Conservative Judaism, The Shy Middle Child of Judaism

Ah, conservative Judaism. Now this is a movement I'm very familiar with. As I mentioned in my blog entry, "Reform Judaism or Jewish-Lite?", I was raised in a conservative synagogue. Conservative Judaism, as far as I can tell from past experiences, is the shy, awkward middle child of the three main movements (or the three most people are familiar with). We have Orthodox Judaism, the oldest of the three brothers. He is an honors student, a star athlete and very popular at school though a little frightened of girls. The boy is a little too by the book for some but otherwise a good guy to know. Then, we have Reform Judaism, the youngest brother. He is in elementary school wanting to imitate his mature big brother Orthodox Judaism but wants to define himself. Some say he is a little immature at times, but still a generally a likable little boy. Finally, we have Conservative Judaism. The middle child that is currently enrolled in middle school and is having a hard time figuring out who he is. On one hand, he wants to be more liberal like his little brother Reform but traditional like his big brother Orthodox. This creates the awkward situation of dizzily stumbling between the two movements, leaving Conservative Judaism destined to fade away. I really don't think the movement has much hope for survival. I mean, they can't decide what to do with themselves. They don't like to make a clear decision about anything. They have yet to really establish their opinion on homosexuals in the jewish community and the jury is still out on intermarriage. It's because of this indecisive nature that I feel Conservative Judaism is destined to collapse in on itself. Wow, I sound like such a pessimist, don't I?

-Rachel Wyman

Reform Judaism or Jewish-Lite?

Upon studying the Reform Judaism websites and reading the article, "What Does Reform Judaism Stand For?", I find myself torn between two theories on the movement. (I would like to point out that I was raised in a conservative synagogue, the sect which can't seem to decide what to do with itself but I'll address this in my next post on conservative judaism). On one hand, I really like the platforms reform judaism takes. As a bleeding heart liberal, custom to bitching about republicans while sporting anti-bush bumper stickers with a starbucks latte in hand (hell of a run-on sentence but who cares) I can safely enjoy its political agenda. Gender equality? Awesome! Homosexual rights? Hell yes! Intermarriage, fair enough. No one can complain about these (unless you're a republican who can't function without fox news telling you what to do).

However, I feel that with these all of these liberties we may be losing our Jewish hertiage. I mean, once you accept serving roast beef, crab, ice cream and shrimp at your synagogue for your youth organization, where does it end? Granted, my family doesn't keep kosher but we expect that a synagogue, a symbol of our jewish faith should. It's like they're trying to please a wide audience rather than focusing on a single demographic.

Perhaps I'm just talking out of my ass but I feel that some people are abusing "choice through knowledge" to the point when there isno significant difference between these jews and gentiles. Now, don't take my cynical rant as hate speech, I'm perfectly fine with the platform of reform judaism, I just think we should place more of an emphasis on the "judaism" rather than the "reform".

-Rachel Wyman

PS: I found it interesting that we have fewer men are becoming involved in the reform jewish community. Does that mean we are starting to lose the gender equality platform of the movement?

Am I Really Jewish?

Am I really Jewish? I remember spending every Chanukah lighting candles with my family and unwrapping my presents. Meanwhile, I had a secret desire to be able to celebrate Christmas. I never got to sit on a strange man's lap at the mall, with the cries and screams of children deafening my ears. I never got to watch my father curse violently as he tried to place the Christmas lights around my house while my mother kept warning him to be careful. I never got to set up a lovely Christmas tree in our living room while yelling at our pets to stop messing with the bottom bristles. Christmas was always a hard time of year for a Jewish child (I believe other Jews will agree with me) because it reminded us that we were different and as we all know, the last thing a child wants to be is different. Every year, I asked my mother why we celebrated Chanukah instead of Christmas and she always said the same thing. "We are Jewish, Rachel. We don't celebrate Christmas. You may not understand now but one day, you'll understand."

At 13, I had my Bat Mitzvah. I was glad to be rid of the tedious studying, having to mesmorize every verse of every song. I remember hating to go to temple every few days to study but once again, my parents sat with me and told me that it was my right as a young Jew and that one day I would understand the importance of my hertiage.

Now, at 20, almost 21 (hooray!) I thought I had a good idea of what it meant for me to be Jewish. It meant I was part of a certain religion with a rich cultural hertiage and a love for Mel Brooks films. Then, after reading Cheng's article, The Inauthentic Jew, I find myself questioning my own Jewish identity. Am I really Jewish? Am I Jewish because I view Judaism as my own religious belief or is it just because my mother is Jewish and thus I am. Is it that simple? Am I Jewish because I feel a connection with Israel or is this connection with Israel an illusion? Am I Jewish because of my ethnicity? Do I even look Jewish? What makes me Jewish?

Now, in a religious context, I am not Jewish. Yes, it is the religion I was brought up in but I don't view myself as a religious person. I certainly see how religion is important for any society but I just don't participate in a temple very often (something I'm hoping to change). So am I still Jewish despite my indifference to religion? What makes me Jewish? Is it my hertiage?

My Jewish ancestry can be traced to early 1900 in Russia. My family was forced out of Russia (because every country has to. it's kind of like a big sale, all jews must go!) and they landed in America then eventually to Miami, Florida to elect President Bush (ugh). Just kidding. Meanwhile, most of my family went to Ohio because Ohio just screams Jew, doesn't it? Here my family dwelled for years (and still remain for a few members of the family.) Am I Jewish because of this ancestry? My family embraces its Jewish hertiage but ignores the Russian hertiage. Why not claim to everyone that I am Russian? Why is it the first thing I say is Jewish?

I look forward to discovering whether I really am a Jew or not in this class. If I really am not a Jew, I'm going to have to come up with a good excuse for my love of bagels. Hooray for ending a serious note with a stereotype. Goodnight

-Rachel Wyman