Folk 358

2006-12-14T10:40:00.000-08:00

I thought that the class on Queer Judaism was extremely interesting and thought provoking. While I am a very firm believer in the historical traditions of the Jewish people and affirm that they should be actively followed and participated in, I think I am just too liberal of a person to ever think that a Jew is not good enough or can’t be observant if he or she likes a different sex then is conventionally accepted. I know it is not a great comparison, but if we, as Jews, were persecuted for merely being different than the norm for thousands of years, how can we then again discriminate against and in essence, betray others that are of the same religion and have a slight what I believe biological difference. Even if this difference wasn’t caused biologically, how can we isolate our fellow Jews? I felt terribly for the Orthodox Jew when his rabbi kept telling him that he had to choose between his religion or his sexual preference. I don’t think he should have to be forced to choose, straight people aren’t forced to choose! For the future of Judaism , I think it is going to be a major detriment and source of loss to the religion if we isolate all gay Jews, especially if the numbers of people “coming out of the closet” continues to increase.

2006-12-14T10:22:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, during sorority recruitment, I came across something I found very interesting. It was also something noted frequently by my friends, so obviously this was a recurring theme that was widespread. Being in a house that is nationally Jewish, I understand why girls who are going through recruitment feel a sense of comfort and ease when they enter our house. I definitely felt that I could be 100% myself, feel at hom easily, and talk to girls in a very natural way when I entered my sorority, because not only did I know a lot of girls in the house (probably due to the fact that most are Jewish) I believe it is a common notion, especially with Jewish youth, that there’s a different sense of comfort and comradery between those who share the Jewish faith. On the other hand, I definitely felt some girls “pushing” their Judaism in my face a little. For instance, when we talked about basically any topic-high school activities, friends, these girls always had to relate everything back to the fact that they were Jewish and constantly were playing with and showing off their Star of David necklaces. I hardly think that selling your religion to me is going to make me like you, but at the same time, I’m glad that our shared faith is a source of comfort for you.

2006-12-14T10:21:00.001-08:00

I had never really known before about this world of Christian literature, movies, music. Etc. Thus, it came as a very big surprise to me when Professor Cohen mentioned that some Christian based music was of the best selling in the country. While I guess it shouldn’t be such a surprise to me because Christianity is the leading religion in America, I didn’t know that so many people based much of their leisure on their religion exclusively. I guess a Christian person buying a Christian rock CD is similar to me, a Jew, buying a Matisyahu CD. However, I was a bit disturbed during the movie we watching in class about how much the movie we watched, produced by the two famous brothers, had to do with Jews and in essence, was a commentary on Jewish history. I believe that most Jewish cultural events (Broadway shows, singers, etc.) are not really concerned with other religions or the history of Jews with other religions, but really an expression and celebration of Jewish culture, tradition, and history. The movie we watched in class however didn’t portray Jewish history and the Jewish people in a positive light at all.

2006-12-14T10:21:00.000-08:00

2006-12-14T10:16:00.000-08:00

I always knew that there were a lot of Ethiopian Black Jews, but I didn’t know that we had them right here in the US as well! The video on the Black synagogue in New York really opened up my eyes to a whole part of the Jewish culture that I never knew existed. I would definitely love to attend services there one day and see the differences and similarities of the Black Jews to any other service. While Judaism is an ethnicity and religion, not a race, I had always kind of considered it one anyway. Although you definitely can’t just meet someone who is Black and assume their not Jewish, for the most part, if you wanted to assume this, it could be a pretty safe assumption. Although this class really changed my feelings on that. I am curious to know how these Jews interact within their communities and what types of neighborhoods or societies they typically live in. Both Blacks and Jews typically have very strong cultural/ethnic identities so I guess the way in which these Black Jews live their lifestyle is primarily dependent on which of their identities(Black or Jewish) is more important relevant in their life. Also, I wouldn’t necessarily consider myself a “multicultural” person, just a Jewish American. I wonder if this group of Jews feel very differently about their culture.

