F359

I came into this course not knowing exactly what I was going to learn and what exactly what I was going to take away from it. While this course did not give me exact answers about my Judaism, it did open up many ideas and give me insight to many different topics.

This course showed me that there is no one answer to the question of “Who is a Jew” but rather a multitude of ideas that can explain Judaism. From the title of the course I thought that we would be exploring our own identities rather than those of other collective groups but I am really glad that I was able to learn about different kinds of Jews, Jewish Ideas and beliefs because it has showed me that what I have grown up to define as Jewish is only a small part of the Jewish world and its complexity.

While I don’t agree with everything that was said in this course I also really appreciate everyone’s different views and opinions of the different topics that we discussed. As I have been brought up in a house and community where most of the people I am with believe what I believe it was nice to be in a diverse environment discussing Judaism.

I want to thank everyone for their opinions and thoughts and I hope everyone had a wonderful semester.

Have a great summer!!!!

FIG

The Jewish Studies FIG was an interesting experience and a very different one than what I was expecting....

When I signed up for the FIG I thought that I was going to meet Jewish kids from all over the country who have an interest in Judaism and want to be apart of a Jewish community. When I got to IU the FIG was a bunch of Jewish kids who mostly signed up for the FIG so that they could live in McNutt.

Our FIG leader wasn't that great! He wasn't interested in doing Jewish activities and he didn't know that much about Judaism. In the FIG the only thing Jewish about the FIG was that we were all Jewish and living together and taking two Jewish Studies courses together.

In the FIG there were the kids who grew up in large Jewish populations and the kids who didn't grow up in a large Jewish community, there were the camp kids and the kids who had never been to Jewish overnight camp, there were the religious kids and the not religious kids, basically a group of Jewish kids who either had lots in common or nothing in common. The dynamic of the FIG does change year to year because the Jewish upbringing of the kids who are in it change from year to year.

While I am glad that I did the FIG because I was able to get ahead in my Jewish Studies courses, I don't think that I gained anything Jewishly from it otherwise. I think that in order to improve the FIG for future kids, I think that the leader should be in the Jewish Studies Department or active at Hillel and if it is going to be a Jewish Studies FIG it should be more than just a bunch of Jews living together and taking classes together, it should be the start of a Jewish community for freshman.

Passover Statements from the Presidential Candidates

It is very interesting to me how each candidate gave their statements….

Clinton and McCain both addressed the basic idea of the holiday and wished from their families to the families who will be celebrating Pesach and good holiday. They both addressed the Exodus and the families that will join together to rejoice in the freedom that they received.

Hilary talked about the inspiration that she has from the Haggadah that we must remember the past so that we may become leaders and advocates for the future. McCain talked about his experience with families of Israeli soldiers who had been captured in 2006 by Hezbollah and how their families are celebrating the Passover holiday without them not knowing their whereabouts. I thought McCain and Clinton gave very nice remarks, ones that aren’t political or take any kind of religious stance but acknowledge the Jewish Holiday of Passover.

Obama’s statement interested me the most, the first part of his statement was not very different from that of the other nominee’s and it was very nice that he and his family wished a good holiday however, he used the words “we” and “us”. I find this most interesting because as I was reading it I thought to myself “does he think of himself as one of the Jewish people?” “Does he include himself in the religion that is celebrating this holiday?”

One of the things that annoy me most is when people who are clearly not affiliated with whatever they are speaking of whether a race, religion or anything else include themselves and use “we” and “us.” After reading his statement twice I realize that he was not including himself in the “we” or “us” but rather that he was referring to anyone should learn from the Passover story.

What does it say about Jewish identity that these three candidates specifically wished the Jewish people a good and joyous Passover? While the Jews may be a religious minority I have come to realize that Jewish people have made a name for themselves and I feel that is the reason why these candidates addressed us. While I might be wrong I have never heard political people discuss Ramadan or Kwanza. It is true that during the holiday season of Christmas and Hanukkah that if a person in politics wants to specifically say the holidays they will say both Christmas and Hanukah.

I think that these three candidates each recognize that the vote of Jews is very important to them and I often think that when anyone in politics makes statements just as these they do it not always because they really want to but because of the political gain that comes with it.

I hope everyone is having a good Pesach!!!!

