Amber's Jewish Folklore Blog!

2006-12-14T15:07:00.000-08:00

I'm done!! :) YAY!!

Thank you everyone for your comments on my paper! I am glad that you enjoyed it! :) Well...I had a few things to post on relating to the holidays again. Two interesting things...well, yesterday I was hanging out with my friend taking a study break and she is not Jewish and she said to me "so, what are u doing for Christmas?" I was like..."oh, hanukkah, going to my neghibors house for dinner." I felt a little bad because I hate correcting people, so I was like...actually I am doing something for Christmas too...lol...which I am, but it is not Christmas related (I am just going to my friends condo on Christmas for dinner when my family is in Florida). I love my friend, but I was a bit surprised because she knows that I am Jewish...I guess it is a bit routine for her, not being Jewish, to ask people what they are doing for Christmas. Also, today I was studying for my last final at Starbucks and this woman who works there was talking to me and I told her that I was studying for my last final because I am graduating early on Saturday!! :) And, she was like...that is exciting...that's probably the best Christmas present that you can give yourself. I would never correct someone who I don't know because that is rude, so I just smiled and said yea. But, I was thinking that it did bother me a bit that people just assume that everyone celebrates Christmas when they don't! Hi! I'm Jewish and I celebrate Hanukkah! lol!!

On a different note, I wanted to comment on the discussion from class on Jewish genetics. That really scared me when we were talking about it! Obviesly, I am not planning on getting pregnant any time soon, but it makes me nervous to think that in the not so far future, testing for those diseases are going to be necessary. On top of it all, what scares me the most is if I or my husband is positive for any because there is risk for the baby. I think that Jewish genetic diseases are interesting though because they show that there is a lot of inbreeding in the Jewish population.

