Here are posts from the hj list on the subject of what it means to be a Jew. Posts included here are by: Daniel Hays Adam Chalom Mike Prival Cocteau Jane Goldhamer ..................................................................... From dshays@indirect.comWed Jan 10 19:56:27 1996 Date: Tue, 28 Nov 1995 20:49:42 -0700 (MST) From: Daniel Hays To: hj@teleport.com Subject: HJ/ New User/Meaning of Jew Hi all. Not wanting to be a lurker in this list, I figured that I would introduce myself and pose a question that was once (well, more then once actually) brought up in a college list that I used to subscribe to. My name is Dan Hays, and I recently moved to the Phoenix area after graduating from Georgia Tech in Atlanta. I was brought up in a reform household that was, for the most part, non-observant. Following my bar mitzvah, I rarely attended synagogue, and had very little Jewish identity. I was fortunate to join AEPi, the only remaining Jewish fraternity and rediscovered and learned much of my heritage. My scientific training, I feel, however, caused me to reject many of the religious foundations of all religions, but left in me the rich heritage of the Jewish people. This brings me to the question that was posed to the group on the Internet, actually aimed at a close friend of mine. He is a very observant Jew who rediscovered his religion following a trip to Israel. He leads a collegiate Jewish organization and observes shabbat and keeps a strict kosher. The problem: he is of a mixed marriage, though his mother is Jewish. Some people in the list wanted to know if he considered himself a Jew, and how others felt. This was especially important since many of the list's participants and this young man attended an Orthodox shul which did not recognize the children of mixed marriages. He replied that he felt that he was Jewish, even if only one parent had been. Some replied that he was not. Others that you are Jewish if you convert and/or feel that you are. So, we all contemplated, what makes you a Jew? To this, I posed the following question: I am a Jew who does not believe in the presence of a supreme being or creationism. But my parents were both Jewish. So, if I do not observe at all, am I a Jew? Resoundinly, the answer was yes, but they had a question for me. If I consider myself a Jew, why do I do so. More so, what do I have in common with the rest of them and Jews worldwide? My answer was simple. "My ancestors believed the same wrong things that your ancestors did. That is what I believe makes us Jews." So, what do the rest of you think? To me, I can identify with other Jews for what they have been taught, what their values are, how they have lived. These are things that I believe to be the fabric of Jewish culture, Jewish society, and Jewish prosperity. We value the sanctity of human life, mutual respect, and the growth of the human spirit. If religion does something positive in your life, I believe that you should grasp it and carry it with you. If this means that it provides you with a light in times of despair, great. If it means that it teaches kindness, great. If it shows you morals that advance the human state, fantastic. But, if it brings you down or if you are not behind it, then each of us needs to evaluate its purpose in our lives. Thanks to each of you for an enlightening group. May many more groundbreaking discussions come in the future. - Dan Hays - ..................................................................... From adam.chalom@yale.eduWed Jan 10 19:56:27 1996 Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 12:22:19 -0500 (EST) From: Adam Chalom To: Humanistic Judaism Subject: HJ/ Meaning of Jew Dan and others: Right off the bat, I'd recommend looking on the HJ Web page (I don't remember the address) for the official SHJ movement statements on who is a Jew. But those only represent some viewpoints. What I find particularly interesting about HJ is the fact that the individual is empowered to define FOR THEMSELVES what they mean by calling themselves Jewish. The legacy of valuing education, ethical thinking/action, social concern, etc. is a strong factor for many people. Others find geneology important: my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc. back to the tribes of Irael identified themselves with this group, and so do I. Still others have a strong cultural connection: Jewish language, holidays, rituals, food, humor, etc. make them feel good and feel Jewish. And the individual can choose any and all of these and other reasons to identify themselves as Jewish. Your first response of "my ancestors were wrong the same way as yours" is true but not very inspiring, unfortunately. But there are several positive ways to claim Jewishness. Welcome to the list. Adam Chalom ..................................................................... From MPrival@aol.comWed Jan 10 19:56:27 1996 Date: Thu, 30 Nov 1995 01:27:56 -0500 From: MPrival@aol.com To: hj@teleport.com Subject: HJ/ Re: Meaning of Jew Eric Shapiro asks: "...has it ever happened that a Jew by Choice became an ex-Jew?" That reminds me of an interesting story. When Linda Chavez (Reagan's anti-civil rights Commissioner of Civil Rights) ran for the Senate in Maryland, she sent out a letter "to my fellow Catholics" explaining why Catholics should vote for her. She was attacked for doing this because, it was said, she was Jewish, not Catholic. She responded, quite correctly, that she had undergone a formal religious conversion to Judaism to satisfy her former husband's family, but never felt Jewish. While I disdain Chavez' politics, she was right about this--Jewishness is something in your heart; it is not something a rabbi