This class was so humbling. I can't believe how little I knew about Judaism until we visited Congregation Beth Shalom, which is a Jewish synagogue in Naperville. Before entering the synagogue, we were invited to put on a yarmulke, or the Jewish head covering. Rabbi Bernie Newman said that it's easy to forget that God is always present, so the optional head covering serves as a reminder that something is above you (God) and watching over you. Rabbi Newman beautifully summarized the essence of Judaism. He explained that Judaism is more of a giant extended family than a religion, and Jews believe that "every Jewish person is responsible for every other Jewish person." Jews are expected to treat all other Jews like members of their own family. The strong sense of belonging was unmistakable in the Jewish tradition. In addition, for most Jews, what you do is more important that your beliefs, so there is a much greater emphasis on behaviors than beliefs. Jews are expected to behave in a moral and ethical way. They are also instructed not to wait for their faith to be strong before acting, showing compassion, and helping others. The rabbi explained that once you act in a moral and ethical way, your faith will follow, and if you're not doing good, you are distancing yourself from God. I didn't realize until this past week that Jews don't actively try to convert people to Judaism because they believe there are many paths to God and people have the right to follow their own path. We also had the opportunity to take part in a student and parent panel. A common thread amongst all responses was that being Jewish is (1) both a religion and an ethnicity, (2) a way of life, and (3) complicated since there is a continuum of acceptance and beliefs within the Jewish community. There was also a very strong message about community and belonging in nearly every response to the question "What does being Jewish mean to you?" One panel member referred to the Jewish community as her "tribe." When she said that, I instantly thought of the book Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger. In Tribe, Junger articulates the point that humans instinctively seek belonging to groups that have common purpose and understanding, and when groups of people endure traumatic experiences together, they often look back fondly on the times that they all worked as a community to survive even though the experience was incredibly challenging at the time. Since the Jewish community has suffered and overcome such devastating violence, loss, and discrimination in the last century, the theory explains why Jewish people would consider themselves a solid tribal community. These kids were simply amazing, and the parents were clearly all extraordinary advocates for their children as well as the rest of their tribe. This panel made me want to convert to Judaism myself. :)
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