Just some thoughts...I wish everyone a wonderful holiday!
Amber

2006-12-11T17:35:00.000-08:00

Here is my paper. Please let me know what you think! :)
Amber

Adult Bar and Bat Mitzvah

May 8, 2006, I go into Temple Israel, sit down and look up to see a group of adults standing on the bimah ready to become bar and bat mitzvahs (sons and daughters of the commandments). Usually, I am sitting in Temple watching a thirteen year old celebrating their bar/bat mitzvah, but today was different, I was witnessing my mother and her bar/bat mitzvah class celebrate their bar/bat mitzvahs. More and more people, for many different reasons, are having adult bar mitzvahs because they see it as a way to strengthen their ties to Judaism and to connect more deeply to their Jewish identity. This cultural trend has helped revive the original meaning of the bar/bat mitzvah ritual, which is learning and connection to Judaism.
According to a survey conducted in 1994, “462 of 540 Reform congregations…” that were surveyed by the Union if American Hebrew Congregations had conducted adult bar/bat mitzvahs. These statistics show that adult bar/bat mitzvahs are becoming more and more popular; thus, there must be some reason why many people in the Reform movement, in particular, are looking to adult bar/bat mitzvah as the route that they want to take to express their Jewish identity. Today, “more than half of the Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist synagogues around the country regularly conduct…” adult bar/bat mitzvah ceremonies (Bruni B1).
In order to understand adult bar/bat mitzvah, one needs to look at the history of adult bar/bat mitzvah. In the 1970’s, Rabbi Albert Axelrad was the first person to have an adult bar mitzvah. After he chose to have an adult bar mitzvah as his way of expressing his Jewish identity, people saw him as a source of encouragement to have their own adult bar mitzvahs. However, the adult bat mitzvah was not started until later when woman started to become rabbis and cantors and getting more involved in the synagogue. The first women who decided to have adult bat mitzvah ceremonies did so, so that they could “develop the skills to be equal participants in the synagogue” (Schoenfeld 1). It can be argued that a woman’s development of her place in the synagogue has become more and more important along with the woman’s rights movement, in the 1970’s; Jewish women want to feel equal rights in the synagogue as men do.
In the past few decades, people have referred to “having” a bar/bat mitzvah which implies possession: being given the ritual and having a party, but the current trend in adult bar/bat mitzvah reemphasizes the original meaning of the ceremony, becoming a bar/bat mitzvah. In order to engage in an adult bar/bat mitzvah there are various things that an individual must do. Although every synagogue has different requirements for their adult bar/bat mitzvah participants, they all have the same spiritual essence. Most importantly, adult bar/bat mitzvah has become much more than learning the skills that they need to do in order to participate in their bar/bat mitzvah, it’s about strengthening their Jewish identity. On a basic level, the students learn the “practices of Jewish life,” they actively explore the Torah, they learn the “nature of the siddur” and the synagogue service, and they tap into the deeper meaning that their Judaism has for them (Schoenfeld 1).
Clearly, adult bar/bat mitzvah is about the individual and his or her personal and emotional connection to Judaism. For example, shortly before her 60th birthday, Bettijane Eisenpreis decided to give herself a unique birthday gift which “required no sum of money, but her own time and heart” (Bruni B1). In her experience, she saw her adult bat mitzvah as soothing to her because, as she says “time is not infinite” and in the remaining years of her life she wanted to live it in a much more spiritual way and be able to view life in “a deeper context” which she felt adult bat mitzvah would enable her to do (Bruni B1).
Furthermore, initially, most adults wanted to go through the bar/bat mitzvah ritual because they felt somehow, “incomplete as Jews” (Schoenfeld 1), but today there are more reasons why people decide to go through the process of adult bar/bat mitzvah. He further sees the knowledge that they get from participating in their adult bar/bat mitzvah celebration as serving a “social purpose” (Schoenfeld 2) and will impact them for the rest of their lives. Interestingly, a woman who had an adult bat mitzvah said that when she was thirteen, neither boys nor girls had bar/bat mitzvah ceremony’s because her rabbi felt that “children were too young to make that commitment” (Reeger 1). This ceremony of choice for adults, allows them to not only identify with Judaism as their religion, but go further as to “ritually” identify with Judaism (Schoenfeld 2). When I interviewed my mom about her experience having an adult bat mitzvah, she said, “I felt like I had accomplished so much,” she smiled. “I started four years prior having never read a letter of Hebrew and then I was able to read an entire Torah portion flawlessly. It felt wonderful!” (Lisa Brandes). Her experience shows that adult bar/bat mitzvahs can be much more meaningful than they are when they are traditionally done at the age of thirteen. Adult bar/bat mitzvahs are unconsciously challenging the concept of the initiation rite having to occur in the teenage years, placing the emphasis on spiritual rather than physical maturity.
According to Stuart Schoenfeld, the most important thing about adult bar/bat mitzvah is that when an adult goes through the ritual, they are making “a statement about choice and commitment” (Schoenfeld 2). In my mom’s experience having an adult bat mitzvah, she said that the biggest reason why she had it was because my brother and I were both getting older and she had more time to do something for herself. When thinking about what she wanted to devote her time to, she thought about how lost she felt when we went to High Holy Day services. She felt an increasing desire to learn Hebrew, and study scripture, in order to feel more connected to her Jewish identity. This led her to join the adult bar/bat mitzvah class and spend four years of her life learning and practicing in preparation for the big day. She told my dad that she did not want a party, she just wanted her friends to be at Temple watching her go through her ritualistic ceremony and to be technically considered a Jewish adult. But, because she worked so hard, my dad made her a small luncheon at my country club. Her main focus was on looking deeper into herself and completing the ritual feeling so that she more strongly identified with Judaism. This focus on completing an adult bat mitzvah in hopes of gaining something that she felt was missing from her life can also be similarly seen in Dana Marks’ experience with her adult bat mitzvah. She said “the bat mitzvah is my personal journey. Who I am as a Jew. Who G-d is to me.” (Toronto Star A08); thus, emphasizing the fact that she didn’t need recognition for her accomplishments, both her and my mother knew that from that day forward, as Jews, they were changed women.
Another reason why people choose to have an adult bar/bat mitzvah is when they have converted to Judaism. Adult converts holding bar/bat mitzvahs may not be the best examples of reviving the essential meaning of the bar/bat mitzvah because they may be motivated by playing “catch up” since they didn’t get the opportunity when they were teenagers. According to a forum on beliefnet.com, a woman who was a convert to Judaism asked various questions, specifically about the adult bar/bat mitzvah process, but then she went further to ask if she needs to have a bat mitzvah ceremony in order to be a “full participant in the congregation” (www.beliefnet.com). The convert’s question reveals a misunderstanding of the purpose of the bat mitzvah because in order to convert they had to go through much more learning than most people who are born Jewish. The responses to this individual’s question were interesting. One person said that she found that she wanted to go through the adult bat mitzvah ceremony “out of respect for the tradition” (www.beliefnet.com) but, she did not find it to be of utmost importance in order for her to feel like a full participant in the congregation. Surprisingly, one individual who responded to the convert’s question was very negative. The individual stated that “an adult bar mitzvah is nonsense!” (www.beliefnet.com). The person further goes on to say that once an individual turns thirteen, they become a bar mitzvah, regardless if they have an actual ceremony or not. Further, apparently this individual who responded to the convert’s question wasn’t alone in his or her feeling because Rabbi Mendel Rosenblum, a Chabad Rabbi said that “technically, women and men become a bat and bar mitzvah simply by passing those milestone birthdays” (Reeger 1). Regardless of these various perspectives on adult bar/bat mitzvah in relation to converts, they have made the choice to convert and identify with Judaism, thus they must find something striking and enjoyable about the religion; bar/bat mitzvah is one way of expressing their new identity.
Some men, in particular, have adult bar mitzvahs because they want to repeat the ritual that they went through when they were thirteen years old. Repeating the ritual later in life can be seen as reinforcing the “becoming” meaning of the bar/bat mitzvah. For example, Rabbi Benson Skoff had his second bar mitzvah when he was eighty-three years old. According to him, this is the traditional age for an individual to have their second bar mitzvah because it signifies a traditional lifetime, “70 years—plus 13 years” (Harris 1). When asked about his experience going through his bar mitzvah for the second time, Skoff says, “the second time is just as meaningful” (Harris 1). As a thirteen-year-old, he was recognized in the Jewish community as an adult and assumed the “moral and religious duties,” but as an adult and a rabbi, going through his bar mitzvah again, he was able to not only recommit to the “goals that scripture points to,” but to “give thanks to G-d that he [I’m] still here” (Harris 1). After his ceremony as an adult, he exclaimed, “today I am a man!” which emphasizes just how revitalizing this event was in his life (Harris 1). Further, Skoff saw this opportunity to have his second bar mitzvah as an adult, not only as an opportunity, but as a personal responsibility in order for him to continue to “live a good life…” and to continue his religious education (Harris 1). He looks at reaching this milestone age as a gift and thus finds a second bar mitzvah as a way to celebrate this joyous occasion!
In my research, repeating the bat mitzvah as an adult bat mitzvah did not apply to woman as much because they were not nearly as encouraged as bar mitzvahs were when they were thirteen years old. I think it is important to take a closer look at woman in particular and both their experience with adult bat mitzvah and why they choose to go through that ritual as adults. Becoming a bat mitzvah for the first time entails a commitment to in-depth study which can be remarkable for adults, especially if it means overcoming an old sense of being discouraged. One or two generations ago, when many women were twelve or thirteen years old (the traditional age for women to celebrate their bat mitzvah), they were not encouraged to have a formal bat mitzvah ceremony like boys were. In interviewing my mother, I learned that not only did girls not have bat mitzvahs, but her family wasn’t very religious and her parents didn’t encourage it like she did for my brother and me. She decided to have an adult bat mitzvah because when she married my dad, who came from a more religious background, she felt more and more integrated into her Jewish roots and felt that in order to fully feel connected to Judaism, she wanted to prepare for an adult bat mitzvah.
A similar story to my mom’s is Dana Marks’ story about her adult bat mitzvah. She, like my mom, talked about how there really weren’t ceremonies for a girl’s passage into adulthood. Marks wasn’t raised to think that she would ever have a bat mitzvah, unlike today where parents strongly encourage it, so when she was twelve years old, she felt “relieved that she [I] didn’t have to” (Toronto Star AO8). Although Marks felt happy that she didn’t have to partake in a bat mitzvah when she was twelve years old, as she grew into adulthood, she felt that she really had missed something. “I began to think it wasn’t fair,” she says. It can be inferred that these women who decide to have an adult bat mitzvah realize that there is some part of Jewish identity that men who partook in a bar mitzvah when they were thirteen have, that they yearn for; thus, they have an adult bat mitzvah to capture what they are missing. Feeling a sense of inclusion is an important aspect of identity.
Adult bar/bat mitzvahs can said to embody the very essence of the ritual when done with their children. For example, Dana Marks and her daughter, Eliana had their bat mitzvahs together. “I wanted to be part of her bat mitzvah and I didn’t know enough to do that,” says Marks of her reasoning for having her bat mitzvah in conjunction with her daughter. It is beautiful that a mother and daughter would have their bat mitzvahs together, but I found it significant when Marks mentioned that although it was the most profound experience that she has ever had, her daughter’s readings were four times the length of her readings. Rabbi Tina Grimberg, the Rabbi who bat mitzvahed the Marks’ mother and daughter pair, herself not a bat mitzvah, said that she understands why these women want to participate in the bat mitzvah celebration with their daughters because in terms of the big picture, how can they and she speaks of herself legitimately “help or demand of their [my] children this year-long study and commitment when they [I] have not?” (Toronto Star AO8). Although Grimberg sounds a bit like a hypocrite saying such a thing since she herself is not a bat mitzvah, but this compelling question raises the issue that spiritual maturity can’t be expected, it is better when led by example. Although her son is only one year old, an adult bat mitzvah might be in her future plans either with him or by herself. Parents who find the time that their child is having a bar/bat mitzvah as a way in which they can strengthen their Jewish identity while their child does as well unconsciously reinforce the meaning of the ritual itself.
Another compelling story about an adult and a child having their bat mitzvah ceremonies together is that of a sixteen year old girl and her seventy-three year old grandmother. Being, the outspoken teenager that she was, when Chiara Greene was twelve years old and was supposed to begin preparing for her bat mitzvah celebration, she refused. “It just wasn’t something that I was into…I [she] wasn’t a religion-oriented type of person” Chiara, at age sixteen said (Kelleher B3). However, on a whim, Chiara jokingly dared her grandmother that if she had a bat mitzvah, she had to do it too. Chiara definitely would not have proposed the dare if she expected her grandmother to agree to it, but she did. So, sixteen year old Chiara Greene and her seventy-three year old grandmother, Eileen Greene, who hadn’t had a bat mitzvah when she was younger because it was an uncommon endeavor for girls, celebrated their bat mitzvahs together. What initially began as a dare, ended in the most special ceremony, not only for Chiara and Eileen but, for Chiara’s father who tried everything to encourage his daughter to have a bat mitzvah, but until Eileen accepted the dare, she was persistent in not having one. Although Eileen probably would not have had a bat mitzvah if it hasn’t been for Chiara, sometimes it takes another individual to help someone embark on a journey to find their Jewish identity.
In sum, one can see how popular adult bar/bat mitzvah is becoming because adults who for many reasons did not have a bar/bat mitzvah when they were thirteen years old, are using this ritualistic ceremony as their way to ‘find’ their Jewish identities and to connect on a deeper level with Judaism. It is going to be interesting to see if adult bar/bat mitzvah ceremonies become more or less prevalent in years to come because when people from the baby boomer generation and older have had all of their bar/bat mitzvahs we will be left with children who have already had their bar/bat mitzvahs. Possibly, it will become more prevalent for not only men, but women as well to re-become bat mitzvahs.

