Interfaith Holidays -- a new perspective for those of us who 'celebrate both'

Front page of the Madison Times today:

Interfaith holidays unwrapped (click to read)

From one 'Cashew' (Catholic father, Jewish Mother) to another, or more broadly to any readers who have grown up taught that it is okay to observe two faiths and accordingly both sets of holidays, a Madison rabbi and a Madison mom give their perspectives on interfaith families during the holidays.

Rabbi Andrea Steinberger of the downtown Hillel says that graduate and undergraduate students at UW are looking for their identity socially, in terms of education and in terms of faith -- and that she is there for them to turn to. "Definitely not just Jewish students either!" in her words.

Joan Shahrani, a teacher at Jefferson middle school and a practicing Catholic, talks about her marriage to her husband who practices Islam and her two sons who also observe Islam. She says it's most important that her sons to have a value and belief system to work from, regardless of it's faith-base.