These five Thanksgiving conversation starters are designed to spark dialogue between you and your partner. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, this is a great time to pause and connect with your significant other and to the themes of the holiday from an interfaith perspective. The next time you’re sharing a meal or hanging out, take a few minutes to reflect together. And if you’re engaged or recently married, check out Our Year of Firsts—a new program designed to help you explore the deeper meaning behind Jewish holidays, discuss your interfaith relationship, create new traditions together and meet other interfaith couples.

Five Questions to Get Started

1. In Jewish culture, the Hebrew word beshert (which translates to ‘destiny’) is often used to describe two people destined to be together. Whether you believe in soulmates or not, what do you appreciate most about your partner? In what ways are you a great match together?
2. Judaism teaches us to be thankful for all the blessings in our lives. What is something about your interfaith relationship that you are thankful for? What is something about your partner’s religion/tradition/culture that you’re thankful to have learned from?
3. No family is perfect. Thanksgiving and other holidays can sometimes stir up family conflict. If there are relatives in either your family or your partner’s family who disapprove of your interfaith relationship, what do you think is the best way to deal with them? Do you feel that it’s important for your family to support your interfaith relationship? What about your partner’s family?
4. Judaism teaches us the importance of giving back. We’re told to give tzedakah (meaning ‘righteousness’ but understood as charity). What cause or non-profit is near and dear to your heart and what is it about that cause that makes it special to you?
5. Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for our friends and family. What do you love most about your family? What about your partner’s family?

And that’s 5 conversation starters to share with your significant other this Thanksgiving!