Neo-Nazi Article

As I was looking on the Jerusalem post’s website as I usually do when I have a free moment, I came across this article and it truly bothered me so I thought I would share my comments….

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1208422632626&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

“US Neo Nazi’s gear up for Hitler’s b’day” … was the title of this article and I must say at first I thought it was some kind of cruel joke or something… but it’s not.

As Hitler’s 119^th anniversary of the day he was born happened on April 19^th many of his supporters in the United States will be holding events and rallies in his honor and to celebrate his life… when I first read the article the first things that came to my mind was why after so many years after the Holocaust ended and Hitler gone why would anyone especially in the United States still support him? After thinking about this question for quite some time I realized that they must have been brainwashed to believe in the things Hitler believed in…

As I shared this article with my mom she said that our congregation has been talking about events such as these and that a neo-Nazi group that tried to march in Skokie where I live a few years ago is planning to try again at the end of April so that they may show their support for Hitler.

A lot of the places such as Washington DC and Chicago that these groups are planning to have events in are highly populated by Jews. It is sad to me that after all this time has passed after Nazi reign and the world devastation of the Holocaust that there are still people who associate with Hitler.

It bothers me so much that especially in the United States that there is nothing that we can do to stop these groups from marching and holding events in the name of Hitler….. I am very bothered by this article and I think that it bothers me more that this article was posted at that these events were held as Pesach a holiday of freedom has just begun

Bubbe

This is a difficult blog for me to write however it is something that I have been deeply thinking about for several months and would like to share……

My Bubbe was an extraordinary woman and an essential person in my life until she passed away this past December has been on my mind since she passed. She was a woman of her generation who did everything she could for her family and friends and never thought twice about it. She was not only a full time wife and mother but a full time friend to many, she always had her nose in something at synagogue and having her home be one filled with love, laughter, good Jewish food and a sense of Judaism was of the utmost importance.

This Pesach is the first Jewish holiday that my family is having without her and while it will be a wonderful holiday there is a bit of sadness in our hearts. As I have grown up my whole life living in her home, the holidays have always been a time for her to show off not just her sense of Judaism but her wonderful cooking. As Pesach is my favorite holiday I remember that one of my favorite things was waking up the day of the first Seder and the smell of her amazing matzo ball soup filled the house.

For my grandmother her Jewish identity was not shown by the candles she lit on Friday night or the blessings she would say but by her Jewish cooking. The Jewish Woman and her Home, a book that my grandmother constantly used was essential for her. We always knew where she would be sitting at our holiday table because her book would be placed as she was setting the table. She made sure that at every holiday she would read several passages and everyone had to listen. I hated that book growing up because it meant that for 10-15 minutes I would have to listen to probably the most boring Jewish book, my grandmother read because she felt the need to teach something Jewish to her family.

This morning when I woke up, I smelled all of the good Pesach food that my grandmother used to make and I looked in the dining room to see a beautiful table already set just as she would have liked it, but no book. Now I realize that, that book was a crucial part of my Jewish upbringing but more importantly that my Bubbe was my Jewish inspiration. My grandmother was the proudest when my sisters and my cousins, her grandchildren, began our formal Jewish education in Sunday school, had our bar/bat mitzvahs, read Hebrew to her and recited our prayers, went to Shabbat services, read Torah on the high holidays and maybe most importantly enjoyed her Jewish cooking.

Since my grandmother passed away, I have spent a lot of time why I believe the things I believe and want to live the Jewish lifestyle that I do, of course my parents had something to do with it, but I now realize that it is my Bubbe who has truly inspired me. She was the member of the sisterhood that everyone loved, a wonderful friend, and a woman who had the strongest Jewish identity I have ever known and instilled that in me, but most importantly she is the Jewish mother and grandmother that I can only hope to be.

Tonight when my family begins our Seder, my sister will read from my grandmother’s book as it is now our turn to continue my grandmother’s tradition of reading and teaching her family. It will be with some sadness as she is no longer with us, but she left my family and most importantly me with a sense of Jewish identity that I will always carry and that someday I hope to pass on to my children.

I love my Bubbe greatly and I miss her but her Jewish identity will fill me for the rest of my life as I continue on my path to becoming a Rabbi.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Pesach!!

I thought Reform Jews aren’t that observant?

