Am I Sephardic?

Jillian Amely Cogan... my name doesn't scream Sephardic, but I have a sneaking suspicion that my family roots do trace back to Sephardic culture. My mother, born and raised in Philadelphia and New Jersey, both very Jewish areas, has roots that trace back to Eastern Europe. My father, on the other hand, was born and raised in Cuba. After reading about and discussing Sephardic Jews today in class, I cannot help but wonder if there is any trace of Sephardic culture in my family tree. 

My dad's side of the family is comprised of, what I lovingly call, crazy Cubans. Last semester in "What Makes it Jewish?" we learned about crypto-Jews, and I felt an odd connection an familiarity with some of the stories of these people lighting candles on Friday nights and having tops that resemble dreidles. A few years back, I remember an interesting discovery that I made with my dad. We were sitting around in my house, and for one reason or another, got on the topic of Jewish songs. The tune to "Heiveinu Shalom Alecheim" always reminded my dad of a song his family used to sing in Cuba called "Las Pazas De Con Nosotros"-- both songs have the same meaning. At first I thought he was kidding, trying to play a joke on me or something. However, I was surprised at our next big family get-together, when my Grandmother, Grandfather, and Aunt all broke out into the Spanish version of this hebrew song that I had been singing my entire life! It turns out that the woman I am named after, Amely David (My great-grandmother) was born in Jerusalem to a Syrian woman named Nagib Alit. I have to do more research about their backgrounds and how they ended up in what was then Palestine, and Cuba... but I think I may be on to something.

This little story of mine definitely seems to relate to what we talked about today. It is possible that this hebrew song of my childhood is also sung in spanish by people in the Sephardic tradition. Overall, Sephardic Jewry is hard to define. I was unsatisfied with the "official definition" of who is Sephardi that was given in the FAQs of The American Sephardi Federation. The information does not help me determine whether or not my family is Sephardic. My immediate family is affiliated with the Reform movement, and carries all of the typical Ashkenazi traditions that are found in North American Jewish life. I am curious, however, to explore the traditions and culture of Sephardic Jewry and see what else my crazy family has in common with them.

denominations? sects? what does it all mean?

You would think that after nineteen years of living an active Reform Jewish life, I would be able to clearly define the differences between what I believe versus what other denominations believe. It used to be simple, when I was younger- I would associate Reform Judaism with being less religious, whatever that meant. However, in the last four or five years I have come to realize that the assertion that Reform Jews are less religious or observant is not always accurate.

In high school, I took it upon myself to branch out and meet teenagers from all different Jewish backgrounds. I got involved with planning a benefit concert for Israel with USY, NFTY, BBYO, and NCSY, and every Wednesday night I would have "Latte and Learning" with Orthodox teenagers at the local kosher Starbucks. I was also very active in my region of NFTY, and I was sent to workshops all over the country where I would work with teens from other denominations. My experiences really opened my eyes to just how similar we all may be.

After exploring the websites of each movement (Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox), I have come to the conclusion that we aren't as different as we claim to be. Our religious practices may differ, but we are all working toward the same goal. That goal is to live a productive, successful Jewish life, raise our children to be the leaders of our respective movements, and to continue education throughout life. I always find it interesting when people get touchy or defensive about the movement they identify themselves with, because in the end everyone wants the same thing. I know that I get upset when people say "Reformed" instead of "Reform," because it sounds so negative when you add the "-ed." I prefer the term "Progressive" because it seems to hold a more positive connotation, and is more explanatory. I also found it interesting that the "religious continuum" seems to be cancelled out when one really breaks down the overall goals of each movement.

So to address the title of this blog, I pose a question. Is it disrespectful or wrong to call the different forms of Judaism "sects" or "denominations" when one is describing them? I remember being told back in the day that those words weren't appropriate to use, because we are all part of one religion. If that is the case, what should I say?

I guess that is all for this post, but I know that this discussion of the differences between the different movements will never truly be over. I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend!

Bush in Israel

This is my first blog entry, so I guess we will see how this goes!

I am not an extremely political person, but I cannot help but write about this. Anyone who has watched the news lately is bound to have heard about President Bush's trip to Israel. There were many stories about how security was being heightened in the country (which cost Israeli taxpayers around $25,000/hour and practically shut down the city of Jerusalem), as well as mumblings about what his visit may mean to the future of peace in the middle east. Upon landing in Israel, President Bush was quoted in saying:

"The United States and Israel are strong allies. The source of that strength is a shared belief in the power of human freedom. Our people have built two great democracies under difficult circumstances. We built free economies to unleash the potential of our people. And the alliance between our two nations helps guarantee Israel's security as a Jewish state."

With the Presidential election drawing closer by the day, it is obvious that the questions of Israel and the Middle East are two of the "hot topics" for candidates. As someone who tends to be liberal in politics, and identifies as a Zionist Reform Jew, these topics hold a great deal of weight in my political standings. However, after discussing various Presidential hopefuls and where they stand with Israel, I have only become more confused. My trip to Israel was in the Summer of 2005. I spent 4 incredible weeks there, and left just before the disengagement. Being there right before the disengagement opened my eyes to just how deeply rooted the Arab-Israeli conflict is. As much as I cannot imagine this two-state policy being put into place, I do not really know what else we can do. So this is where my confusion stems from for this upcoming election. Do I vote based on one aspect of a candidate (that aspect being Israel)? Or do I look at the candidate as a whole? I hope my decision becomes clearer as the election approaches.

Back to Bush's trip to Israel, a major stop in his visit was Yad Vashem. Upon looking at an aerial photo of Auschwitz, Bush made a comment about how the US should have bombed the site. It was somewhat unclear as to if he meant to bomb the camp or the tracks leading to the camp, but either way- we were bombing something. I am not saying that President Bush was wrong by saying that the US should have taken more action with Auschwitz, but I just don't see (in any situation) why bombing seems to be the answer. I have always believed that there is an alternative to violence, I just don't know what that alternative is in this, and several other situations. Which brings me back to my hesitations for the Presidential election and Israel. I guess I will just have to wait and see what else comes about in the upcoming weeks.

On a completely different note, recently I have been having some interesting conversations with friends from other schools about what Jewish life is like on their respective campuses. I am happy to say that I love Jewish life here at IU. Being in the Jewish studies FIG has allowed me to share my knowledge of Reform Judaism with others, and learn a great deal about Conservative, and even Orthodox Judaism. I always thought I was well informed about the differences and similarities between the denominations, but I have learned a lot in the last few months. I believe that taking the classes I have chosen as well as spending a great deal of time at Hillel has been helpful in defining who I am as a Jewish student from New Jersey at Indiana University.

In the beginning, I was nervous about what it would be like for me out here. I come from a town in New Jersey that might as well be nicknamed "Jerusalem" because of how dense the Jewish population is. I was nervous to step outside of my East Coast Jewish bubble of a community and dive into the world of college in the mid-west. But I have found a great community here, both Jewish and in general, that I could not imagine living without at such a large school.

I hope this entry wasn't too painful or boring to read... but i'm new at this.

I wish everyone the best in their 2nd week of classes!