Miller Intro Alumni Spotlight: Newlyweds Preparing Jewish Home

Eduardo Bialostozky and Claudia Sanchez, participants of the June 2024 cohort of American Jewish University’s Miller Intro to Judaism program, signed up for the 18-week class during a moment of transition and anticipation in their lives—newly married, navigating immigration logistics and preparing to welcome their first child. For the couple, the course became both a shared learning experience and a practical guide for building a Jewish home together.

Eduardo, 40, grew up in San Diego in a Mexican Jewish household that emphasized culture and community more than religious observance. His parents were active in Congregation Beth Am, a Conservative synagogue in San Diego, and his childhood revolved around Shabbat gatherings, Jewish friends and a Spanish-speaking Maccabi youth group.

“It was a very Jewish cultural upbringing,” he said. “We went to synagogue, but it wasn’t a very religious home. The Miller Intro to Judaism program gave me the other part—the religious pieces I hadn’t really learned in depth.”

Claudia, 38, is from Mexico City and Spanish is her first language. The two met in 2022 through a dating app and later married in a civil ceremony in June 2024. They held a religious wedding under a chuppah in Mexico City in January 2025, a ceremony that Eduardo described as unexpectedly traditional and deeply meaningful.

They enrolled in AJU’s English-language class taught by Rabbi Ben Kramer.

“Ben was very engaging,” Eduardo said. “He was excited about the topic, great with questions, and knew how to keep the class moving without making anyone feel bad for asking too much.”

The structure and tone of the course made it easier for them to explore topics ranging from lifecycle rituals to theology and Jewish practice.

As they prepare for the birth of their baby—due February 12—they have been thinking carefully about Jewish rituals such as brit milah or baby naming ceremonies. “The course was very helpful in understanding the different stages,” Eduardo said. “If it’s a girl, what do we do? What are the traditions? It helped us think through all of that.”

Claudia has not yet formally converted to Judaism, in part because of academic and family priorities. She recently completed a master’s program in London and is now focused on the baby. Still, she said the course gave her a framework for raising a Jewish family and engaging with the Jewish community in San Diego. “It helped me understand how to raise a Jewish family and talk about these topics with Eduardo,” she said. “Conversion is still on my list.”

For Eduardo and Claudia, the Miller Intro to Judaism program was more than an academic exercise. It was a shared entry point into conversations about faith, identity and the future of their family—conversations they plan to continue as they build a home that blends their Mexican roots with Jewish tradition.