The Jew in the Bubble

A very interesting, emotional, and intense conversation with a friend inspired me to write this blog. I am sure that some people share the same feelings as I do about this, at least I hope others do...

Sometimes I feel like I grew up in this "Jewish Bubble" of a community. I am sure that this is partially true, just because where I grew up has a very large Jewish population. Cherry Hill, NJ has been referred to by some as the "Jerusalem of NJ" because of how many Jews reside there as well as the diversity you find within the Jewish community. I enjoyed growing up there. I led a very happy life in this Jewish community, and I couldn't have imagined a better place to live. No one really questioned my Jewish identity there, which I definitely took for granted.

It never occurred to me that I would have to defend my choices within Judaism as well as my overall Jewish identity. When I left my safe bubble of Cherry Hill and arrived at this huge school without knowing many people at all, I was shocked when I was confronted with accusations of not being a "Good Jew" (whatever that means) because my house was not Kosher, or because I didn't go to shul multiple times a week. I was brought up in a diverse Jewish community where people were generally understanding of the various denominations. There were a few times that I had to explain why I practiced Judaism the way I did, but I never really had to defend my beliefs.

In some ways I think it is a good thing that I have had to defend my beliefs. It makes me want to learn even more so I can give more intellectual answers to those who question me. But at the same time, I find it pretty discouraging and disheartening that people criticize my practices. I guess it is a part of life, and I am just going to have to get used to it.

What constitutes a "true" Israel experience?

Today's class discussion got me thinking a lot about my experience in Israel.

I went to Israel in the summer of 2005 with 98 people from my camp, URJ Camp Harlam, on NFTY's L'dor V'dor/Exodus Trip (almost the same trip as the NFTY Safari that was discussed in the ethnography we read) and upwards of 570 participants overall. The trip consisted of three parts: First we flew to the Czech Republic and spent four days in Prague where we learned about the Jewish community there and visited Terezin (A deportation camp from the Holocaust, and camp where the poem "The Last Butterfly" was written). Then we flew to Cyprus where we boarded a boat and spent three days traveling across the Mediterranean. During our "cruise" (if you can call it that) we re-enacted the Exodus mission and got to learn a lot about the first pioneers and Zionists to land in Israel. And the third part was four weeks in the actual country of Israel. During the month spent in Israel, I had the opportunity to travel the country according to the historical chronology. I hiked Masada at sunrise, floated in the dead sea, hiked 50+ miles from the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) to the Mediterranean, spent a night in a Bedouin tent, experienced Jersualem, and much more.

I think that my Israel trip was the perfect way that I could have experienced Israel for the first as a 16 year old with a strong connection to Judaism. Despite what was said in class, I believe that these Israel programs do provide the participants with great experiences. I can understand why some may see these programs as being very "cookie cutter" and "idealistic" views of life in Israel, but I am not sure that is the point of these trips. I certainly did not expect to go to Israel for a month and come out of my trip understanding what life in Israel was like. I was expecting to experience the country for what it has to offer, even if that means doing it in your typical "tourist" ways. I don't think my trip would have been as meaningful, or left me dreaming of the day that I can return to Israel, if I had been living the day to day life of an Israeli citizen as my first experience with the country. Unlike the group in the ethnography we read... I went, I saw, and I remember almost everything. Sure, a few details may be fuzzy- I cannot tell you what I did all day every day- but I can tell you that I came out of my trip feeling more connected to my Jewish life than ever before, and I still have that feeling.

Well, that was my two cents. Take it or leave it, I just needed to get my thoughts out there.

Prove your identity...

How Do You Prove You're a Jew?

This article brings up a very interesting question and addresses something that does not settle well with me in regards to Israel. I could not imagine having to prove to a court of Orthodox Rabbis that I am in fact Jewish.