2006-12-14T08:14:00.000-08:00

Last night we had our last chapter meeting in my sorority(which is nationally Jewish) and we were supposed to evaluate the social events that were planned this year and what we would like to be improved about next year. One girl raised her and expressed the desire to attempt to have functions and be paired with non-Jewish fraternities instead of just Jewish ones(as is our "norm") because she's "so sick of the Jewish boys." Everyone else could not have argued more and it was clear that her opinions were those of many. I got to thinking about why it is we were only paired with Jewish fratnerities anyway. Is it our executive board's hidden motives to only be friends with other Jewish people? Do they/we think we will meet our future Jewish husbands at these functions, only to have Jewish kids who will one day then perpetuate the family affilitiation with our Jewish sororities and fraternities? I for one believe that our sorority shoudl not discriminate or only want to be with certain houses, especially for the reason of religion.

2006-12-14T08:09:00.000-08:00

Class recentlydefinitely got me around to thinking about kashrus and the ideas associated with it. We were dicussing how hard it is to kasher an area or piece of food, and many were makign it seem like it was such an unncessary hassle. I have had many conversations with people who do not believe in the sanctity of Jewish dietary laws and camp that they are a staple of the past, not of the future. They furthermore affirm that these laws were most of health concerns in times when food wasn’t always cut or clean the proper one, and that today, being kosher is unnecessary due to the improvement in such methods. As someone who tries to keep a “kosher lifestyle,” I believe in an idea very strongly concerning the following-If every time I sit down to have a meal, I am reminded that I am Jewish and that due to this, I am different from others. If every time I want to order a cheeseburger, I have to remember that I am one of the chosen who has certain privileges but also laws to live by, and it is just quick reminder that I do not act the same as everyone else and am held to higher regards, then that explanation is reason enough for me.

2006-12-14T08:07:00.000-08:00

Following is my paper!:
Through interviews with several of my friends who identify with either the Reform or Conservative Jewish movement, I have found recurring responses similar to the following: “I hate going to temple because I don’t understand anything that goes on, it feels like a chore,” or “I don’t care if I intermarry, as long as my kids are Bar or Bat Mitzvahed.” Author Elliot Abrams would claim these sentiments are the inevitable effects of American secularization, while the NJPS, might allege that the culprit is a decrease in Jewish education. Though it would be false to claim that all people grow up to practice religion exactly as they did in their households growing up, countless people believe that much of a person’s character, be it religious observance, cultural traits, or dietary habits, are almost directly related to the home in which they were raised.
Modern Orthodoxy, which lies on the basic tenets of living a traditional Orthodox life while still incorporating and accepting the modern day world, is, like any movement, interpreted and practiced a bit differently by each individual. Nonetheless, when interviewing my brother, Steven Siegler, a 30 year old Modern Orthodox Jew, he expresses to me his belief that of the more observant sects (Modern Orthodoxy, Orthodoxy, and Hasidism,) there is smaller spectrum of religiosity levels within each faction, much of which is due to the types of communities that they reside in. When asking Steven Siegler what he finds so spiritual and satisfying in Modern Orthodox Judaism, he responds by saying “It is not always what we gain, but rather what we did not lose.” What Steven Siegler is trying to convey is his feelings towards the perpetuation and future strength of the Jewish people. He firmly believes that if he does not raise his kids with a formal Jewish education, in addition to leading an Orthodox lifestyle, his children will not strongly identify with Judaism and therefore not be able to perpetuate this same observance to future generations in his family. Orthodox Jews resist complete secularization because they fear the loss of traditional Judaism and perhaps eventually, the loss of Judaism completely. This is much of the reason that Steven Siegler, along with Modern Orthodox Jews around the world, centers much of his life around his religion, as opposed to many secular Jews who center their religion association around their secular lives.
In the mere geographic sense, neighborhoods or towns are famously Modern Orthodox due to an invisible boundary known as an eruv, which is validated by official Rabbinical sanctions and allows for those who live on a certain private piece of land the abilities to partake in certain acts that are otherwise not allowed on Shabbat. These permissions pertain to activities such as pushing wheelchairs or carrying food yet still prohibit tools whos primary use is ns not allowed on Shabbat (BostonEruv.Org). For apparent reasons, an eruv is a major factor for establishing a Modern Orthodox community and only furthers the communal kinship of a neighborhood by allowing people to easily move kids or elderly and carry food from home to home on Shabbat, as is often done for Friday night dinner or Saturday lunch. The eruv is also one of many significant reasons why observant Jews reside in such close proximity to one another. Due to the Orthodox interpretations of Jewish law, observant Jews walk to synagogue on Shabbat. This is why both the presence of an eruv and the proximity to a synagogue is so pivotal.