2006-12-02T15:26:00.000-08:00

Brrr...it's cold outside! It got so cold over the past few days...welcome winter! Well...I am going to do one more post about the holiday season because I have many feelings about it. As I said in my last post, I love Christmas music because it is very cheery but, when I am in a store, it really, really, really bothers me when someone wishes me a Merry Christmas! I mean, how naive do we have to be to assume that everyone celebrates Christmas! jeez. I mean is is really that hard for a cashier to say "Happy Holidays?!?" (I have heard that this was a big deal at Walmart...they refuse to do that). I guess I just feel that Jews are a minority to begin with and at a time when there are various holidays that are celebrated, and it is supposed to be a joyous time, I find it a bit unnerving that people can't say "happy holidays" instead of "merry Christmas." Because, honestly I won't have a merry Christmas because I don't celebrate Christmas. I mean, I am not asking people to walk around saying "Happy Hanukkah" because much more of the population celebrates Christmas, but I think that they just assume that EVERYONE celebrates it, when that is not the case. I mean if someone said, "Happy Hanukkah" I would probably be very surprised. I don't mean to sound so negative about this, but it really bothers me! On another note, I find it interesting to look at Jewish identity in terms of how different families choose to celebrate Hanukkah. The reason why I began thinking about this was when I spoke to my mom today and she told me that she was decorating the house for Hanukkah and I was pleasantly surprised because I don't remember the last time when we really had decorations up. It's interesting because it seems that decorating for Hanukkah is sometimes overlooked, whereas I don't think that a Christian family who decorate their house for Christmas would just forgo doing it one year (as it happened in my family over the past few years since my brother and I have been in college). Also, my family has Hanukkah dinner with my neighbors which has become a special tradition for us as well. I look forward to a festive, Happy Hanukkah with my family!! :)