In some ways, I think that the idea of having to prove your Jewish identity in order to be married in Israel can be a good thing. It promotes the advancement and growth of the Jewish people. But at the same time I think that many people, including myself, may feel like they are not welcome in Israel because of their background. The fact that the clergy members I grew up looking up to, learning from, and being inspired by are not considered to be Rabbis in my "religious homeland" is a bit unsettling to me. The thought of making aliyah is almost completely out of the question for me at the moment, simply because I know that my religious choices and practices are not recognized by the Israeli government.

Overall, my question is... how "Jewish" is this concept of making one prove that they are "Jewish enough" to have their marriage recognized or to live in the land of Israel? What every happened to the mitzvah of welcoming the stranger?

I hope this blog entry made sense to someone. I wish I could better put into words how I feel about this whole idea, but I am at a loss at the moment.

The Very Rigid Search

Being a big fan of Jonathan Safran Foer's writing, I was ecstatic when I looked at the syllabus and saw that we were assigned to read "The Very Rigid Search." This story is the basis for one of my all time favorite books, Everything is Illuminated. After reading the short story, I couldn't help but wonder what it was that made this an outwardly Jewish piece of literature. I know that we discussed it in class today, but I don't know if I still have a good understanding of what makes this story "Jewish."

Ok, so the character "Jonathan Safran Foer" is a Jewish man who is looking to find the home of his Grandfather in a small shtetl in Ukraine. I get that his Jewish roots are what brought him on this "rigid search" to begin with, but is there anything in the actual story that makes it Jewish? Safran Foer wrote in the notes about the story that when he looks at it, he sees the writing of a Jewish author. Maybe I am missing an undertone of Jewish values or some message that promotes Judaism in some way, but I think that overall the story can go either way. I guess I can understand why this story was included in a collection of Jewish short stories by Jewish authors (the book is called Lost Tribe, I suggest everyone looks into it, I have read some pretty good stories that are found in that book), but I don't know if it could be considered a Jewish story overall.

I guess I am just curious to see what everyone else thinks about it. Has anyone found anything outwardly Jewish about this story?

Jewish music... or is it?

I used to classify Jewish music as songs that I play when I songlead at camp, lead services, and learn at Hava Nashira (a "Jewish" music retreat for adults), and the occasional artist like Matisyahu or Blue Fringe. But now I know that Jewish music can range to anything from "Ghettoblaster" hip-hop to a collection of funky klezmer-folk fusion. I think that as long as one can connect the music to a part of their Jewish identity or culture, it can be considered "Jewish" in one way or another. 

A perfect example of this type of classification of Jewish music that I can give is music in Jewish summer camps. I am a songleader at my camp, and music is the driving force behind almost everything we do. We sing at every meal, whether it is the blessings before and after the meal, an all-camp song session, or a spontaneous outburst of song within a bunk or unit. I would say that 95% of the songs we sing at camp would automatically be identified as "Jewish" to any listener. However, the other 5% we sing are not typically classified as "Jewish." This 5% includes folk songs (like "This Land is Your Land by the one and only Woody Guthrie), popular songs, and even the occasional round of "The Rainbow Connection." To any outsider from our camp, these songs seem anything but Jewish. However, to the community of Camp Harlam, these songs define important Jewish moments and memories. Were they written with the intent of being considered "Jewish," most likely not. But do they hold that meaning to a number of people, absolutely.

As we learned in class today, there is no such thing as "Jewish music." There is no way to create a sound that is purely Jewish. Music is music, it is up to the listener to classify what they believe they are listening to. I think that the album that I listened to was a perfect example of the listener needing to determine what kind of music they are listening to.

I listened to "Woody Guthrie's A Happy Joyous Hanukkah" by The Klezmatics. Woody Guthrie is regarded as the "father of folk music." I would be lying if I said that I wasn't a complete nerd when it came to folk music. I grew up with it, and I consider it to be one of my favorite types of music. When I first put in the cd by The Klezmatics, I was a bit skeptical. What could this klezmer group bring to the lyrics of Woody Guthrie. In my mind, there was no room for klezmer music and folk music to combine. Luckily, I was proven wrong. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to listen to.  It reminded me of a cd my over-the-top religious school teacher would play for my class when we were younger. 