“Your family does two Seders? You keep Pesach for eight days? I thought Reform Jews weren’t that observant… isn’t being that observant not a part of Reform Judaism to observe Pesach in that way?”- said by a friend of mine to me after being asked about my personal Pesach observance. Why is there such a stereotype from “religious” Jews towards reform Jews or in their eyes “less religious Jews”? It bothers me so much that it is assumed that because I am a Reform Jew or rather that I identify with the Reform Movement that I am less observant. While it is true that some reform Jews only hold one Seder and keep Passover for seven days there are those who do two Seders and keep Passover for eight days.

After she made that comment towards me I simply said to her “you shouldn’t put a label on the movement of Judaism that I identify with because you wouldn’t like it if I stereotyped the movement of Judaism that you identify with.” I almost feel as if Judaism is so divided between the movements and has so many stereotypes within the religion that we have almost become anti-Jewish towards each other.

It seems to me that many Jews have come to believe these stereotypes of Judaism, specifically Reform Judaism in my case, that we have forgotten that we are one religion, that we pray to the same G-D, that we read the same Torah, study the same Talmud and Midrash and that regardless of religious observance we are all still a part of the same religion: Judaism. While I do affiliate with the Reform movement, my family tends to be more traditional in our religious observance.

It is the tradition in my family to have two Seders and observe Pesach for eight days. And ultimately the comment that my friend made doesn’t just bother me in terms of Pesach but just in general that the belief is that.

As Jews we celebrate Passover as a way to commemorate our exodus from Egypt and rejoice in our freedom. So it seems to me that we should be coming together to rejoice and not separating because of movements. What does it say about the future of Judaism in terms of where the religion will be if these stereotypes and divisions within the religion continue?

Genetic Testing and Jewish Identity?

Yesterday’s discussion about genetics and Judaism was very interesting. I think that what is known as the “Jewish Panel” for genetic testing is very interesting, however it bothers me that is what it is called. While these diseases may be prevalent in Jews, they are clearly not diseases that affect only Jews. Also, people who use genetic testing to confirm their identities I think is a misuse of those tests, resources, and money. Judaism is a religion while it has a lot of culture associated to it anyone can be Jewish.

I think that genetic testing and Judaism are really are separate things. While it is clear that these diseases are more often found in Jews, I don’t think that this group of tests needs to be titled with the word Jewish. I think that if you are Jewish your doctors should encourage these tests; however I think that doctors should encourage this panel to anyone. I feel that by giving this panel of important genetic tests a title with the word Jewish in it may cause others not to feel the need to look into and take these tests.

I am a firm believer of and am in complete support of all genetic testing. If I could get tested for diseases that I might pass on to my children I absolutely would. I think that it should be the responsibility of every parent, doctor and insurance company to make it a necessary thing to do genetic testing. Also in terms of Breast Cancer and BRCA1 and BRCA2, it is upsetting and bothersome to me that Ashkenazi Jews have become known to have these genes. I think it is important to note that this idea is based upon research and who the participants of that research were.

While I think it is interesting that these diseases have been found to be prevalent in Jews it is important to see that more often than not people who are Jewish are the ones willing to participate in the research of these diseases because we typically trust in the medical system.

Messianic Judaism

I just want to start this blog entry by saying that I am not prejudice and I am not against anyone. I truly believe that you cannot tell someone that they are wrong for what they believe (except for terrorists); but that it is perfectly okay to disagree with someone’s belief. While I do not agree with Messianic Judaism, I will not ever tell a Messianic Jew or anyone else that they are wrong for what they believe.

In my opinion I do not consider Messianic Jews to be real Jews. While I respect what they believe I cannot and will not consider someone Jewish who believes that Jesus is the messiah. While there are not many noticeable differences between Messianic Jews and other Jews the one the truly separates them is ,Jesus. The first Messianic Jew that I met was a girl who went to my school. At first glance I thought that she was an Orthodox Jew. She dressed modestly, kept kosher, observed Shabbat and spoke Hebrew quite well. But as I got to know her I started to observe little difference such as reference to the Old Testament instead of the Torah, and the way that she prayed was more like church gospel music than what I had learned to believe was a traditional Friday night service and she didn’t know some of the famous Jewish melodies that all of my other Jewish friends knew, and the mention of Jesus.

