A Busy Week of Holidays in Israel

This is a very important week for Israel and Jews all over the world. We observe Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZicharon, and Yom HaAtzmaut, three very important holidays. We remember the Holocaust and honor those who died, we remember all those who have died fighting for Israel and honor their memory, and finally we celebrate Independence Day. This trio of days that lead up to a big celebration of freedom are quite special, and being in Israel significantly adds to the importance. On Yom HaShoah, we were able to stand outside as the sirens went off, look out at the beautiful landscape of the Judean Hills, and observe the moment of silence. With our Poland trip and now being in the land of Israel, it was much more meaningful this time. Having been to the concentration camps and all the sites of the suffering and resistance of the Holocaust, I really connect to the events on a deeper level, and I can appreciate being in Israel much more. Obviously I cannot even fathom the atrocities or hardships of the Holocaust, but having had the experience of returning to Israel after a tough week in Poland, I truly understand the importance and magic of Israel. The first of the three holidays was very special, and I look forward to experiencing the remaining two with a true Israeli spin (a ceremony and a day at the beach). 

Living Ten Months for Two

Today I had the opportunity to go to the URJ's conference for all the Israelis that will be working at all the camps this summer, and talk about my own camp, Eisner. In addition to being a very fun experience, it reminded me of the magic of camp, and made me extremely excited to go back after too long of a break. The summer of 2013 was my last as a camper, and I didn't go on the camp Israel trip, so I haven't been to camp or with my camp friends for two years. However, after today, all of my memories flooded my head, and all I could think about was the amazing time I had growing up at Eisner.

Eisner Camp made me who I am today. Camp is where I grew up, matured, made lifelong friendships, and formed my Jewish identity. Sure, I grew up in a fairly Jewish home, but for me, camp was always my number one place for Judaism (or for anything, really). Eisner was where I fell in love with Judaism and the community and the prayer and just everything about being a Jew. The reason I'm involved with NFTY and my temple and that I'm on EIE is because of camp. Whether it was Limud, our Jewish education program, living with Israelis, or the magic of Shabbat at camp, there is something special about Eisner, and being Jewish at Eisner. It's truly impossible to articulate how important and impactful Eisner camp has been on my life (it's especially hard trying to explain it to people who aren't the strongest English speakers). My time there and the friends I made at camp will be with me for the rest of my life. And I'm incredibly excited that I get to reconnect with that part of my life this summer after two long years away. We've got plenty of time left on EIE, but today certainly made me feel that same childhood longing for camp, almost to the point where I may start counting down the days.... (it's 71...)

The Sad Truth About Denominational Judaism

Around two weeks ago, we learned about different streams of Judaism, meeting with members of the Reform, Conservative, Modern Orthodox, and Haredi communities. All four were very interesting, but I found myself getting angry and offended often during these meetings. The Reform Rabbi was great, and I agreed with what he had to say about Judaism and the Reform movement. The Conservative representative was also enjoyable, and I could appreciate everything he spoke about. The other two, however, were not as pleasant for me. 

The Modern Orthodox man was an American-born former Reform Jew who transitioned to Modern Orthodoxy after finding many issues with Reform Judaism. Much of what he said at first was interesting- all about his daily life, aspects of Modern Orthodoxy, and his experience living in the West Bank. Eventually, he began speaking about all the problems he has with Reform Judaism, and that's where I started having issues. Among other things, he talked about how Reform Jews reject the Torah. That point really offended me. I understand that Reform Jews don't necessarily follow Halacha, or attend Yeshiva, but that does not mean that we reject and disregard the Torah. Then with the Haredi man, the same happened. He was very interesting and nice, but once he began talking about Reform Judaism, he essentially said that we're not real Jews, making an analogy that we're spies infiltrating Judaism.

So the main point with all of this is that while learning about the other denominations was very intriguing and educational, it opened my eyes to the horrible way that Reform Jews are viewed by other Jews. And honestly, it was quite sad. We're all one people, one Am Yisrael, but based on the way they spoke about my type of Judaism, it doesn't seem that way.

America and Israel: Going through a rough patch? Hopefully it's only temporary...

In any country, the government and politics are hard topics. In Israel, forget about it. With the coalition system and the dozens of parties, everything is confusing. There are the big-idea things, like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Hamas, Iran, and to me, all that is somewhat easier to understand. One of the most important (and complicated) parts of Israeli politics is Israel's relationship with America and Barack Obama. In Aaron Klein's article, "Senate targets Obama meddling in Israel election," Klein analyzes the (probably false) report that Obama potentially bribed some parties or organizations in Israel to ensure that Netanyahu was not reelected. Pretty ridiculous.