Upon interviewing Steven Siegler, a Jew who identifies with the Modern Orthodox movement, he relays to me to the intense welcoming that he felt as soon as he moved to Englewood, New Jersey, a suburb of New York City known for a large and relatively young Modern Orthodox community. “The second we moved in, we had almost every one of our neighbors calling us, coming over to introduce themselves, inviting us for Shabbat dinners. These were the same people we became close with, the same people I walk to synagogue with, and the same people we will send our children to school with.”
In comparison, the interview I conducted with my and Steven’s mother, Edie Siegler, a 55 year old woman from Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, was much different. Edie has belonged to a Conservative synagogue for much of her life but rarely practices Jewish rituals or attends synagogues. This description is fundamentally representative of much of Woodcliff Lake, where over 1,000 families belong to the largest post and most popular synagogue, Temple Emanuel, but where the attendance on Friday night or Saturday morning services is extremely low(15-20 people, in my frequent experience.)
“I have my friends, but most of them are the parents of the children in my children’s school system. When we moved into town years ago, some neighbors came to introduce themselves, but for the most part, all of our front doors are shut,” Edie has stated. So what is the significance behind this comparison? What do the dissimilarities that lie in these descriptions have to do with a Jewish lifestyle or Jewish identification?
“I would characterize the synagogue as central in my life and the life of my family. I attend every Shabbat and was for a long time attending daily services. My children also go on Shabbat. My wife is involved via sisterhood and other groups. Overall, the synagogue serves a central point for our feeling of having community in Englewood and our main social outlet,” Michael Blum, a 33 year old Modern Orthodox Jew who resides in Englewood, New Jersey, explains.
“Synagogue plays a central role in my family’s life. Not only do we attend services every Shabbat but both my husband and I are very active in several aspects of the community which revolve around the synagogue. My husband serves on the board of the shul and is chairman of the Youth Committee. I am a former Sisterhood president and I also serve on a committee to promote the building of our new shul to our members. I just spearheaded a groundbreaking event for the new building in which over 500 members attended. Our kids know that the synagogue is a central part of our lives and we hope that our commitment and dedication will become apparent to them and that they will emulate this as they get older,” Marcy Cohen adds.
In contrast, for those who identify in the Conservative or Reform movement, proximity to a synagogue is not essential; therefore it is less common those not as observant to form these Jewish enclaves. This may or may not lead to lesser sense of community. Edie Siegler describes, “I used to be very involved in the PTA and the annual town marathon but now that my kids are grown up, I find pleasure in putting my time elsewhere. As far as the synagogue (which is Conservative) is concerned, I have very little to do with it. I have been to a few Jewish Women’s classes there, but never really made time to stick to anything. I am a lifetime member of Hadassah however and made all of the women in my family lifetimes members also. I have many friends who attend the same synagogue who are more involved in groups such as National Council for Jewish Women but they do not attend synagogue more than I do.”
As Marcy Cohen noted the impact she hopes her involvement will have on her children, Edie Siegler also acknowledges the same sentiment, just in a slightly different way. Through conversing with Edie, it is obvious that while she cares that her children marry within the religion, she and her husband have admittedly done little to ensure this hope. Evidence shows that this is the case in many homes. For instance, a survey conducted by the American Jewish Committee in 1989 demonstrates that 81 percent of Jews responded that it was very important that their children feel good about being Jewish, while only 46 percent said it was important that they practice Jewish rituals (Abrams 128). In 2000 survey portrays an especially interesting picture of Jewish practice within its movements. IN J.J. Goldberg’s article, “A Portrait of American Jews,” featured in The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, “Jews attend worship services less regularly than any other group surveyed.” Slightly less than one-quarter of the Jews surveyed said they attend services at least once a week, while greater than half said they attend on "special occasions only." Simultaneously, Jews had the highest proportion ( 5.2 percent) of any group who attend services every day, implying the ongoing influence of Orthodoxy. In addition to the 18 percent who attend weekly services and more than 6 percent who attend "once or twice a month,'' nearly 30 percent attend with some regularity. This matches other surveys showing that 25 to 30 percent of American Jews maintain a deep, ongoing involvement in communal Jewish practice.
Many friends I have spoken to who either identify as Reform or Conservative Jews often feel very “culturally” Jewish but not religiously Jewish. They have not expressed feelings not on animosity or disinterest towards Judaism, rather feelings being a bit uniformed or lost when it comes to religion. Devon Chaiken, a 20 year old Reform Jew from West Bloomfield, Michigan, explains “Once in a while I will pass a man wearing a yarmulke on the street and think to myself, ‘Wow, he and I are both Jewish yet I know nothing and he knows so much.’ Judaism wasn’t important to my family. More than half of my town was Jewish. I have all Jewish friends and my parents hope I marry someone Jewish but I don’t really care. I went to Hebrew school but hated every second of it.”