Then I went to her synagogue and in a very subtle way her parents implied that she was a more “complete Jew” than I was because they believe that Jesus is the messiah. At first I thought this strange and sort of ignored it but then it continued to come up when we would talk about Judaism and religion that Jesus was the messiah. One day I asked her how can she be Jewish and believe in Jesus. She told me that she was a messianic Jew. As I got to learn more about messianic Judaism I realized that maybe these Jews are trying to have the best of both the Christian world and the Jewish world.

While I will not say that they are wrong for what they believe, I don’t agree with it. Messianic Jews clearly don’t fit in with the more mainstream movements of Judaism. In religious school I remember learning about the Conservative movement, the Orthodox movement, the Reconstructionist movement, Chabad, Aish and Lubovitch Jews, but I never was told about Messianic Jews.

I have always been told that Jews don’t believe in Jesus as the messiah and that it is an anti-Jewish belief so how can this group of people say that they are Jews when they believe in something that is clearly not Jewish?

Intermarriage

It has been a while since my last entry.. here it goes....

The discussion in our class about intermarriage was very interesting. It is a very touchy and personal issue for many students in our class. I have never really openly discussed the issue with kids whose parents are intermarried. I think it is good that there are resources such as interfaithfamily.com that can help with families who are intermarried who are looking for answers about living a Jewish life.

I know that I have a mother who says “You have to marry a nice Jewish boy when you grow up because our religion is a dying one”. I hear it all the time…. It never ends…. While I think that if I did want to marry someone who wasn’t Jewish she would accept that person I think it would be a shock to my family and I know that there are many others who have mothers that say the same thing. As someone who wants to and aspires to be a rabbi it is important for me to marry a Jewish man and have a Jewish lifestyle.

Many people have asked me as a rabbi will I perform intermarriages. I often say that while my views could change as of now I would say no. I want to make sure that my role as a future rabbi is fulfilled, that I am serving the needs of my congregation, and that I am continuing to help Judaism through the commitment that I will make to G-D. Many rabbis that are currently the leaders of the Reform movement have often said that the views of the incoming generations of rabbis are much more traditional than most of the rabbis currently. I know that I will welcome interfaith couples into my congregation and help them find a connection with Judaism and G-D in any way I can. However, I will not officiate at an intermarriage ceremony because for me that is not fulfilling one of the commitments that I will make as a rabbi: to ensure the success and continuation of Judaism because even if the couple says that they will raise their kids in a Jewish home, it isn’t a certain thing until the children are born. I will try to help the couple who is seeking me out to officiate at their wedding understand that it is not them personally that I do not like but it will be my policy as a rabbi not to officiate at interfaith marriages.

It is very interesting that every synagogue, every rabbi has their own views and opinions and that there isn’t a standard. It is true that it will be very hard or rather probably impossible to find a rabbi in the conservative or orthodox movement who will officiate. Also in most orthodox communities they do not accept interfaith couples or families. I often feel like families of an interfaith background who want to be in those communities are often turned away because of their background. I think that if that family is willing to make those commitments and follow torah and Jewish law then why not let them?

The issue of interfaith marriage is not just talked about within every synagogue and movement but in classrooms such as ours because the issue affects where the future of Judaism is going. The more interfaith marriages and the more children whose parent(s) were brought up Jewish but they are not being brought up in Judaism, it is the opinion of many rabbis and myself, that Judaism will then be less successful. Judaism is a religion that relies on the participation of its believers no matter what movement they are part of. There is a growing fear among many Jews that the more intermarriage that continues to happen the less Jews there will be in the future.

Especially for parents of Jewish college students who attend universities that are full of diversity it is an especially important issue to discuss because most young Jewish college students will not attend universities that are solely populated by Jews, they attend universities such as ours which has a large Jewish population but is still very diverse. We discuss it especially at this time in our lives when we are deciding for ourselves what we actually believe. My friends and I often joke that one of the purposes of Hillel and Jewish camps and almost any Jewish organization that we are involved in is that nice Jewish boys and nice Jewish girls will meet and then they will get married and have nice Jewish babies. When I think about that it seems interesting that that is how we think of those organizations and it begs the bigger question of what does that say about young Jewish people today?

Hope you all are having a great semester!!!