can confer on you. This story may shed light on several issues that have been raised in the past few days by Dan Hays and others. If being Jewish means to identify in good faith with the history, culture, and fate of the Jewish people, then Dan's description of his views of Jewish values and ways of behaving are what proves that he is Jewish--not who his maternal grandmother happened to be. It is unfortunate that Dan's friend became an Orthodox Jew only to find himself rejected by the Orthodox Jews in his shul because his father was not Jewish (though this is hard to understand since the Orthodox believe in maternal inheritance of Jewishness). It's kind of like a light-skinned black man joining the Ku Klux Klan--he's voluntarily courting rejection. In any case, it's best to keep away from people who value you according to who your ancestors were rather than according to who you are. What about Eric Shapiro's statement: "I don't understand how people can be simultaneously Jewish and Catholic; Catholicism also has a culture in addition to being a religion, so what's left of Judaism that Catholicism doesn't conflict with?" Is Catholic culture (which is very real and strong) more inconsistent with Jewish culture than is American or German or Russian or Chinese or Ethiopian culture? I think not, though we accept that people can participate fully in these powerful non- Jewish cultures and still be Jewish. Jews tend to say that Jews cannot be Christians (but can be atheists or Buddhists) because of the long history of Christian antisemitism. It's neither a logical position nor one consistent with our definition of Jewishness. So if the Archbishop of Paris says he is Jewish, we should accept his assertion. Mike Prival Machar The Washington D.C. Area Congregation for Humanistic Judaism ..................................................................... From COCTEAU980@aol.comWed Jan 10 19:56:28 1996 Date: Fri, 1 Dec 1995 10:16:41 -0500 From: COCTEAU980@aol.com To: hj@teleport.com Subject: Re: HJ/ New User/Meaning of Jew Awriter questions what is a Jew, once more! He wrote he "feels" he is Jewish. This question is eternal. How can you say you feel you are Jewish? Hitler did not mince words on this issue. He tried to make Jewishness a race. Why are you doing this? I feel perplexed when I tell someone I am French and they will say I thought you said you were Jewish?! Do Catholics go through this? Or Moslems? Also, remember that in the old days, or even today, some countries do not have separation of church and state. We do in the USA. Therefore, you are American first. you may say you have Jewish heritage, but no more or less than you feel right now. I remember when I had to spend my life hiding with Catholics (my father was caught). Now I have to explain and prove my Jewishness? It is the world of the absurd. We have a link, a connection, because most likely we have similar stories to tell, but that is all. I feel quite comfortable going to a synagogue and listen to a cantor because it is beautiful. It is beyond belief in God. It is a belief in a mystery. Do you agree about that? ..................................................................... From goldhamr@teleport.comWed Jan 10 19:56:28 1996 Date: Fri, 1 Dec 1995 18:20:20 -0800 (PST) From: "M. Michael Goldhamer" To: COCTEAU980@aol.com Cc: hj@teleport.com Subject: HJ/ Reply to Cocteau Our "Greater Portland" is in Oregon. And why the rituals? you ask. You answered that question yourself 5 minutes before you asked it, when you wrote, "I feel quite comfortable going to a synagogue and listen to a cantor because it is beautiful." We answer it at greater length in our Yom Kippur service, as follows: "The struggle for symbol and ceremony in our lives is an indispensable spiritual need. Lack of symbol and ceremony in our celebrations and meaningful events in our individual and public lives leaves an empty space that will be filled with other content. Lack of ceremony is not a sign of secularism...A lack of ceremonies of our own opens the gate to other ceremonies which do not reflect our way of life." Our ceremonies and rituals are ones that we create, and we use poetry and prose that is humanistic and uplifting. Aside from changing our language, we try to create a "feeling" of the holiday so that it seems familiar and expresses our desire to be linked to our fellow Jews. We have a Sh'ma which says, "Sh'ma, Yisrael! Ekhad amenu, Adam ekhad. Barukh ha-olam, Am Yisrael khai l'olam vaed. Therefore it shall be that you shall love your fellow human with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. These words inscribe in your innermost heart, repeat them, teach them to your children by day and by night. Teach them to revere all life. For their union with the ancients, tell them of ancient days, of doorpost signs, phylacteries: our parents' ways for remembering, treasuring Torah's words." We have a kaddish which says, "Nitgadal, v'nitkadash, nishmat Adam. Magnified and hallowed be the spirit of man. Let us fashiion creation in the world accordingly. May the true brotherhood of man be realized in our life and days, in the life of the whole house of Israel, and for all humankind. May there be peace and contentment in the world, health and happiness for all mankind." These are versions used by our community; some other communities have developed other versions and some don't use them at all. We do a lot of singing of humanistic Jewish songs in our services. And we found we could use "Ani M'Amin" by substituting the word "Shalom" for "Meshiach."We also meet and do things without the "hullabaloo of religion"--but occasionally we feel we need it! Shalom, Jane Goldhamer.