This lack of Jewish education is not prevalent for all of those who do not identify with the Orthodox movement, however. Mallory Saks, for instance, was raised in a home that did not observe Jewish dietary laws or Shabbat, yet she attended a Conservative Jewish Day school and feels very strong ties to her Jewish identity. She does explain however that she sometimes felt confused growing up because she was learning Jewish laws and customs at school that were not practiced in her home. Nonetheless, according to Marvin Schick, author of A Census of Jewish Day Schools in the United States, the Orthodox community attends Jewish Day School at much higher rates , than the Conservative or Reform movement does. According to his research, Orthodox day schools secure 80% of all of Jewish day school enrollment.
Marcy Cohen, a Modern Orthodox Jew, expresses her feelings on the topic of education: “I have always known that I wanted to send my children to Hebrew Day School. I went to day school starting in nursery school through high school and I felt that it had a major impact on my Jewish upbringing. Not only in terms of curriculum but in terms of the friends I made, the environment and the values. Both a modern Jewish education as well as a secular education are equally important to both me and my husband, but we choose to send our kids to private day school because we know that a secular education combined with secondary Hebrew school does not have the same effect on kids.” Marcy Cohen states. “Being surrounded by Jews like myself every day throughout my education, it was very easy not only to practice but also to socialize. After dating Jewish boys for so long, once I went to a secular college and was being thrown in the mix with non-Jewish boys, it just didn’t feel right. I know most of my friends feel the same way I do. “ Jewish day school is one of the basic tenents of a Modern Orthodox upbringing and Marcy’s description of her experience there is representative of all the reasons why this is so. In addition, the following mission statement, provided by SAR, a Modern Orthodox day school in Riverdale, New York, exemplifies such a Jewish education. “SAR is a place where learning and life come together — where Torah and secular studies are integrated; where a love for Medinat Yisrael and Jewish tradition are fostered; where study is probing and meaningful; where students discover the beauty of their heritage.SAR is a school that fosters Jewish pride, and a deep sense of concern and commitment to the American-Jewish community, the State of Israel and Jews around the world. A school where the faculty inspires a love of learning and academic excellence”(SARACADEMY.ORG).
In terms of sleep away camp, which has become seemingly customary for most Jewish kids, the same rules apply. Alyssa Levine, who identifies as Reform Jew, attended Camp Blue Ridge, a camp that is kosher style, practically entirely Jewish(with a few exceptions-mostly kids that classify themselves as “both” Christian and Jewish), explains that camp has had a major impact on her life, but not in a religious way at all. As with most secular Jewish camps, Blue Ridge did conduct some form of a Shabbat service, but it was mostly traditional camp cheers and songs, with the additional “Adon Olam.” Alyssa states that most of her campers did not know how to read Hebrew nor did they really know the words to Adon Olam. While this experience definitely fosters a sense of inclusion within the Jewish community since campers here only really interact with other Jewish kids, it does not encourage or teach any sense of Judaism.
In contrast, Marcy Cohen, a Modern Orthodox Jew, describes her camping experience much differently. “I went to Modern Orthodox Jewish summer camps my entire life (starting at age 3 since my parents worked there) and think it had a great impact on me socially and religiously. My camp experience was sort of an extension of my school experience in that some of the kids overlapped, the environment was similar to what I was used to religiously and my entire family was there. So there wasn’t much of an adjustment for me. I think summer sleepaway camp, whether Jewish or not—is a privilege every kid should experience. It fosters self confidence, lifelong friendships and memories to last a lifetime. So it had a great impact on me as a person. As a Jew it was equally as important for me and was a great way to experience Jewish activities, make new friends from the same background, celebrate Shabbat, learn a little bit of Torah –all in a very relaxed environment. Jewish content was woven into everything we did (including Color War, Intercamp activities, meals, arts and crafts, etc) but it was so natural. I definitely hope and plan to send my kids to similar sleep away camps. There have always been many choices for modern orthodox summer camps and I am sure there are even more today.”
It has become apparent through interviews and statistics, that the Orthodox movement puts a great emphasis on Jewish practice and education, while within other movements, this dedication varies. Due to the involvement religion plays in the lives of those who are more observant, Judaism almost becomes the glue which holds Orthodox communities together, as the synagogue obviously plays such an important role in their lives. Furthermore, in regards to the ideas of generational responsibility, it can be concluded that for the most part, those who identify as Orthodox or Modern Orthodox put a much greater prominence on Jewish practice in their homes, in hopes that their children will perpetuate these ideals.

