Shana Tova!
I wish you all a Happy New Year! For the third year in a roll, the dinner was at our home. I was really happy to host this important event. It really means a lot to me. I feel that I am not only attending to a party, but that I am part of a ritual that is happening in many homes around the world. This really gives me a sense of belonging.
I am back... with a huge essay!
hi Everyone,
So many things happened with me on the last couple of months that I am still a little overwelmed.
So, I decided to come back with an essay with my reasons to convert.
First of all, I just want to remind everyone that Abraham and Sarah – founders of Judaism – were not born Jewish, so the entire Jewish people descend from a couple that decided to accept judaism as a new faith.
Why would someone decide to convert? Well, there are so many reasons. Some came to Judaism after a long spiritual search, others to have a single faith family and even because they are forced to do so in order to get married. I truly believe that conversion must be one’s free choice and not done because of pressure, but out of a genuine desire to embrace Judaism. I decided to convert not only because Judaism’s beliefs make sense to me but also because I want to raise my children in a single faith home. It is true that my interest was initiated because I married a Jewish guy, with whom I share many of the values I inherited from my japanese family. The japanese culture also has the respect for the elderly, the strong family bond a even the matchmaker,and above all the determination to do good and be a better human being.
I was raised Catholic but I’ve never been a devoted Christian. My first encounter with Judaism was when I met my husband and it was a very traumatic experience. For many years I felt discriminated not only because I wasn’t Jewish but also for my Japanese descent. The process of getting married was extremely hard on me and many times I questioned myself if this was worthwhile. Well, I decided to follow my heart and I have no regrets. However, even after our marriage, I was prohibited to join the JCC in Venezuela as a member. I was furious and my husband frustrated!
Things started to change once we moved to New York and after my first Passover seder over a friend’s house. Everyone was chanting, the four kids were participating very actively in the readings and the food was great! Even without understanding the ritual, I could see that my husband was extremely happy that I was there sharing that moment with him. After that, I decided to learn more about Judaism. I signed up for a seven week introductory course and then for a 24 week course. The classes were extremely interesting and I was shocked that we did not talk about God until the fourth class. I loved that Judaism is a faith of good deeds instead of forced creeds, i.e. there is more concern in someone acting morally than having specific beliefs.
Actually, there are so many things that make Judaism exciting for me. The importance of family bond, the sense of community, the freedom to think differently, the rituals, the resilience and the ability to make simple things holy. Certainly, there are things that I do not agree with or do not understand, but I realized it is okay to disagree with some of them. After all, disagreeing is part of being Jewish.
Once I decided to learn more about Judaism, my husband helped and encouraged me in an incredible way. We started to discuss issues that we had never talked about. This brought us much closer. He assisted me with my Hebrew lessons, helped me to find myself at the service siddur and went to every and each class. He supported me in each step; instead of laughing at questions or my bad hebrew, he showed that he was proud of me.
One day, I decided to talk with my mom about my thoughs of becoming a jew. I was really afraid of her reaction. My parents understood my reasons and supported me. I know that many parents would be upset and felt left out but I always think that conversation is the first step to find a solution.
After two years,I feel that I still have much to learn. This is definitely a great challenge, but almost all those who have gone through this process describe it as exciting, as a time of real personal and spiritual growth. I think they are right.
Ready or not?!
These past days I've been thinking about my conversion process. The act of becoming a Jew is really a process with final actions that include ritual ceremonies. It does not mean that an afternoon with a beit din or a mikvah will change my "status". It will be only a final ritual. I do not want to fell or think differently just because I "passed" the test. I have a friend that converted some weeks ago and I could say that she was already a Jew before the beit din or mikvah. So, that is what I aim for. Shalom.
Why?
I just got an email from a long time friend asking me why I've changed my mind and decided to convert to Judaism.
So many things still cross my mind. I am definitely going through this process trying to learn as much as possible. However, sometimes I question myself if I really want to do this. Well, this is a dating process and let's see how things are going to unfold. I really do not want anyone to think that I am converting in order to please my husband. I love him but I would never change something so personal to be better accepted. It is so weird the necessity that I have to tell people that I am doing this because I want and not because I am forced to. URGH!!!
How to keep your children connected to Israel
I’ve always questioned myself how will I make my children close to Israel. I have no intention of moving to Israel and raising my children there, but I do believe that I have to take steps to create a strong bond between them and Israel. I came up with some ideas and decided to share with you:
1. Visit Israel:
Help your kids create memories and knowledge about the country, culture and people.
2. Research (this is my husband’s idea)
Every week make them research about Israel’s daily events and make them comment on it. After all, Jews love to debate!
3. Hebrew School
Teach them Hebrew; this is the language of Israel. It is essential to create a strong attachment with the land and people. I am from a Japanese family but I’ve never learned Japanese and I miss this tremendously. I wish I had kept strong ties with my original country. Maybe this is the reason I want to make my children close to Israel.
4. Financial Support
Israel is always under attack and I do fear for its existence. As we are not going there to fight, we should support financially. I am not talking about huge sums of money, but we have to give the example to our kids. Save a little every week, put the money in a pot and send to a good cause. Or, if you prefer, help to plant a tree. Teach the importance of tzedakah.
5. Celebrate
My last but not least important suggestion is not only to celebrate the high holidays but also Shabbat. If you do not want to have a Shabbat dinner every week, light the Shabbat candles and make this a family moment.
I hope that doing this my kids fell closer to Israel and integral part of the Jewish People.
Shalom,
Ruth.
Judaism is belonging
I was reading this very interesting text from a book called
Being Jewish in a Gentile World and decided to share some thoughts with you.
“In Western civilization, belonging to a religion means expressing allegiance to a basic doctrinal principle without which a person cannot be said to “belong” to that religion. Essentially, Christianity is a matter of doctrine, of belief. On the other hand, a Jew is a Jew irrespective of his doctrinal affirmation”. Being Jewish is belonging to the Jewish people.
Judaism: religion or race?
Many of my non-Jew friends ask if Judaism is a religion or a race. That is something I always had doubts about until my first course about Judaism. I learned that Judaism is much more than a religion and NOT a race. “It is a way of life” that consists of three circles: Ethics, Spirituality and Peoplehood.
It is interesting that a person can live in one circle and not enter the other circles. It means that someone can be very engaged in the peoplehood and jewish ethics and not enter the spirituality circle.
For example, there was a guy at my Introduction to Judaism class that does not believe in G-d but thought that was very important to give a Jewish background to his kids. At first, I was totally confused about this but after learning about the three circles, everything fell into place.