Have a wonderful weekend and happy holiday! ;)
Amber

2006-11-28T17:29:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanza! Happy Holidays! Yes, it's almost December, but I have been listening to my Christamas cds for a month now...haha...gotta be honest here. As funny as that is, I am Jewish and my Jewish identity is very strong but, I love Christmas music and the holiday season (minus the fact that most Americans put on 10lbs during the holiday season). But, I think it is interesting that I LOVE Christmas music as much as I do! When it is playing in the mall, it gives me a rush and seriously makes me buy more! I get so excited listening to the music! It is funny because obv. retailers know that people buy more when the music is festive and cheery and it works for me. Also, I find it quite funny that many of the Jewish mothers in my town at home (it is very Jewish) listen to the Christmas music radio station. 100.3!! I had it playing all of last week when I was driving my mom's car and today she called me singing a Christmas song when she was driving her car (because she knew that I set the radio to the Christmas station) It just seems to odd to me that I love Christmas (the lights, tree, smells-sugar cookies, pine, and the warm festive feelings) but, I am very Jewish and love being Jewish (I would never actually want to celebrate Christmas, I just like the 'feel' of it). Can anyone else relate to this type of thing?
Amber

2006-11-28T17:12:00.000-08:00

Hola everyone!
I just wanted to make a few comments about yesterdays topic: Jews for Jesus. I have obv. heard of Jews for Jesus before, but I never really knew a lot about them. I honestly think that it is a bit rediculuous. Either be Jewish or Christian and not a combination of both. I think it's unfair to Jews to have Christians calling themselves Jews, but tacking on the idea that they do believe in Jesus. What's up with that? I remember in high school there was this boy whose father was a Jews for Jesus minister and I wish I would have asked him about it because I think it would have been interesting to hear it first hand from someone who is actually affiliated with the movement (although I now do think it is a bit redic). I don't mean to sound so negative but, I can't really understand how someone can believe in Jesus and call themselves Jewish at the same time. It just doesn't make any sense to me. When I looked at the Jews for Jesus website, I noticed one part of the objections area where it says that Jesus taught people to hate their mothers and fathers and regardless if that is the case of not, that is appauling to me! It clearly states in the Bible to "honor thy mother and father" (I'm not sure of the exact Biblical citation). This whole Jews for Jesus thing is obv. a bit puzzeling for me and I don't mean to sound critical, but I am passionate about my Jewish identity and I think that groups like this impede on it. Please leave your thoughts! :)
Amber

2006-11-14T11:57:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about yesterdays class and the conversations that we had and I think it is really interesting to evaluate why people choose to express their identity in many different ways. It is an interesting question in the fact that, why is it so important to say that one is a this, that, blah, blah, blah Jew and another person is a this, that, blah, blah, blah Jew. Does this all really matter? Do people try to justify their Jewish background by making stark claims as to EXACTLY what they are. Personally, I don't really know much about EXACTLY what I am, and I don't really care. I know that I am Amber Brandes, I identify with the Reform movement, the morals and values that I hold are partially from my parents upbringing and from my experiences, and that I strive to be a sincere, genuine individual in my daily life. I think that those things are much more important than me making stark claims as to EXACTLY what heritage I have and I think that people need to focus more on things like that then making sure people know how many different things they are. Now, I'm not suggesting that we should not have some knowledge about our ancestry, but I think that the focus today should be more on physically 'showing' your identity to others through your actions, morals, and values.

That is a bit of a stretch from the discussion that we had in class, but I thought it was an interesting point to raise and I would love to hear what you all have to say about it.
Amber

2006-11-12T15:15:00.000-08:00

I know we discussed queer Judaism a week or so ago, but I still wanted to comment on that topic and the classes discussion. I thought that the video clip that we saw in class made me feel both happy and sad. The reason why I say that is because I think it is wonderful that queer Jews have united and found their communal nitch together in Judaism. However, I found this sad because it was upsetting for me to see that the reason why queer Jews had to unite and open their own synagogues and queer communal places of worship was because they did not feel comfortable and, in some cases, welcome into 'regular' religious institutions. But, the queer synagogues welcome straight people into their religious institutions with open arms. This upsets me that, they, in a sense, get rejected (in their view) from 'regular' synagogues but, then they are welcoming to those very people who rejected them. Also, what was most upsetting from the video was when that guy was talking about how he worked for 10 or 12 years to get rid of his homosexual feelings. This concept has always bothered me because the whole idea of homosexuality is a controversal issue as to weather it has biological components, environmental, or is a personal choice, or is a combination of many things, however, the fact that that guy would spend so many years trying to get rid of his homosexuality like it is a disease is terrible! Homosexuality is not a disease and it bothers me that, to this day, there are people who believe that they can't fully fulfill their commitment to G-d because of their sexual identity! I know that part of most religions, and Judaism especially, preaches acceptance, but clearly it is 'acceptance' on certain peoples terms, which is awful! We are living in a modern day and age and we need to change our views with the times; thus, realize that homosexuals aren't less Jewish because of their sexual preference, they just choose to show their Jewish identity in a different way then we (straight people) do.