2006-10-22T18:56:00.000-07:00

In this week’s class discussion, one student mentioned that she did not live with in a 60 mile radius of any other Jews and how when she was home, she wanted to return to IU so badly (I would assume this is because as a Jew, she feels a much stronger connection amongst the Jewish population on campus.) This made me get to thinking about Judaism as a community and the effect it has had on my own life. Although I know there are definite drawbacks to always surrounding myself with other Jews( ie: lack of diversity and friends of other backgrounds} the circles of friends I have had made such a significant impact on who I am as a person. Growing up in a very Jewish area right outside New York City, my friends, my parents’ friends, and even most of my teachers were always Jewish. I believe that this gives people an unspoken bond with one another. Perhaps because I have always been surrounded by other Jews, I feel most at ease with them. I can assume(whether I am right or wrong) that other kids who share my religion have had relatively similar upbringings, and identify with the same morals and ideas that I do. My sleep away camp, most importantly, has by far had the most influence on me. The basis of this sleep away camp? While it is by no means “religious” and is not funded by a Jewish organization as many camps are, the grounding force for this summer getaway is the fact that everyone is Jewish. Today I am in a Jewish sorority, and again this is something that I don’t think my life would be as “complete” without. I can’t imagine being raised in a community where I didn’t feel this “Jewish connection” with anyone else at all. On the other hand, I am sure I am at a loss for a lot of major cultural and learning experiences that others who maybe have not always been in such a “comfort zone” have had. Being around those of other histories, religions, and identities is definitely a worldly and culturing experience that I have yet to have and while I am very appreciate for my upbringings, I can see why the other side might not be so bad either.

2006-10-22T18:40:00.000-07:00

After watching “The Hebrew Hammer” today in class , I thought about many things concerning not only the ideas of cultural Judaism, but also of the exclusive nature of being able to watch and laugh at such a movie. I think most minorities, especially those who have been through a long and largely painful history as the Jews have, have this sort of communal idea that we can joke about ourselves, but the second that someone outside of this circle makes a comment or calls us a certain name, it is discrimination. The African American community is another example of this. They themselves use the “N” word all the time, in their music, their literature, etc., but as a white person, I would never dare use that word. I think of it as a label that one is only allowed to use if they are black themselves. On a slightly different and perhaps hypocritical note, I have a bit of a problem with some of these forms of “cultural” Jewish expression that we have been discussing I think because if Jews can use this label to describe their Jewish identity or feel as though they can laugh at a movie such as “The Hebrew Hammer,” being solely “culturally” Jewish is like a cop out for being Jewish. I think of culture more as food, humor, literature, and maybe values, but I think or religion as observance, understanding, and education also. So I guess I believe Jewish “culture” is more the superficial or end results of being Jewish, but I think that this culture has only come from years of tradition and concrete, observed religion.

