In the last two decades, interfaith marriage has emerged as one of the primary cultural realities of North American religious life. While the numbers of interfaith marriages continue their pattern of steady growth, so does the demand for practical, supportive, non-judgmental advice to help ease the emotional pain and bewilderment so often experienced by the parents of interfaith couples. The parents are often the least prepared to cope with the wide range of spiritual, emotional, and family issues interfaith marriages inevitably provoke, yet few books address the concerns, fears, and anxieties of parents of children entering such marriages. Most parents want their children to be happy, to find loving, supportive, nurturing, sensitive and caring marital partners. But they also very often have an unspoken and unacknowledged need to see their own values and beliefs perpetuated into the next generation and beyond. Thus, confronting the stark reality of interfaith marriage raises deep-seated feelings of guilt, failure, loss and pain for the millions of parents whose children are making those marital choices every day. This book is a practical guide for parents whose children intermarry. It draws upon Rabbi Reuben's personal experiences officiating at over a thousand interfaith weddings. The author imparts the lessons he has learned for helping parents create loving, supportive, and successful relationships with their own children, their new son- or daughter-in-law, and their new interfaith in-laws, without compromising the integrity of their own dearly-held beliefs and faith. In addition, he incorporates anecdotal experiences of parents who have shared their own formulas for successfullycoping with the day-to-day issues of maintaining the best relationship with their children. And he includes stories from same-sex unions as well. Written for people of various faiths across the religious spectrum, this book is a valuable source of information, guidance, and support. It speaks directly to parents, with concrete practical suggestions about how to maintain the best possible relationship with their children--and be a positive influence upon their grandchildren.

This book reveals the social basis for public space use, design and management. The authors - an architect/environmental designer, a landscape architect, an environmental psychologist, and an open space administrator - offer a well-integrated perspective of how to integrate public space and public life. They contend that three critical human dimensions should guide the process of design and management of public space: the users' essential needs, their spatial rights, and the meanings they seek. To develop and explain these three dimensions, the authors draw on the history of public life and public space, evidence from recent social research, and a series of original case studies, all amply illustrated. Public Space offers an innovative approach for adapting the dimensions to the unique social and environmental context of each project.