Hindu-Jewish Happy Married Life

Nakul says: October 3, 2024 6:03 am

I can say about my own experience as Hindu married to a jewish woman. In facts things are going very well with lot of mutual understatement and respect. We both learned from each other and we share celebrations. My wife proved herself kind when we had our first son, agreeing to leave him uncircumcised in respect of my culture and customs. Lately we agreed to raise him and the two other offspring (a daugther and another son) aware on both religions but encouraged toward Hindu identity. Of course i’m very proud and grateful to my wife for her acceptance and i can say that i never had any issue with supposed jewish ethnocentrism and matrilinear ways. -Nakul

Nakul added, January 3, 2025

Thanks you! You took a relevant point: it must be upon the couple to find a right balance in a interfaith marriage.

In our experience we faced some initial doubts from each other families, but luckily we convinced them. Things were a bit more complicated in front of religious institutions of both sides. The first Rabbi we met openly discouraged my wife-to-be and i felt coldness even from my former Hindu temple, mentioning concerns about cultural differences. Among the weirdest things we heard from them i must mention “caste concerns” (!!!) from Hindu side (that sounds actually ridiculous in such a mixed marriage) and the request from a Rabbi to have me taking a public pledge to raise the future kids as jews (my wife got upset, calling them “outrageous”).


In facts we realized that the main issue in other people’s eyes was about offsprings and kids raising than actually issues about individual rituals and spirituality. We decided to go on anyway, following our own thoughts and sharing our each own culture and customs instead of imposing them on the counterpart. My wife never asked me to convert or to get circumcised and neither i asked her to perform any special ritual or to forget her prayers or food rules. Conversely we learned from each other, taking joy and inspiration from both festivals, rituals, books and so.


It was funny for me to wear a kippah and thought-provoking to fast on the Yom Kippur along my wife, as equally she said being proud to wear a saree during religious or social occasions and she stopped to eat any beef by her own choice. Finally we find a way to marry and to follow the customary ceremonies of both sides (without any pledge on kids education), but we had to struggle with the conservative position of both and stubborness of jewish rabbis on “ethnical concerns”.


We decided to taught to our children about universal values, giving them a taste of both culture even if encouraging them (as wanted also by my wife) to define themselves as Hindus. Of course they will made their own choices when adult enough and we both will respect that.


I can say we were right to follow our own way and i feel glad and touched when i saw my in-laws pampering our children without paying attention anymore of being them “Hindus” or “Jews”! –Nakul

More information: Interfaith marriage with equalityHindu-Jew RelationshipsBible on Hindus? Jew-Hindu MarriagesMarriage and Divorce Laws.
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4 Comments

  • Raj Yerasi
    January 28, 2025 3:53 pm

    Hi Nakul, as a Hindu American who was in an interfaith marriage with a Jewish person, I am very happy to hear of your happy interfaith marriage! It seems like you both entered it in the right spirit, supported by the actions you insisted on. My situation unfortunately ended up being different (Dilip ji has written about it and posted an interview with me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqiWluAUH20), but I have many friends of other faiths who also are in happy interfaith marriages. It’s always difficult to predict the future, but I think the way you went about things was great, and will surely help.

    Anyhow, I am very happy for you. Btw, I think this is very interesting but many prominent Hindus were actually Jewish to begin with! Ram Dass was born Richard Alpert, a Jew. Krishna Das was born Jeffrey Kagel, a Jew from Long Island. Michael Singer and Bernie Glassman didn’t change their names but both embraced Sanatan philosophies, and both were born Jews. It’s great that your wife also sees the virtues of our religion. We all should be pluralistic and embrace wisdom in whatever form it takes.

  • January 19, 2025 2:59 pm

    Excellent. We wish all youths in love follow your example. It is true that religious institutes try to add poison to the relationship. Parents do make it worst at times but when they realize that now you are married, especially when you have children, they come around. Keep religious fanaticism out and enjoy your beautiful relationship. Best wishes.

  • Admin
    December 18, 2024 7:36 pm

    Hello Nakul,

    We are very happy that both of you found some middle ground to make your Jewish-Hindu married life a successful and happy. We have found that if it is left up to the couple, you will find out some middle ground to make it work. However, if you try to please religious institutions, you will have a disaster trying to please two. Can you tell us more how you manage between two faiths while raising children? What are the most difficult issues or situations that you found? How are two sets of parents managing mix of two faiths?

    Read our article: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/equalityforhappiness/2022/12/hindu-jewish-marriages/

    • Nakul
      January 3, 2025 9:51 am

      Thanks you! You took a relevant point: it must be upon the couple to find a right balance in a interfaith marriage.
      In our experience we faced some initial doubts from each other families, but luckily we convinced them. Things were a bit more complicated in front of religious institutions of both sides.
      The first Rabbi we met openly discouraged my wife-to-be and i felt coldness even from my former Hindu temple, mentioning concerns about cultural differences.
      Among the weirdest things we heard from them i must mention “caste concerns” (!!!) from Hindu side (that sounds actually ridicolous in such a mixed marriage) and the request from a Rabbi to have me taking a public pledge to raise the future kids as jews (my wife got upset, calling them “outrageous”).
      In facts we realized that the main issue in other people’s eyes was about offsprings and kids raising than actually issues about individual rituals and spirituality.
      We decided to go on anyway, following our own thoughts and sharing our each own culture and customs instead of imposing them on the counterpart.
      My wife never asked me to convert or to get circumcised and neither i asked her to perform any special ritual or to forget her prayers or food rules.
      Conversely we learned from each other, taking joy and inspiration from both festivals, rituals, books and so.
      It was funny for me to wear a kippah and thought-provoking to fast on the Yom Kippur along my wife, as equally she said being proud to wear a saree during religious or social occasions and she stopped to eat any beef by her own choice.
      Finally we find a way to marry and to follow the customary ceremonies of both sides (without any pledge on kids education), but we had to struggle with the conservative position of both and stubborness of jewish rabbis on “ethnical concerns”.
      We decided to taught to our childrens about universal values, giving them a taste of both culture even if encouraging them (as wanted also by my wife) to define themselves as Hindus. Of course they will made their own choices when adult enough and we both will respect that.
      I can say we were right to follow our own way and i feel glad and touched when i saw my in-laws pampering our childs without paying attention anymore of being them “Hindus” or “Jews”!

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