2006-10-22T18:17:00.000-07:00

My first impression of the website “Jew School.Com” is that its just an enormous collaboration of basically all artistic/cultural/”revolutionary” Jewish expression that is found on the internet. It seems very contemporary, cool, high tech, and definitely geared towards a younger crowd. Nonetheless, when I went to read the “about us” section to see what the website is really all about, I was a little turned off, to say the least. The first two lines of this section read as follows “Judaism has always been revolutionary. It seems though that every few decades the tradition becomes ensnared in a rigidity and conservativism which defies its radical roots.” I don’t really agree with the idea that Judaism has always been revolutionary, or maybe I just don’t want to agree with this. Nonetheless, as stated in prior blogs, I am a firm believer that the continuity and staying power of any religion, especially Judaism, is the ideals of firm tradition and relatively unchanging ideals and practices. I don’t think that conservativism defies Judaism’s “radical roots,” and I strongly disagree with the idea that Judaism has “radical roots,” but on the other hand, I would say it has strong, stable roots. I appreciate and identify with Jewish culture and different, individual forms of expression, but a whole website dedicated to the critique of an organized religion seems a bit odd to me.

2006-10-22T17:59:00.000-07:00

On the topic of these magazines such as Heeb or Guilt & Pleasure, I see absolutely nothing wrong with these forms of cultural Jewish expression. Apparently, my class mates have very different and mixed feelings about this. Regardless of religious observances, I think most Jews, whether affiliated, observant, or completely detached from the Jewish religion, feel some sort of cultural connection. I could use my friends as a perfect example of this. I am in a Jewish sorority, was raised in an extremely Jewish town, and went to Jewish sleep away camp, yet I am one of very few of my friends who keeps kosher to any extent, ever acknowledges Shabbat, and goes to synagogue besides the high holidays. When I showed some my friends some of the features of the magazines which were online however, they all identified and understood the contents of the articles and enjoyed it greatly. I don’t believe these magazines are at all a mockery of Judaism, I believe their an expression of a sense of cultural, literary Judaism, just as a book or newspaper would be. In fact, the contemporary, youthful relevance of these magazines make them appealing to me and like was said in class, reading these sorts of magazines could perhaps be only “religious” news feed of the day. I definitely would subscribe to a magazine like Heeb in the future, and in fact, I know that my Chabad rabbi reads it from time to time. It is important to keep up with young modern Jewish culture and these magazines are a great and interesting way to do so.

2006-10-22T17:24:00.000-07:00

Growing up, I remember always hearing conversation about the UJA in my house, and I’m pretty sure it was always in a negative light. Through class conversation, it was obvious that many people had conflicted feelings towards this philanthropic organization, all valid, and obviously none right or wrong, just different. The first part of this website that caught my eye was “Operation Promise,” which helps brings Ethiopian Jews to Israel and help elderly Jews living in the Soviet Union. While I might be so impressed by these ideas because I am rather uninformed about Jewish philanthropy, I was very intrigued by this cause. Most Jewish charity events I have ever been involved with benefit the community in which they reside or Israel, but this cause is worldwide and seems necessary. On the other hand, I don’t really have a problem in the way the UJA goes about attempting to get donations. If people want to be discreet about what they have given, they can ask for their names not to be mentioned. If others however do see the identifications of their giving as a way to maybe have their reputations cemented or they are donating in honor or memory of someone, I see nothing wrong with this either. It should not matter how or why people give to causes they support; what should matter is that these causes are being funded and have the monetary power to help others.

2006-10-22T17:23:00.001-07:00

Of all the websites we have been recently visiting, I definitely found Chabad. Org the most intriguing and interactive. Symbolic of the whole movement, this website could not find more welcomes to appear welcoming and ready to share information “enlighten” Jews. More importantly than the appearance of the website however, Chabad holds a special sort of significance to both my family and I. My father was brought up in what would now be called a modern Orthodox/Conservadox household. However, once he married my mother and moved out of his religious neighborhood, he lost a great deal of his religious identity. Growing up, my house wasn’t kosher, Shabbat was not normally observed in any way, and my father did not attend synagogue besides really on the high holidays and for my Hebrew school events. About 5 years ago, a Chabad was constructed right across from the largest, conservative synagogue in my town. Obviously, this caused major controversy. My brother, who identified with the Orthodox movement, virtually begged my father to go “try out” the new Chabad House, partly because it is walking distance from my house so it was convenient for himself when he slept over on Shabbat, and partly because my brother had faith that this visit would lead to a revival of my father’s religious identity (or lack there of.) This was precisely what happened. My family has since disaffiliated from my conservative synagogue, joined Chabad, and both my parents are now extremely active members. My father attends services several times a week and my father attends many of the womens activities. Therefore from my perspective, I see the Chabad movement as a great way to make each Jew the best Jew they can be. The beauty of the Chabad movement is not that they want to convert each Jew to an Orthodox Jew or force people to believe what they don’t want to. “Chabadniks” take each Jew for who they are as a person and just try to enrich their religious life however they see fit.