Those are my thoughts on that! Let me know what you all think!
Amber

2006-11-05T13:44:00.000-08:00

Hi!
I want to post about the conversation and reading that we had for last wed.'s class about Jewish Studies programs. In thinking about the Jewish Studies program here at IU, I never realized how good it was until I recently took the time to really think about it. I guess I assumed that most schools have a Jewish Studies program when they really don't. I entered in the Jewish Studies program at the end of my Freshman year after I took an Introduction to Judaism course (which I took as my culture studies credit). In taking that course, because I had a great professor, I realized that if I took more Jewish Studies courses on various subjects then I could potentially leave IU with a much greater knowledge base about Judaism than I had coming in. As we have spoken about in the past, college is a time where people can sometimes "loose" touch with their Judaism when they enter college but, I decided to go completley opposite of that and now, being in my last semester here at IU, I can't even believe how much I have learned from being a Jewish Studies certificate. It is amazing! :) I am so happy! Also, I have found that the Jewish Studies program here at IU is spectacular, not only do they have excellent professors and course topics, but my Jewish Studies advisor and the program itself is awesome! For example, my birthday is in the middle of the summer and I recieved an e-mail from my advisor to wish me a happy birthday. I thought that was so special that even when I wasn't physically at IU, I still recieved birthday wishes from the Jewish Studies department.

Also, I wanted to address the issue that we were discussing about whether religous studies or Jewish studies courses should preach Judaism because we are in a secular University and I wanted to say again what I said in class that although classes aren't supposed to preach, I have found some of my classes they preach Judaism. Also, I personally think that if an individual is going to take a course of another religion then they should anticipate a professor to preach because some may, even if they don't mean to, it is just the nature of the subject matter (discussing religion it is diffuclt not to preach even a little bit).

Well...see you all tomorrow!
Amber

2006-10-30T19:15:00.000-08:00

I just got back from Ehud Barak's lecture and I just wanted to make a few comments. I thought that he said some very powerful things. What sticks out in my head was when he said that the Israeli's would never choose terrorism...they are forced to fight because they are attacked and the Palestianians aren't willing to create a peace agreement. Also, I thought that his joke about when Moses was leading the people out of Egypt and he was going to Canaan, G-d really meant to send him to Canada! That's funny. Also, I found Barak's ability to embrace people's comments that disagreed with him as being very commendable. One last thing is that I found some of the comments/questions that people asked to be inappropriate for the setting (for instance the reference to Bush that someone made was out of line). Well..those are my comments on Barak's lecture...I really enjoyed it!

Now...I would like to discuss the today's class topic: Queer Judaism. I was really saddened by the video clip that we saw in class today because the man clearly was trying to rid himself of his homosexuality and couldn't (which he shouldn't have had to do to begin with). I don't understand how people can still be expected to follow the Biblical prohibition of engaging in homosexual behavior when in today's society things are much different than they were at the time that the laws were given. Also, as I mentioned in class today, I found it quite interesting that in some cases queer Jews are not accepted to worship in a regular synagogue (they don't feel totally comfortable) so, they have created their own synagogues and welcome everyone both straight or gay that want to worship there. Furthermore, I think that Judaism preaches acceptance and tolerance and by making the queer peoples feel left out of normative Jewish culture doesn't follow the ideals of tolerance that we have been taught since we were kids.

Well...that's all! Night!
Amber

2006-10-30T12:24:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!
I wanted to comment on last wed's class and reading about trips to Israel. There is one part in the reading where it alluded to the fact that in order to deeply connect with one's identity, going to Israel is the best way to do that. Yes, I agree that going to Israel is a very important thing for everyone and every child but, I do not think that it is the most important or only way to fully connect with your Jewish identity. The reading also said something about teens going to Israel and not remembering anything (t-shirts with sayings like "I came, I saw, I don't remember a thing") which I think doesn't do much to strengthen one's identity if they don't even remember what they saw. Also, I went to Israel on a family mission when I was in 7th grade and I did not understand anything that we saw...although my family is still close with one of the families that was on our mission (and we would not have known them otherwise), I do think that I was too young to appreciate Israel when I went. What I find most intriguing about myself is that that experience in Israel was not very moving for me because I was too young, however, when I got to college (here at IU), I decided that I wanted to pursue a Jewish Studies certificate. Now, until this class I did not really understand the deeper meaning behind my decision to add that certificate to my workload. I now can see that I was looking for a way to strengthen my Jewish identity and I found it in taking the many courses that I have taken for my certificate. Now this certificate and strengthening of my Jewish identity came from within and, although I want to go to Israel again because I will truly appreciate it now,it had really nothing to do with an experience in Israel like many people claim is the main way to strengthen your Jewish identity.

See some of you at the Ehud Barak lecture tonight.
Amber

2006-10-29T11:34:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday!
I wanted to post on what I wrote my paper on in order to get feedback from everyone. I decided to look at conversion within the different Jewish movements. Actually, before I began my research on this subject, I had some assumptions about conversion. For one, I thought that Jews who have converted to Judaism were not widely accepted, especaially in the Modern Orthodox movement because, manytimes, Modern Orthodox Jews don't accept Reform Jews who are born Jewish. However, with research I found that I was incorrect and converts to Modern Orthodox are accepted but, there conversion process is much more extensive than it is for an individual to convert to Reform or Conservative Judaism. I was really intrigued by the fact that converts are accepted into Modern Orthodoxy because I always assumed otherwise. From my research on conversion, I learned a lot about the process of conversion and people's personal accounts of conversion. I think what is most interesting is why people choose Judaism and how special their conversion is to them. For example, one woman compared her conversion to her wedding day (saying that she had similar feelings during her conversion ceremony as she did at her wedding). Although I am not a convert myself, I think that this topic is interesting and there are a lot of false assumptions that people hold that through knowledge can be clarified.
Well...let me know what you all think about conversion...I would love to hear input!
Amber

