Dr. Dating -- Just in time for Hanukkah

Dr. Dating Review for What to Do When You're Dating a Jew:

Any non-Jew who is dating a Jew will quickly find that they know nothing about the Jewish community and what they are hearing and seeing seems pretty much like, well, Yiddish. You want to stay with your Jewish friend and in order to do so, you've got some reading to do! This book is the complete guide you will need in order to make sense of and maybe even fall in love with the life of the Jew in your life.

Holidays, traditions, beliefs and culture are a very important part of any Jew's life. Not only are these things important to your Jewish friend, but they are a very important part of his family. You will learn about what to expect during any special occasion, how to dress for specific Jewish events and even how to order Kosher when eating out.

This highly informative crash course on Judaism will shed some light on your love's religious beliefs, how to deal with his or her family, what the significance of each holiday or ritual is and how to avoid offending his family or embarrassing yourself when together. This book is far more than a tutorial on the Jewish faith with anecdotes from other interfaith couples, jokes, suggestions and more. While this is a wonderful learning tool for anyone involved with a Jewish person, it can also act as your survival guide!

A Special Thanks to the Interfaith Organizations

for reviewing and recommending "What to Do When You're Dating a Jew":

Jewish Family and Children's Services of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties, CA

Dovetail Institute for Interfaith Family Resources, Boston, KY

Rabbi B, Swampscott, MA

Jewish Outreach Institute, New York, NY

Good Reads and more "Dating a Jew" mentions

Thanks to these sites and reviewers!

GoodReads.com
MavenSearch
Jewlicious
Boinkology (oh, my!)

Shiksapedia

Found on shiksapedia.blogspot.com:

Book Review:What to Do When You're Dating a Jew

In What to Do When You're Dating a Jew, two nice and very funny Jewish girls, Vikki Weiss and Jennifer A. Block, attempt to "keep you from ordering a ham and cheese sandwich in a kosher deli or planning a party to celebrate the Jewish New Year. Think of it as a little advance warning about what you are getting into by dating a Jew. You'll thank us later."

I wish I could have read it many years ago when I fell in love with Fred, but alas--or rather, oy veh--this delightful book wasn't published until 2000. If you want to learn a lot and laugh until your kishkes hurt, it's Must Reading. The authors can be irreverent and politically incorrect in a way we shiksas never could, even if we knew the stuff, which we don't, which is why we need the book....

For example, in the chapter on holidays they write, "Some may be disappointed that the High Holy Days have nothing to do with marijuana. These same people will take comfort in learning that there is a big feast at the end. But you've got to suffer a little to get there."

Have you ever wondered if synagogue, temple, and shul are the same? Weiss and Block explain it all for you: "Orthodox Jews usually use the word shul. Conservative Jews say they are going to synagogue. Reform Jews go to temple, but not often."
This breezy how-to-fit-in book doesn't tackle very serious issues such as conversion, spirituality, and morality. Sprinkled with recipes, anecdotes, and jokes, What to Do When You're Dating a Jew introduces you to holidays, jewish food, and the major stages and rituals in Jewish life, love, and death. So read it already!

Dating a Jew on Brandeis

Hadassah Brandeis Institute magazing of Brandeis University

Yes, JDate might be the most well known online dating site for Jews out there. But it's certainly not the only one. Below are some other services you might want to check out if your New Year's resolution was to try new ways to find a nice, (hot), Jewish soulmate. ... And if you find him/her, here are some books you might want to explore to stay on track: What to Do When You're Dating a Jew: Everything You Need to Know from Matzah Balls to Marriage (Paperback) by Vikki Weiss and Jennifer A. Block (Three Rivers Press, 2000).

Theys all growed up!

I love coming across books I've nurtured in their infancy that have blossomed into real, live publications. I helped out Christina Harbridge of Allegory Training by proofreading her book, Your Professionalism Is Killing You: How to be a Better Communicator by Being Yourself. Interesting stuff:

After crawling on her belly over broken glass in a real tough industry, our founder realized the intellectual property she used to transform one industry applies to kitchen tables and board rooms throughout out the globe. Inside the covers of this book are thoughts meant to inspire you to raise your fist or holler a two-hands-up-rollercoaster-like whoo hoo! These road tested concepts will help you communicate to be heard and remembered.

Andover beginnings

This cracks me up. From the Memorial Hall Library (Andover, Mass.) site:

OTHER AUTHORS WITH ANDOVER CONNECTIONS
Jennifer Block

What to Do When You're Dating a Jew: everything you need to know from matzo balls to marriage (2000) coauthored with Vikki Weiss. Jennifer grew up in Andover, graduated from Andover High in 1987, and has a Journalism degree from Boston University. She now lives with her husband in San Francisco.