2006-10-22T17:23:00.000-07:00

2006-09-17T13:36:00.000-07:00

To be honest, I didn’t really gain so much from this website. I have many friends that are Sephardic Jews but the only difference I really know about their traditions is that they are allowed to eat normally restricted foods, such as rice, during Pesach. The mission statement on this site was clear, but in order to know what “traditions” this sect is trying to preserve, I would have to know more about the sect itself. So, I began to read about their mission to save and help Jewish refugees from Arab countries, which I found both inspiring and remarkable. I wasn’t very aware of all of this information before and I was really interested to read more about it. I was a bit surprised to read that after the establishment of Israel, the treatment of Jews was much worse in Arab countries. While it seems logical that the Arab powers were angry concerning the unity and official country of the Jewish people, I was curious as to why all Jews from these countries (who were already being treated badly) would not just flee to Israel. I’m sure this is not as easy as it sounds, however. Reading on, the work that this sect is doing, in conjunction with other agencies(state regulated or not) seems important and successful

2006-09-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

For starters, I have never heard of “cultural Judaism,” and was definitely excited to learn about it. I began with the “mission” page and read it entirely. While I definitely understood and appreciated that the group recognized the growing secularity of Jewish America and still tried to unite the Jewish people in some way, I honestly really find myself almost laughing at this site several times. I believe that the future of the Jewish people lies in the continuing practices and traditions of the religion. I certainly comprehend the idea of Judaism being a present day “culture” to an extent. My friends often discuss the fact that most of them are not observant in any way, yet share common value systems and morals which they contribute strongly to their religion. I find that Jews often find themselves “clicking” and therefore associating primarily with Jews. Furthermore, while I know this is a ridiculous and very generalized statement, I know many people also often affirm that they can just “tell” when someone is Jewish, whether it be by the way they talk, carry themselves, etc. I think this has everything to do with our history. As recent as five or six decades ago, Jews in general, were majorly less secular and more religious. We assimilated less and practiced more. I think this has led to the “culture” of Judaism today and I think that the future lies in continuing tradition and observance today, even if it is not to the same extent. So yes, I believe that any unity of the Jewish people is better than none, and even if one can identify merely “culturally” with the Jewish people, every little bit counts. Nonetheless, I strongly question the basis and staying power of this movement.

2006-09-10T12:31:00.000-07:00

As I expected, the Orthodox movement’s website had a much more religious, traditional slant and definitely intimidated me a bit. I guess the movement/creators of the site assumed that most who would visit the website have some basic or even advanced religious foundation because even for someone like me who is somewhat well learned in this area, didn’t connect to this site as much as the Conservative one. For instance, I took the same route on this site as I did on the Conservative one, first skimming the entire homepage and then going to the page on Shabbos. Here, I found a much more complex explanation and I was a little turned off by it, really. The page “Protect the Day of Shabbat” was just filled with quotes and didn’t give any sort of basic account of what Shabbos is. Again, I’m sure an observant Orthodox Jew would appreciate and comprehend this much more than myself. However, when I went to the page “Sabbath Rest,” I was much more able to understand what was written, and more importantly, I actually wanted to read it. I also liked the variety of links one could go to read about each week’s parsha. In general, this website has an abundance of links to other websites and I think that this is great, because it gives the reader his or her own choice about what Rabbi or perspective he or she wants to read about. For someone like me or another Jew who is not Orthodox or as educated, there are also more basic websites and links to follow.