2006-10-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to blog on last mondays class about Jewish theater. I found Vanessa Hidary very interesting. I think that her background and style of performance is definately unique, however I am not sure how I feel about it. The piece that we listened to in class was compelling but, I felt like she sounded angry and mean, not like she was embracing and enjoying her latino-Jewish heritage. It seemed that she was assuming that everyone did not accept her for her cross-cultural heritage, when, honestly I don't think that that is the case. For me, I find it intriguing when people have many different cultures that make-up who they are. Personally, when I meet an African American Jew, I think that it is so cool because they are unique and different, but still share my Jewish heritage. I think that there needs to be more cross-cultural Jews that embrace their Judaism. Also, I think that it would be really interesting to have so sort of interaction with multi-faiths. I think that Jews need to have more acceptance of others who might not be their "typical" Jew and for those of other faiths because even if they don't have the same Jewish beliefs that I have, they still are people and they are allowed to believe in what they were taught to believe just as I was.

Well...those are my thoughts! See you all tomorrow!
Amber

2006-10-08T16:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday!
I just wanted to post on this weeks music topic. I listened to a few of the music groups on the list and they were interesting. The two that I would like to comment on are Matisyahu's album "Youth" and the "American Jewish Summer" album. First, to discuss my thoughts on Matisyahu's album, (my comment may not be well taken by many of you because I know most people LOVE Matisyahu) I have to say that I have heard some of his music before, but I don't really love it. I think that some of the songs are good and I like them, but overall I would not say that his album is that appealing to me. I think that the whole concept behind an Orthodox Jewish man, in a sense, 'breaking out,' and becoming a popular musician is awesome, but I personally only like some of his songs. Also, I think that the cover of his album is interesting as well. It is funny because it seems almost as if he is trying to embrace Judaism (because he is of course wearing his traditional clothing) but at the same time the way that his arms are out and his facial expression seems like he is trying to look bad ass (sorry for the language).

I would also like to comment on the American Jewish Summer: Songs of the Jewish Youth Camping Movement cd. I actually liked this music (not for myself but, for kids). But, I did find it a bit juvinile (because I assume that, because of the title, it is for Jewish youth and not for little kids). I felt like the songs catered to young children more than youth. Even looking at the cover, it is a woman playing a guitar as if there should be a circle of little kids around her swaying to the beat. The songs and the cover just seem too young for the aim that I think the cd is going for. One thing that I did notice is that Debbie Friedman was an artist on the cd and I have always like her music (especially her version of Mi Sheiberach).

I am glad that I had the opportunity to experience some Jewish music and I look forward to hearing what everyone else thought in class tomorrow!
Amber

2006-10-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

Hi! Good Yuntiv! I hope everyone had a nice Yom Kippur and an easy fast (for those who did it).

I just wanted to post about my Yom Kippur service here at Beth Shalom. Usually I am home for Yom Kippur, but I went home last weekend for Rosh Hashannah and my parents are on vacation this year, so I was stuck staying at IU this year. Well...when contemplating what I wanted to do for the holiday, I spoke to my roommate and we decided to go to Beth Shalom as opposed to going to Hillel or elsewhere. There were a few things that I learned from my experience this morning at Beth Shalom. At first it was a bit odd for me because I go to a VERY large temple at home (they have to do two seatings for services and they have 2 services going on at a time...so basically 4 services per service...if that makes sense). However, although I have been to Beth Shalom once prior for Shabbat services, this was my first high holiday there and I found it much more quaint and, in a sense, down to earth than it is at home. For example, although I do think that it is inappropriate to wear pants to Temple, I found that because some people at Beth Shalom were wearing pants and not as dressed up as people get at home, I felt like it created for almost a more comfortable environment. At home, everyone looks at everyone else and judgeing their outfit, bag, etc (everyone seems to get dressed to the nines) whereas here no one cared which made for a more comfortable environment. Also, I noticed two other interesting things today, there were many woman wearing talits (at home mostly men do but, I wear mine). Also, I noticed that a woman carried the Torah into the congregation and at my Temple I have NEVER seen a woman carry the Torah (in fact at my Bat Mitzvah my dad carried the Torah). Also, I found it really special to see so many Jewish kids from the community at the service...it showed me that contrary to my prior beliefs there are several Jewish kids that do live in the Bloomington community.

On another note, I had several discussions about Yom Kippur observances today with different people. I have never really thought about how I felt about Yom Kippur and the things that I felt necessary in order to observe. Today I realized that like one's Jewish identity, Yom Kippur is a day where there are "rules" that one is supposed to follow, however it is how each individual feels is important to them to observe. For example, in the past if I didn't fast (sometimes I do, sometimes I don't depending on what I have going on) I always looked at myself as being a "bad Jew" whereas this year I decided that I was going to not eat until after I went to services because I felt that because I had homework to do and I needed food to fuel my brain then I was going to eat. However, for some reason I felt more connected to G-d and more atonement for my sins than I have ever before. I think it is because although I spent my day doing homework, I was constantly thinking about how holy the day was and how lucky I was to be Jewish and have G-d to guide my life. Further on this issue, I think that there are so many other "rules" that many people don't abide by such as not showering, brushing one's teeth, wearing leather, etc. that don't make them "bad Jews" they just aren't the way that they want to express their Jewish identity.

