My role in Am Yisrael

This is my role in Am Yisrael, the people of Israel:

I am a spokesperson. In Burlingame, I am heavily involved in both Jewish life and non-Jewish life. I volunteer at my temple, go to NFTY events, and Jewish club, all meanwhile being involved in Mock Trial, ballet, and choir. Both types of activities allow me to meet and talk to different types of people. When I talk to non-Jews through these activities, naturally, my Jewish life comes up in conversation. Because I am an Asian Jew, their view of what a Jew is supposed to look like is often shattered as I hear them say “Wait, you’re Jewish? How is that possible?” The relationship usually follows with more breaking of Jewish stereotypes and information about Judaism. Now that I have learned in Israel for four months, these conversations will be even more informative than before.

I am a role model and support system for other Reform Jews in my area. Many Jews my age are rather timid of their Judaism. Some do not like admitting that they are Jewish, as it is associated with the frowned-upon Zionism. I, however, am extremely proud of being Jewish. Hopefully, my own pride will encourage other Jews around me not to hide their Judaism.

I break stereotypes of what it means to be a Reform Jew. Many Jews hold the view that Reform Jews is simply synonymous with lazy Jews, or with Jews who are too afraid to be openly Jewish within American society. However, I am a Jew who is neither lazy nor afraid to be Jewish. By being in Israel and studying Jewish history, I have learned to make an informed choice about what is meaningful about Judaism for me in the modern age.

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My role in Am Yisrael, along with every other Jew’s role in Am Yisrael, is crucial. Every role is responsible for ensuring the continuation of the Jewish people. I have done so by making people more proud of their Judaism, thus making them more likely to pass it on to next generations. I have informed people about what Judaism is, thus making others more understanding of it rather than blindly hating it. I have broken stereotypes about reform Judaism, thus ridding of misunderstandings that lead to lack of unity amongst the Jewish people.

The longevity of the Jewish people can be contributed to in countless ways. I do not believe that it matters how this contribution is made, but far more so that the contribution is actually done. Many are closed minded about the type of contribution.  Some say it must be done by making many Jewish children, while others say it must be done by studying Torah incessantly, while others say that it must be done by fighting for a Jewish homeland. I personally believe that any type of contribution to the assurance of a Jewish future is the key to playing a role in Am Yisrael. If we, all Jews, can remember that it can be achieved in limitless ways, it will help unite us.

Yam L'Yam

This past week, I participated in yam l’yam, a five-day hike from the Kineret to the Mediterranean Sea. From hiking, to biking, to cooking our own food, I loved and appreciated every minute of it.

This past summer, I heard a rabbi speak about how Judaism teaches that as humans, we should feel both powerful and weak. While the entire human race began from just one human, at the same time, humans are just “dust and ashes”.  I had trouble grasping this contrast. How could humans have both so much potential and none at all? I quickly dismissed the concept.

Yam l’yam was my first experience of simultaneously feeling powerful and weak. When I saw the infinite number of clear stars in the sky, I felt as small as ever. I was reminded of the enormity of the universe, and how nothing I do will ever make a difference in the whole of it. But then I looked at my friends around me, and I realized the great potential of humans. All of them shaped my EIE experience, and many of their ideas helped form my own perspective on life.

 As humans, we may not have the power to influence the vast, star-filled universe. That’s how we are weak. However, humans do hold the power to influence individual “universes”; the humans on EIE certainly influenced mine.

Soccer: A Test of Faith

To save costs, soccer games in Israel begin just before Shabbat does, forcing religious Jews to leave games early. For what is supposed to be a Jewish state, this seems absurd to me. It seems obvious that Israel shouldn’t be making religious Jews the outcasts, but by not allowing Jews to stay at games, Israel is doing just that. They are refusing religious Jews the opportunity to participate in popular culture. History has shown that we must be united as Jews, but this could be quite difficult if religious Jews and secular Jews aren’t even able to go to a soccer game together. A Jewish state should not force its citizens to chose between their Judaism and feeling like a part of the community. It’s ironic and needs to be reformed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/25/sports/soccer/as-the-sabbath-nears-in-israel-soccer-becomes-a-test-of-faith.html?_r=0

            

The Half-way Point

Prior to yesterday, it seemed as if I was going to be in Israel forever.  I would remain in the small bubble of EIE that exiled anything stressful, mundane, or meaningless. But yesterday, I was forced into reality: I will be going back to America in a short month and a half. And just like that, my experience of a lifetime will be over.

            A stranger caused my push into reality. She was a representative for the Rothschild International School, where individuals have the ability to spend part of their college experience learning in Israel. She said that we must think of how to retain our connection with Israel. Suddenly, the endless four months became finite.

            She said that every year, she sees applicants who went on EIE. I then remembered the stories of EIE alumni, who come back to America taking what they learned about Israel to advocate for it. There are even those who decide to make Aliyah to Israel upon returning home from EIE. Israel did not leave these people after four months; rather, it engrained in them a need to return to Israel. And that need has been with the Jewish people for thousands of years.

            Though my experience at EIE will come to an end, its impact on me will not. I have been given the infinite gift of the Jewish people’s love for Israel.

Anti-Semitic Resteraunts

I found this article shocking. In areas of Eastern Europe where Jewish communities were annihilated by the Holocaust, restaurants are profiting off of anti-Semitic stereotypes. One particular example of this that disturbed me was when the author overheard a conversation in which the waiter (with a fake Jewish name and fake Peyot) told the customers that “the drink was made by squeezing Jews’ Peyot”. It’s hard for me to understand how a restaurant such as this could survive. I thought that only a few individuals were still bluntly anti-Semitic, but if restaurants can thrive based off of anti-Semitism, then clearly anti-Semitic people are abundant. I thought people have learned since the Holocaust that anti-Semitism is unacceptable. Evidently, I was wrong.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/i-ate-jewish-food-in-lviv-and-lived-to-tell-the-tale/#.Vwm86WVihU0.facebook

Defining Art and Judaism

Yesterday we went into Tel Aviv, beginning with a graffiti tour led by my Jewish History teacher Aaron Gertz. Together, my class and I walked around the liberal city of Tel Aviv, learning about how to identify different Street Artists. One common theme during the tour was how to define street art- whether or not quickly made street tags should be considered “art”.

            I believe in the most vague and inclusive definition of art. Anything that anyone puts anywhere to express anything, I regard as art. Art is the expression of a feeling or idea that cannot be communicated in words. There are some ideas that are too big or complex that words cannot convey, so people move to art to express their ideas. Even if the artist is not trying to convey an idea, the viewer may obtain an idea about the universe from the graffiti. And if that’s the case, I believe that’s art too. I do not believe that I have the authority to determine whether or not someone is trying to express something, or whether or not someone gained a truth about the world. My inability to know the intentions or ideas gained from the visual communications is why I regard everything as art.

            Regarding art as art because of missing information (such as if someone was trying to express something) is precedented in many other things. The American criminal justice system regards innocent people as innocent if they do not have enough information to prove them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. We cannot always be seeking specific information to define something, because a lot of the time, the information needed to define something is impossible to find. Because the information is impossible to find, people look towards, in my opinion, more irrelevant details to define something. It is near impossible to find out whether or not people live based off of Jewish principle, because everyone can interpret Jewish law differently. Therefore, Jewish sects, and Israel, have decided to determine if a person is Jewish by an easily found definition-if you have a certain grandmother who is Jewish.

            In my opinion, whether or not my mother’s mother was Jewish is irrelevant to my Judaism. I find it a poor replacement for trying to find out if people live Jewishly enough.