2006-09-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

Upon first glance at the Conservative movement’s website, I was overwhelmed (in a good way) at how much it had to offer. I think in comparison to the Reform site, this one was a lot more detailed and explanatory. I immediately clicked on the tab “Jewish living & learning,” because I knew this would show me the movement’s ideas on Jewish life today. I thought it was very nice and welcoming that there is a whole section (several pages) on the significance of Shabbat and even “entry ways” to begin incorporating it into one’s life. The fact that it is explained in such detail and in such a modern, relevant way, really impressed me. The site also conveyed not only the strictly religious and traditional reasons for observing Shabbat, but told about how it is just a good break from the chaos of the week. Especially for a conservative Jew, I think this idea is important and I know for myself, is a motivating factor in observing Shabbos in any way.
I also really appreciated and related to the page on a kosher Bar/Bat mitzvah. Although I was raised in a community that was largely Conservative Jews, many of my friends had extremely lavish Bar/Bat mitzvahs where shrimp was served. Not to pass judgment, but I think this is completely ridiculous. Although I do believe all Jews should keep a kosher home, most in reality, do not. Nonetheless, if one thinks their religion is important enough to go through the training, learning, and planning of such a huge Jewish milestone as being Bar/Bat mitzvahed, I strongly believe that this simcha should take occur in a proper Jewish manner. Having a Bar/Bat mitzvah should not only celebrate one’s coming of age, but be a milestone, not an end to one’s Jewish learning. To portray and teach to others that this religious landmark should be honored in a way that is totally contradictory to the Jewish religion, is something I am very uncomfortable with. At the root of the matter, I think it sets a very unfortunate precedent.

2006-09-03T16:13:00.000-07:00

Growing up, I definitely held certain stigmas concerning reform Judaism. Raised in a community where the majority attend the same conservative synagogue, I’m now a little embarrassed to say that I definitely looked down a little upon those who attended it’s less religious, seemingly “weird” and inferior counterpart. I don’t really believe this was a notion of religious superiority, although it might have been. Maybe I was jealous that those few kids were only forced to attend Hebrew school twice a week, when I had to drag myself out of bed at 9 AM to go on Saturday morning, in addition to those two week days. I think I was also majorly taken aback by the reform bar/bat mitzvah services I attended, where most of the service was conducted in English and the parents of the child gave corny irrelevant speeches that seemed of little religious significance. Regardless of these reasons(none of which are particularly valid anyway), I always believed that reform Judaism was a bit of a cop-out, a way to claim membership or allegiance to the Jewish community, while basically modifying and supplementing what ever practices they wanted to. In my mind, reform Judaism was merely a faux.
As I stated earlier, in retrospect, I really should have had a lot more knowledge before I made any sort of judgements, and frankly, I still don’t believe I have the ability to properly comment on any sect of Judaism, let alone my known. Until about 5 years ago, my family belonged to the same Conservative synagogue as most of my hometown (which is largely Jewish). My friends always thought of my family as “so religious” because we occasionally attended services for Shabbos and I felt(at the time) “forced” to stay longer at every high holiday service(the only time I ever saw a large crowd of people at my synagogue). In reality, this conservative synagogue, in most senses, had a reform congregation. No one I knew who went there(family friends, school friends) kept kosher, none observed Shabbos in any way, very few had any sense of religiosity in their home lives, and most of these families left the synagogue after all of their kids were bar mitzvahed. From this alone, I would say that my “conservative” synagogue was basically reformed.
I probably would have never made these connections had it not been for the fact that my family now attends the local Chabad, much more frequently, and with much more enthusiasm and interest. Now that I see the extreme differences between this Orthodox movement and what I have read on the reform Judaism website, I definitely have a lot of mixed feelings, as I would deem myself a Liberal at heart but a traditionalist and realist in terms of the continuity of Judaism in America. I support the women and gay acceptance that the reform movement preaches. I support the acceptance and education of inter-married families, which I believe are unfortunately a present and growing force. Nonetheless, I do believe that the policies I read on the website, regarding the observance(or lack there of) of basic Jewish rituals, completely ignore the basic tenet of our faith. I hold strong convictions concerning the correlation between adherence to assets of Judaism such as kashrut, mitzvot, the Sabbath, and so on, to the eternality and of the Jewish religion. Nonetheless, I guess if this is the best people can do, they should observe as they see fit. For an intermarried couple with little faith, I am sure the reform sect would be welcoming and comfortable, and maybe in the same manner, reform Judaism is a sign of the times, a foreshadowing of what to come. I just can’t help but really hope this is not the case.