I learned a lot this Yom Kippur and I feel fortunate that I was given to opportunity to experience it here in Bloomington (at Beth Shalom) and to figure out how I wanted to express my Jewish identity this holiday.
Amber

P.S. Professor Cohen's baby is adorable!

2006-09-30T16:57:00.000-07:00

Hi! Happy Saturday everyone!

I wanted to post on the magazine called "Heeb" (that I got from class). When I was given this magazine, I thought that since it was a Judaic magazine it would be serious and promote Judaism in a very traditional way. However, much to my surprise, when I looked through the magazine it was MUCH different than I had thought! It seems like it is a magazine geared for teenagers/young adults. Although it seems to promote Judaism, it does so in a very almost provacative way. Many of the advertisments seemed to be a bit 'riskay' for a Judaic magazine. For example, there is an ad to convince people to buy a subscription to the magazine and it is a woman with rollers in her hair, smoking a cigarette, naked, straddling a chair with the "Heeb" magazine covering herself. When I saw that I was blown away! Also, it seems weird because many of the articles in the magazine are about 'normal' Judaic things, there are also these provocative advertisments 'mixed in.' One part of the magazine that I found really cool was a page of pictures of people wearing Jewish stars (kind of like how they do in other magazines, taking pictures of people randomly on the street). It seems like this magazine takes many of the 'normal' things from other magazines, makes them Jewish, and puts them in this magazine.
I found this magazine really cool and interesting. Although I did find some of the advertisments a bit provocative for a Judaic magazine, I think I might subscribe to it. I think that the reason why this magazine did have the mix of provocative and normal ads is to appeal to the teenagers of the time to keep them interested in Judaism but, also feel like they are reading a "cool" magazine.

Well...those are my thoughts on the magazine! Have a nice Yom Kippur!
Amber

2006-09-24T17:51:00.000-07:00

L'shanah Tova! Welcome back to everyone who was home.

Well...while I was at home this past weekend celebrating Rosh Hashannah, I began thinking about something that I could blog on. Well...while I was at Temple with my parents, I looked around and noticed that many of the people sitting around me didn't "look Jewish." Behind us was a Mexican family and after seeing them I started to notice more people who did not look stereotypically Jewish. Then my family and I went to lunch at a family friends house and there was a girl there who looked like she was more African American than white; thus, not looking Jewish (although I do know that there are Ethiopian Jews but, she did not look like one of them) So, I began to ponder the question just like Carrie proposes a question before each episode of Sex and the City: What does it mean to "look Jewish"? Most people assume that "looking Jewish" means having tan skin, dark hair and dark eyes and many times a big nose. According to those characteristics I look anything but Jewish with my fair skin, red hair and green eyes. But, I think that nowadays, "looking Jewish" is more than physical features, it is the way that one carries themself and the way the an individual dresses. I think that it is an interesting thing to truly reflect on what Jewish people are supposed to look like because maybe there are too many stigmas associated with people who don't "fit the mold." One last note that I just remembered is the first article that we read, about Cheng and how he felt that many people viewed him differently because he was an Asian Jew. I guess it is important to realize that Jews look many ways and we all should stop classifying people based on their physical features.

Those are my thoughts! Happy New Year again!
Amber

2006-09-21T04:47:00.000-07:00

Hello!
I just wanted to comment on the reading, discussion, and video about Chabad. I was thinking about how I feel about Chabad, what they do and their focus. Personally, I think that Chabad is good and is a positive group. The reason why is because one of their largest focus is outreach to Jewish people. But, because they also embrace other people of other religions I think speaks highly of the Chabad movement. Also, I was thinking about Chabad "missionizing" compared to Christian missionizing. Now, I don't know a lot about either Christian missionizing or Chabad for tha matter but, I do think that my opinions on this are valid. I see Chabad "missionizing" as being much more accepting than Christian missionizing because the lubavitch people are not trying to convert people from other religions into Judaism, they are just trying to bring Jews who are already Jewish BACK to Judaism (to strengthen their Judaism). Conversley, Christian missionaries try to get whoever they can to convert to Christianity. Also, it seems that the lubavitch people try to make Judaism inviting to the Jews, whereas among Christian missionies, from my experience, iseemt to try to, in a sense, FORCE you into Christianity (through Bible readings, etc.). I think there is an interesting comparison to speak of here because it is definately occurring.

To sum up my thoughts, I want to say that I do not mean to offend anyone by my comments, so please don't take offense. Also, to those Jews celebrating Rosh Hashannah...L'shanah Tova!! :)

Amber

2006-09-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

Thank you Hayley for your comment on my last post. I wanted to respond to your open-ended question about why I think that people think more highly of Jewish girls. To be blantantly honest about this question I think it is because Jewish girls tend to come across as being wealthy and I think that people look at wealth as power and thus intimidating. I think that even though some Jewish girls don't try to come across that way (some do try to), if they dress in the stereotypical way that most other Jewish girls do then they project themselves in that way. I hope that answered your question.

Now...while I was laying around and reading for class this afternoon, I began thinking about what I wanted to say in my blog today. I began thinking about how much I learned this past week in class about the smaller Jewish movements that I previously knew basically nothing about. I found reconstructionist Judaism very interesting because I really like how it emphasizes Judaism being open to personal interpretation and being progressive. Both from the readings and Rabbi Sue's talk, I was able to see how special reconstructionist Jews feel about their Jewishness. I think that it is important to incorporate ones individual visions into their Jewishness. Jewish religion should be the Jewishness of each individual and how they want to express their Judaism. I don't think it is fair to call someone "less Jewish" because they don't follow all of the laws of Shabbas if that is not the way that they interpret their Jewish identity...everyone is different and reconstructionist Judaism allows for those differences to be expressed.

