Chicago Tribune: Bridging a Jewish-Mormon rift

Chicago Tribune religion reporter Manya A. Brachear tells of mixed-faith trials that are part of her Jewish family's past; and her reaction when she found out Mormon cousins that had been "shadowy characters in our genealogical soap opera" had posthumously baptized her grandfather."My cousin said the baptism was done

out of love, as a way to honor my grandparents. 'It is the epitome of not

forgetting somebody,' he said.""But Mormons contend that proxy baptism doesn't automatically make a person

Mormon. As my cousins explained, the baptisms simply give my grandparents a

choice," Brachear continued."It does come down to choice. We have the

freedom to choose whether religion will unite us or divide us. In the past, my

family chose to let it divide. Faced with this revelation, I now realize how

torn they must have been. Still, I choose to learn from that mistake and

appreciate my cousins' gesture."

Read Brachear's column at www.chicagotribune.com.