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Is There A Place For Wendy Case In Judaism? - Page 1
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Page 1
| Wendy Case's personal story |
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| Wendy Case |
Author: Susan (---.milwaukee.k12.wi.us)
Date: 06-14-00 08:01
You seem to be making the point that for you practicing Judaism as a Reform convert would not feel any different for you than what you've already doing. That is probably true, unfortunately. I think it's very nice that you have learned some of the prayers and chaired the social action committee. What I would suggest is that instead of "practicing" Judaism, you try living it, by spending some time, expecially a Shabbat or few, with a truly Orthodox family and find out what living a Jewish life is really like, by the immersion process. Try going the whole nine yards, giving up all restaurant food, learning all the different brochot, unscrewing your refrigerator light, taping your electric switches, and pretearing your toilet paper for twenty-six hours a week, and otherwise experiencing what a life totally governed by Jewish law is really like. I can guarantee you that you'll notice a distinction. People who go through the halachic conversion process can all tell you that doing so really makes them feel differently. |
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Author: Sylvia (---.nc.us.ibm.com)
Date: 06-15-00 15:04
"For my own idiosyncratic
reasons, I do not feel that the identity of Jewish-ness is attainable through conversion."
That may be your own personal opinion but Jewish law (and that includes Reform Judaism) says you can obtain 'Jewishness' through conversion. You become simply a Jew. And there are simply some things that are allowed to only Jews. I really don't see your point at all. |
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Author: Dave (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: 06-17-00 21:07
Let's say (as I've said before) that there is a Frenchman who speaks English, celebrates all the American holidays, has the Stars and Stripes by his door, has visited the US several times, etc etc etc. but has never taken out American citizenship. Is this person an American. Of course not.
This rule applies to every nationality and religion |
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| What Dave got wrong |
Author: Susan (169.227.254.---)
Date: 06-18-00 16:43
It's not that way with every religion. In Christianity, I think, all people need to do to "join" is to accept certain doctrines, because they see religion mainly as matter of faith and a personal relationship between the individual and God. Other religions have similar approaches. To the best of my knowledge Judaism is the only religion (the only one west of the Indus) which takes the position that one belongs to a particular family or nationality. |
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| wendy's article |
Author: Amy (---.charlotte-05-10rs.nc.dial-access.att.net)
Date: 06-20-00 20:36
It seems in principle that Wendy has a point: you are born a Jew and even though you don't live it, you can be considered Jewish. Wendy practices Judaism (and Reform Judaism is just as valid as Orthodox Judaism, Susan), yet she isn't considered Jewish. It seems silly. And yet...she's not. Maybe it doesn't make sense, but if you aren't Jewish, you aren't. You can do, but you can't be. Of course, Susan's second message is accurate: in Christianity, all you have to do is declare your belief, and you're a Christian. Judaism requires a lot of doing. (Deed vs. creed.) But what's the point if you aren't recognized as Jewish by most Jews? If my husband of 22 years were to decide to convert today, I would tell him not to waste his time on anything but a strict Orthodox conversion; he would be considered Jewish by all Jews and the state of Israel. Conservative converts, Reform converts, and no converts (like Wendy), even though your common sense tells you otherwise, just aren't Jewish. Sorry. |
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| Message number 6 |
Author: Susan (---.milwaukee.k12.wi.us)
Date: 06-21-00 23:25
Amy:
I'm curious to know what basis you have for your assertion that <I> Reform Judaism is just as valid as Orthodox Judaism. </i> Is there some verse in the book of Leviticus or Deuteronomy stating that not keeping kosher is just as acceptable as keeping kosher, or is it somewhere in the Talmud?
Suppose I decided to move to Sweden and apply for Swedish citizenship, but refused to pay any taxes to the Swedish government or fulfill other legal obligations I didn't care for. Would I be just as good a Swede as someone who was born in Sweden or who did agree to obey all the laws there?
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| Having one's cake or eating it |
Author: Susan (---.milwaukee.k12.wi.us)
Date: 07-13-00 10:56
I have a Torah on my shelf. I didn't actually go up on any mountaintops and catch it as it fell from the sky, but bought it at a bookstore. I also have a King James Bible, a Koran, the Upanishads, Buddhist schriptures, Karl Marx, a Harry Potter book, and too many more books to name. Because I'm a Jew, the Torah has an importance and sanctity to me that no other book I own could ever possess.