See you all tomorrow!
Amber

2006-09-16T07:24:00.000-07:00

Shabbat Shalom!

Well...last night my roomie and I did Shabbat again and we invited two friends over to join us. We didn't cook, we had a very untraditional "ordering in" shabbat...hehe. The reason why I am blogging about this is because it got me to think about my friend who came over; 1 not being Jewish, but wanted to see what Shabbat was all about. I think it is interesting because she always talks about how she wants to be "Jewish." Now, this reminded me of a situation with a girl when I was in my sorority. My sorority was not a Jewish sorority and I felt like some of the girls wanted to be "Jewish" (well culturally Jewish) because of me. One girl asked me if I could "make her Jewish" (basically make her a JAP!!) I mean I thought it was funny but, she literally wanted me to go through her clothes and dress her like a Jappy girl. Another girl always would try to act like a Jappy girl when she was around me which I didn't understand because I am not that Jappy. I guess the reason why I am bringing up all of these stories is because I find it interesting that so many people don't necessarily want to change their religious views to become Jewish, but they want to be "culturally Jewish." I think this is where cultural Judaism could be problematic because it seems that anyone of any faith can call them culturally Jewish. It also seems to me that these non-Jewish girls want to "look Jewish" because they know that many people think more highly of Jewish people.

Well...there are some thoughts about cultural Judaism...
Have a wonderful day! :)
Amber

2006-09-09T16:46:00.000-07:00

Ok...this is really stupid but, I am proud because my roomie and I made Shabbat dinner last night! :) We lit candles, blessed the Challah, and the wine... It was the first time that I have ever made Shabbat here (she does it every week at home because she is Conservative) and it was really fun. We are going to do it every week.

Ok...bye now! :)

Amber

2006-09-09T16:09:00.000-07:00

Hi!
Thank you everyone for your comments about my personal experience with Reform Judaism and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. Now I would like to comment on some of the readings about Orthodox Judaism. After reading that the number of people affiliated with the Orthodox movement is decreasing faster than any other movement it interested me. When thinking about why this might be, I thought of a story that I could blog and share with you all.
Well...there is this girl who I am family friends with who is a year older than me. She grew up going to the same Reform Temple as I did (and as you read in my last post, my Temple is in some ways VERY Reform). Well...after high school I guess she didn't feel like she had found her Jewish identity and she progressively has become more and more religious. Currently she is affiliated with the Orthodox movement. I haven't seen her in a few years (since she took on her new Jewish identity) but, my mom told me that she wears long skirts and follows all of the Orthodox practices. What is most interesting about her is that she still lives at home and the rest of her family is Reform. So, she does all of her cooking herself (keeping her Kosher food and pots and pans seperate) but her kitchen isn't Kosher. Also, for Shabbat she goes to Oak Park (which is an Orthodox Jewish community near my hometown (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan). She walks to synagogue on Saturday mornings and when it is cold her dad tries to drive her but she refuses to get in the car. Seeing Reform Judaism and Orthodox Judaism living 'side-by-side' in this way is rare and that is why I find this family so interesting.
Now the reason why I thought of this story is because it seems rare that someone would go from being a Reform Jew to an Orthodox Jew merely on their free will (I know that sometimes people marry people who are more religious than them and then they become affiliated with that movement). But, the reason why I think that this story shows that although the number of Orthodox Jews is declining, there is that rare case where that Reform Jew finds her Jewish identity in Orthodoxy.

Have a great weekend! See you all on monday!
Amber

2006-09-02T19:21:00.000-07:00

I just posted but I can't see it...can anyone see my last post from like 5 mins ago??
Amber

2006-09-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!
After reading the first article for class I thought that I would write a post on my experience being a Refom Jew. Well, it seems to me like sometimes Reform Judaism is, in a sense, too loose with it's view of Judaism. What I mean by that is that, like the article mentions, there are so many Reform Jews that don't find it important enough to go to Temple on a regular basis. At my Temple, it seems like most of the families there just go for the High Holidays and rarely go otherwise. Parking is crazy at the holidays because the system that they try to use never works and there always ends up being a big traffic jam! Also, it is a shame that more people don't go to Temple on a regular basis, because there are a lot of families that belong to my Temple (there are 3 shifts for the High Holidays in order to accommodate everyone). Also, my Temple has a special shabbat service about once a month called "shabbat unplugged" where there is a band and the whole service is singing. When my family and I went to check it out, my brother was so disturbed by it (we sat there singing, reading the words off of a projector without a prayer book) that he left and went into the Temple's library and read the Talmud. I mean I think that is kinda funny, however that is a clear example of how my Temple (being Refom) is loosing the meaning of Shabbat.
On top of there being kind of a lack of interest in going to Temple, I think that the way that Reform Jews (the one's in my area that I have seen) celebrate Bar/Bat Mitzvah's is outrageous! Most of the kids that have a Bar/Bat Mitzvah rarely really learn how to read Hebrew (myself included). Just the other day my friend found this little book of Psalms that she got in Israel and I was proud of myself because I could read the title on the front! I mean that is pathetic! So, basically after these kids memorize their Torah portions, the parents throw insanely lavish parties that aren't really celebrating their child...it seems to me like it almost a way for the parents to show off themselves and their money. I'm not saying the I did not have an insanely lavish Bat Mitzvah, because I did, however I think that nowadays, it has become even worse and parents are trying to outdo others and the whole idea of their child becoming an "Jewish adult" is lost in the mix of it all.

Well...those were just some of my personal experiences with Reform Judaism...I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the weekend!! :)

Amber

2006-08-30T18:06:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to quickly post to make sure that I set my blog up correctly. :)

Amber