upsets me that, according to them, my child won’t be Jewish, even though he carries my blood. I don’t want my partner to convert just to satisfy their traditions.
I’m thinking about going to a Reform synagogue so that my child can learn to respect his Jewish heritage and know that he is part of the tribe regardless. It just frustrates me that some parts of Judaism are so stuck in such strict and rigid rules that they are basically destroying any chance they have of seeing the child. My partner and I have actually reached the point where we are seriously considering not letting them see the child because we’re afraid they will treat him differently because, in their eyes, he isn’t considered Jewish.