It seems to me that Wendy Case's case is symptomatic of a problem very prevalent in modern society (or maybe it's simply human nature) that people want certain rights and privileges, but they're unwilling to take on the responsibilities incumbent in those rights and privileges. For someone who refuses to make a commitment to follow the Torah to presume to go up in front of a congregation and thank God for giving it to "us" strikes me as disingenuous, to say the least. Why would such a person even want to have an aliyah? Jewish law wasn't given the way the Harry Potter books were given. This is a two way deal here. If you read the Torah, you'll see it says that not only did God give the commandments to the children of Israel, but they said "We'll do it and we'll learn it." From generation to generation as an everlasting covenant. If you can't buy into the deal, then how can you claim to be entitled to enjoy the benefits of it? |
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| Unconverted Sojourners |
Author: InterfaithFamily.com Editor (---.ne.mediaone.net)
Date: 12-14-00 20:14
In this posting we are pasting in postings from another related discussion.
Author: Sylvia
Origianl Date: 06-29-2000 12:40
"If you live a Jewish life, yet have not converted, should you be considered Jewish?"
No, of course not. What a silly question! What's the purpose of conversion then, if just anyone can become a Jew?
Author: Steve Carney
Original Date: 06-18-2000 16:21
First and foremost, one's identity should be exactly that: The way he or she identifies himself or herself. I identify myself as Jewish. I feel that I am a Jew because of
my family heritage; however, there have been a number of intermarriages within my family. I was never pushed one way or another when it came to religion. I began seeing and identifying myself as Jewish at the age of 10. I openly stated to my teacher that I did not want to sing in the gradeschool chorus because of the amount of Christmas Caroles that were being sung. From this point forward my family members who were both Jewish and Christian recognized my Yidishkeit. "Jewishness" I did
not attend a formal Hebrew school, yet I accompanied my grandfather to synagogue on the high holidays. As I got older, my interests in Judaic activities increased. I read as many Judaic books as I could find time for. In college I was an active member of the JSO. I feel that as long as an individual never officialy practiced another religion other than Judaism, and if that individual had a cultural connection to Judaism such as immediate family members, he or she should be considered Jewish if they are living a Jewish life.
Shalom and L'Chaim,
Steve Carney
Author: annomanous
Original Date: 06-18-2000 14:00
what is the jewish religion? What is the different between it and other religion? Why don't they mention the dinasours in the bible? where does it all fit in?
Author: Susan
Original Date: 06-13-2000 20:32
I've got the perfect solution! Why don't we just declare everybody a Jew by default? Then there'll be no problem with rabbis refusing to marry anybody or people not recognizing a baby as Jewish. We can just decide that everybody in the world is automatically Jewish, regardless of parentage, conversion status, OJ, CJ, or RJ affiliation, or religious practice! David Cohen and Kathleen O'Shaughnesy's baby? Jewish! Christopher Columbus? Jewish! Joseph Stalin? Jewish! Adolph Hitler? Sure, Jewish, why not? See how much simpler that makes everything? Of course those nasty OJ people will try to spoil everything for us all and create a schism by refusing to go along with the idea, but then they don't count anyway, do they? |
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| interfaith marriage |
Author: grace bulenzi (---.worldbank.org)
Date: 07-16-01 06:35
Iam born again but from a protestant background, relating with a greek orthordox christian. We seem to balance in all aspects of for a prospective marriage but religion is a major barrier especially to my father, what can i do because every thing else seems to work out perfectly well. Can you please advise me. Thank you.
Yours, grace
InterfaithFamily.com Editor wrote:
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Post your responses here to Wendy Case's personal story |
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"Going up" in Hebrew. The honor of going to the front of the synagogue to say the blessing over a portion of the Torah reading. Can also refer to the act of immigrating to Israel. (e.g. "After falling in love with Jerusalem, Rachel and Christopher made aliyah.")
People who attend and worship at a given synagogue.
According to Jewish law, as interpreted by the rabbis.
The language of Judaism. Used in prayer in most synagogues and the official language of the state of Israel. Also refers to Jews, especially before they entered Israel and were given the Torah, as in "the ancient Hebrews."
Within the bounds of Jewish dietary laws (kashrut).
"To life!" in Hebrew.
The Jewish Sabbath, from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday.
Place of Jewish worship, referring to both the room where it occurs and the building where it occurs. Colloquially referred to as "temple."
The major collection of rabbinic Jewish law.
The first five books of the Hebrew Bible, or the scroll that contains them.
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