Article Discussion: Lets Make the Language of Jewish Prayer Inclusive

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Click here to read the article:Lets Make the Language of Jewish Prayer Inclusive

[Michael Doyle]

As a Jewish convert, I completely disagree. The Birchot Ha'shachar blessings (prayer, if you will) are a fundamental part of the Jewish morning worship service. That sentence bears re-reading. It is a Jewish prayer to be read by Jews during a Jewish worship service. As such, why on earth should it be changed to accommodate the sensibilities of a non-Jew attending a Jewish service? Who most likely wouldn't (and, frankly, shouldn't) be saying the prayer anyway unless they were on a conversion path to Judaism?

I'm Jewish. I'm thrilled to be Jewish. I feel a deep sense of gratitude about being Jewish. And as a Jew, I have every right to language in the worship service to help me explicitly express that gratitude to God.

I find it surprising that anyone who has been "living Jewishly" for a long time would find the blessing in question to be insulting. If they did, why on earth would they be regularly joining in Jewish worship in the first place?

[Unregistered]

As someone who is converting to Judaism, I agree with the author. It is excluding as one of the main things I enjoy about Reform Judaism is how open and welcoming it is to non Jews. I can see how the author would have this reaction.

[Phx Mom]

I have to agree with the others.  I'm a born Jew (third generation Reform) and have absolutely no problem with that prayer.  Even if it were to be amended to be "of the people Israel," it means exactly the same thing.  

[EJ]

I was born a Jew, and am married to a UU  Both my UU husband and I find language like this to be exclusionary.