What It Means to Be A Jew

     To me, being a part of עם ישראל (the Jewish people) means being a community. It means becoming instant friends with the person sitting next to you simply because you are both Jewish. Wherever I go I feel connected and proud to be part of such a small minority in the world because that's what gives me the pride to call myself Jewish and to call the Jew I just met my family. When I was at little outdoor pocket of shops type of thing, I was looking in a small store talking with my friends when a lady taps me and says, "super is cheaper." This was a stranger, a random Israeli that saw a tourist buying a snack and she went out of her way to speak English to me and make sure that I was at the right spot. So was she really a stranger? In my eyes, she wasn't a stranger, she was my family, my friend, and someone I would be proud to represent at home in America.

      In America, I've had people ask me why I wear my Jewish star outside of my shirt rather than hiding it. I have people give me sympathy for being Jewish because there are so many more moral rules and such a small minority now a days. I have even had people tell me they would help me convert to their religion so that I wouldn't go to hell. Here in Israel, I don't have to answer those questions or explain to people what the Torah is, I get the freedom to be Jewish and where being proud is an expectation rather than a shock or an outlier to society. Israel is and always will be my home and I will never lose my Jewish pride.

When the Bullied Becomes the Bully

     I recently read an article about Ethiopians and their struggle to be accepted in Israeli society. This was such a shocking piece to read, especially considering that the Israeli people are the ones that should be the first to accept them considering the fact that they know exactly what discrimination feels like. It just seems so unimaginable that such discrimination is taking place in the one place where the Jewish people are supposed to feel accepted and protected from discrimination. Just like it's mentioned in the Tanakh, the connection between men is more important than anything else, and this 'rule' should be applied to everyday life. Regardless of where they came from or what they believe, they should still feel the safety of Israel and not be discriminated against.

My Family At Home

     I was told to write a post about my synagogue at home. The only problem is that I don't go to a specific synagogue and I don't have a congregation at home, I have a family. It's not that I'm not religious or that I don't feel that I have a connection with God or feel the need to pray, I just don't agree with the idea that going to a temple or synagogue means that I have to agree with their ideology or their practices of Judaism. For shabbat and high holidays my family and I go to our other family's house. I went to a private Orthodox Jewish school for most of my elementary years, and everyone at the school became my family. Wee go to my fourth grade Jewish studies teacher's house for pesach and to the principle's house for shabbat and many many more.They accept what we think about Judaism and are always excited to share their ideas with us. I am so grateful to be a part of this community where I am accepted for what I believe and for the traditions in my family. I feel it's very important to be a part of a community, whether it be a reformed temple, or an orthodox family, it makes such a difference to be involved. I love being a part of this amazing community and I am so happy that I found this family to join.

Parents Week For Everyone

     March 17 was parents week. Although my mom didn't come then, (she came at the beginning of April instead) there were so many other parents that wanted to take me to dinner or to the grocery store or simply be like a parent to me since mine were not there with me. It was this week when I felt so happy to be here, surrounded by so many Jews that are here for the same reason I am. it was this week, when I felt proud to be a part of such an amazing community that I'm not sure I would find anywhere else or even in another religion. Everyone treated me like family and acted as if they'd known me all their lives.

     Throughout history, Jews have shown time and time again, that we are Jews, we will be a nation, and we will fight for our right to be Jewish, whether it be reform, conservative, modern orthodox, ultra orthodox, or a convert, we will stick together when the hardships come and we will all be Jews. In the Holocaust for example, the strong didn't ask the weak how religious they were before helping them. When no one has the right to dress how they want or the way they believe, say prayers whether it be 10 minutes or 3 hours, when you take away the details, all you have left are Jews.

A Purim with meaning

     My first Purim in Israel was almost 2 months ago. I still remember it, because it was when I finally learned the true meaning behind Purim. I used to not even think of it as an important day, just another one of those holidays where you dress up and have fun. I later found out it was so much more. It represents the story of when the Jews were threatened with their lives, yet again, and yet again they didn't give up. They fought for what we have today and they overcame that obstacle.

     Jews have shown so much resilience, over and over again, and no matter how many times history repeats itself, and despite the amount of anti-Semitism, and regardless of the fact that we are such a small percentage of the world, we survived, and we fought for what we believed was ours and we won. For the first time in my life, Purim was not about finding the best costume or having some great party, it was about remembering another one of those times when Jews refused to give up and gave me the life I have today.

Women: Pure or Lucky - Impure or victimized

     Daf Yomi analyzes a page of Talmud every day. A recent page, was on the topic of women being raped in prison/jail and if they are pure for their husbands or not. It clearly states that once a woman has had sexual relations with anyone other than her husband, even if she is forced into it, she is considered impure and her husband cannot 'be with her'. It shows that if a women is sent to jail for her husband crimes, usually for debts, she is less likely to be raped considering the fact that a man is less likely to pay for an 'impure' wife. However, if a woman is sent to jail/prison for her own crimes, she is more likely to be raped noticing how many of their husbands were disgraced by their wives and no longer cared about them or if they were pure, and especially recognizing that many of the women involved in these crimes, were not married. I think the system explained here makes sense, but it should not be happening in the first place. It seems so unfair that a women who was victimized to such an extent would then be punished and humiliated by their community, and they are no longer allowed to be with their husband because they are considered impure.

Prepared for a fantasy

     The Etgar Keret story "What Do We Have In Our Pockets" tells about a man who was everything you could possibly need, in his pockets. His ideology was that if there was a girl at a pay phone that needed some change, he would have it and they would fall in love and his life would change forever. I think this is only applicable in certain situations, and without meaning to I find myself putting one of everything in my purse or backpack even if I know I personally won't use it. It seems flawed at the second part where your life will change if you are that prepared, almost like a fantasy.

     Another way to view this story, is how it relates to Jews in the sense that in the past, Jews had to practice professions that were easy to pick up and move, such as a doctor (knowledge stays with you anywhere you go) or someone who sells jewelry or pearls because that is also easy to move. They had to be prepared for every situation just like man in Etgar Keret's story.