First of all, it was Fox News that reported the situation. Secondly, Bibi won, and Obama strongly denied it immediately. So the details of the investigation and the article aren't all that important. What's important, is the message we can take away from this whole thing: Israel and America's relationship is not doing so well. And it's not good. Since before Israel's foundation, America has been absolutely crucial for Israel's success and survival, and I believe it will continue to be necessary for the two countries to have a good relationship going forward. This is not to say that Israel is helpless or can't survive on its own, but I think anyone would agree that it would be much safer and better for Israel to maintain the U.S. as its top ally. And with silly stuff like this in the media, and everyone talking about how Bibi and Obama hate each other, it seems like that relationship is deteriorating. And that's not good for either side. 

Being a Book-Smart Jew (Literally)

I've always liked to think that I have grown up as a fairly well-educated Jew. I attend Hebrew School to this day, I became a Bar Mitzvah, went to Jewish summer camp forever, and grew up in a very Jewish home with a Rabbi as a father. Despite all my knowledge and experience, one thing I've found is that there is actually a lot I didn't know, and I'm glad I have now have a better understanding of certain things. For example, the several different Jewish texts always confused me (they still do, but a little less). We have the Tanakh, Torah, Talmud, Mishnah, Gemara, Pirke Avot, and the list goes on. Fortunately, I feel like I have a clearer understanding of the different books and texts, what they are, who wrote them, where/when they come from, and why they're important. Learning about the texts has been very interesting and fun, and I feel like a more educated and informed Jew. This is by far not the only thing I've learned about in Jewish History that I enjoyed learning or that I felt was important for me to know, but it was one topic that I particularly wanted to learn more about. I know I still don't really understand it all, and I probably never will. But I now know enough to feel intelligent and have a basic understanding of the laws of my religion. That's a pretty cool feeling.

What We Can Learn From Saul's Big Mistake

In the story of Samuel, Saul, and the Amalekite King that Saul didn't kill, we learn a very important lesson about Judaism. In Atar Hadari's article, "What to do When the Lord Orders Vengeance," Hadari talks about the story of King Saul being ordered by God to kill Amalek, why Saul disobeyed God, and what we can take away from it. Essentially, Saul was a bad king who cared too much about his people, and that got in the way of his obedience to God. But more importantly, we learn something about Judaism and our duty as Jews from this story. In the article (and the Tanakh, obviously), it says:

"But Samuel said, Does the Lord want offerings and sacrifices
as much as obedience to the Lord?
Look, obedience is as superior to sacrifice
as obedience is to the fat of rams."

This excerpt is crucial. What we are being told here, is that obedience and respect are more important than physical discipline. It's more important to listen to God than it is to sacrifice. Saul did not understand that, and he lost God's respect because of it. Even today, when we no longer sacrifice, this is still a valuable lesson. Everybody observes Judaism differently. Whether it be keeping Kosher, praying three times every day, wrapping T'fillin, or any combination of the countless traditions out there, these are all just reminders. They're reminders of our obedience to God. And none of them are actually as important as obeying God. Now, I'm not saying that all of those traditions and observances are pointless. But it's important to remember that through the way we live and act, not just our physical habits, we must keep our covenant with God and be righteous people. All the traditions are just add-ons to being good people. I think God would prefer a righteous person who eats bacon over a jerk who keeps kosher. 

Our Christian World

As upsetting as it is, many aspects of our culture and society today are based on Christianity. Whether it be using "Before Christ" as a time period, basing school vacation around Christian holidays, or the influence of Christianity on how we speak (saying "Jesus Christ" as an exclamation for example), it's everywhere. While learning about Jesus and Christianity in class the past few days, I came to a striking realization: as an American, I know more about Christianity than about Judaism. Don't get me wrong, I know a lot about my own religion. But comparatively, I knew more of the things we learned about Christianity than I do about all the things we've learned about Judaism. I know it's not exactly a fair comparison (over a month compared to three days), but it's still pretty telling. As an American, I know a lot about Christianity. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Let's face it, Christianity is a much, much bigger religion than Judaism in terms of population, especially in America.

What bothers me, is that because I'm American, I'm supposed to know everything about Christianity. Sure, I know the basics. But when my friends at home are talking about a holiday or tradition I'm not familiar with, they're surprised that I don't know it. But how many times have I had to explain kashrut? I don't expect anyone to know every detail about Judaism, even my Jewish friends. But it's a double standard. If I don't know what Good Friday is, that's crazy. But if a Christian doesn't know what a Bar Mitzvah is, that's okay. And I know this won't change. There are so many more Christians than Jews, and Christianity is so deeply routed in American culture, that there won't be some big dramatic change. And that's okay. But as an educated Jew, and more specifically a Jew who knows a lot about Christianity, it seems wrong to me that such a double standard exists.