According to a review in the New York Times, "...the Klezmatics were not bound by any genre. They could sound like a chamber ensemble, a jazz combo, a ragtime group or a roots-rock band as well as a klezmer group." I think that the Klezmatics did a great job combining the unforgettable folk music of Woody Guthrie with klezmer instrumentals. This album, along with the other albums we listened to in class, have definitely changed my idea of what "Jewish music" is. 

just something interesting i came across

A friend sent me this link this morning, and I thought it was really interesting and inspiring. Despite anyone's political opinions, I just think it sends out a great message.

www.dipdive.com

Will.I.Am Says "Yes We Can"

Watch and listen closely... Maya Rubin makes a few appearances to represent the Jewish population of America, her contribution is in Hebrew!

Edit (3/4/08):

I wanted to add to this post a while ago, but I never got around to it. I am curious about what could possibly be seen as "Jewish" within the upcoming Presidential election. I know many people that are basing their votes on one issue, Israel. One-issue voters do not sit well with me, but I can understand where they are coming from. It is up to the Jewish population of voters in the USA to elect the candidate that they believe will be the best person to run the country, and that includes representing the Jewish people and working on the situation in the Middle East.

Who would have thought...

I would have never thought that there was a prayer for the conversion of Jews. Maybe that is just me being a bit ignorant when it comes to Catholic liturgy, but it seems a bit odd. Now, I have been approached several times in my life about "saving my soul," but I never thought that someone was praying for the conversion of the Jews. According to The New York Times, a top Vatican cardinal, who is in charge of the inter-religious relations with Jews, denied the revision of a Conversion prayer (see link) "Vatican Cardinal Defends Jewish Conversion Prayer".

The first thing I thought of when I read this article was how much controversy this one prayer can cause. The inter-religious relationship between Jews and Catholics can be severely marred by this traditionalist prayer. According to the article, one Cardinal stated,

"We think that reasonably this prayer cannot be an obstacle to dialogue because
it reflects the faith of the Church and, furthermore, Jews have prayers in their
liturgical texts that we Catholics don't like,"

I cannot think of any part of Jewish liturgy, at least that I am aware of, that prays for the conversion of non-Jews. I guess I can understand the reason for wanting to keep this prayer as is because it holds traditional value. However, if the overall goal is to better relations between the two religions, I am not sure that this prayer is going to sit well with either party. The way I see it, those who are praying for the conversion of Jews are also praying for them to change their identity. When looking at it that way, it is hard to forsee any progress with inter-religious relations in the future. I don't want to sound like a cynic because I do believe that there is always a possibility for improvement, but I know that it does not sit well with me that there is a select group of traditionalist Catholics that are praying for me to convert. I am certainly not praying for the conversion of them when I pray. I am confident and comfortable with my religious beliefs, and I think that is good enough for me.

I also find it interesting that the Pope decided to reinstate an old-style Latin mass that was phased out in the 1960's. There was obviously a reason that it was put out of practice, and using it again has the potential to cause more harm than good in regards to inter-religious understanding. There is a difference to "giving witness" to one's faith, and praying for the conversion of others. 

[I want to edit this paragraph. I do not mean to seem like I object to prayer in Latin. I am not a fan of going to services at my synagogue and praying mostly in English, so I certainly do not wish to give off the impression that I am against praying in Latin. What I do not understand is why bring back this mass that was phased out in the 1960's. It was done for a reason, right?]

Overall, I do not really know what to make of this issue. I find the article very interesting, and it definitely sparks my interest in Catholic liturgy and inter-religious relations. I am hoping that there will be a follow-up on this story as well. I am curious to read what everyone else thinks about this article.