F-358

2006-12-11T19:09:00.000-08:00

here is my paper---love to know what people thing.
Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and the Media
Today in America the Bar and Bat Mitzvah have taken on preeminent importance in Jewish life. Within the Jewish community, they represent a sig nificant reason for religious affiliation, the most involving family ritual as well as a major Jewish financial outlay. In greater American society, they have become so accepted and even admired that they have spawned the concept of the “faux mitzvah” or Bar/Bat Mitzvah for non Jews. Many societal cultural, religious and economic factors have been important in the Bar Mitzvah phenomena. One important factor is the portrayal of Bar/Bat Mitzvahs in the media. I believe that the media not only reflects experiences as they are occurring but influences people’s behavior. By looking at how Bar and Bat Mitzvahs have been and are now being portrayed in the media, we can understand the evolving meaning of this ritual to those both inside and outside the Jewish community. It is also an opportunity to appreciate how Jewish culture is transmitted through the commercial public media.
The observance of a Bar, and later Bat, Mitzvah has had a long history of transformation. Originally, beginning in Talmudic times, reaching age thirteen for boys represented one state of adulthood. There was no discussion of a Bar Mitzvah as a transition moment. The first mention of a Bar Mitzvah ceremony was in the fifteenth century. It consisted of a boy being called to the Torah as a sign of his being a member of the community and his father reciting the blessing that relieved him of responsibility for the sins of his son. In Eastern Europe, it was usually performed at the first Torah reading after the young man’s birthday. In Western Europe, a boy was usually trained to recite the maftir and haftarah on the Saturday following his birthday. As a sign of adulthood, he took a greater role in the service. In addition, an elaborate Kiddush was held after the service and the young man was honored with a banquet. As early as the sixteenth century, the boy gave a speech in which he discussed the meaning of his Bar Mitzvah, thanked his parents or demonstrated his understanding of a subject.
In the United States, the Bar Mitzvah became associated with Jewish education. Some temples and synagogues would not allow the ceremony unless a certain educational requirement was met. In the reform movement, confirmation not only supplemented the non-educational coming of age ceremony, it often replaced it. The Bar/Bat Mitzvah has become the central Jewish ritual and for many families, it frames the time of affiliating with a synagogue. Rabbi Jack Riemer has offered several reasons. The first is that as parents have gotten older, it is one of the only times that one can expect that three generations will be present. The second is that with so much intermarriage, a family cannot count on a wedding as an opportunity to celebrate Jewishly. The third is that it represents a general societal trend towards being child centered.
During the last four decades the media have portrayed Bar and Bat Mitzvahs in a number of television shows and movies. They reflect the creator’s sense of this ritual’s importance in the Jewish community and in American society. The writers and producers also send editorial messages to the Jewish and general public.
The Dick Van Dyke Show was a popular situation comedy of the 1960’s. Although only one character, Buddy Sorrell, was overtly Jewish, the entire program was autobiographical about creator Carl Reiner. Dick Van Dyke lived in New Rochelle, New York on the very same street that Carl Reiner really did. In episode 149, “Man and Boy”, Buddy frequently disappeared from the office. There was concern that he was either seeing a psychiatrist for depression or having an affair. Suspicion increased when he got messages from a woman whom Buddy acknowledged was the rabbi’s wife. Finally, he acknowledged that because his family was poor and he had to go to work, he had not been able to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah. They carefully refer to it as a confirmation. The scene presents the wise rabbi in front of a Jewish star with a cantor praying in Hebrew and all the men wearing kippot. Buddy’s mother filled with pride and perhaps in Reiner’s subtle jab at the formality of synagogues, when Rob Petrie is about to applaud Buddy’s statement of his maturity, Laura, his wife, shushed him. In The Jews of Prime Time, David Zurawik notes that this episode came at the end of the series and marked how timid and afraid Jews were about expressing their identity. Neal Gabler, however, focused on how much Jewish identity there was despite it being slightly hidden under the surface.
The program had significant impact on the Jewish community. In the Opening Plenary of The Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy in 2003, Professor Alan Wolfe pointed out that this was the first ever adult Bar Mitzvah.) In traditional Judaism there cannot be an “adult Bar Mitzvah” because it is a time determined event. It is as if a teenager who did not have a sweet-sixteen party, has one when she is forty. Yet after the show aired, people called their rabbi’s and asked for adult B’nai Mitzvah. It has now become a mainstay of Jewish life through synagogues, Hadassah, and trips to Israel. All this interest in adult B’nai Mitzvah also must have influenced the Reform movement to reverse its plan to substitute confirmation for Bar/Bat Mitzvah. It was also significant that the American public saw such a meaningful portrayal of Jewish ritual in a popular show.
In 1981 episodes 52 and 53 of Archie Bunker’s Place dealt with his “adopted” Jewish daughter’s Bat Mitzvah. In the shows titled “Growing Up is Hard to Do”, Stephanie decides to have her celebration at home rather than either at the country club of her rich grandmother or Archie’s Bar. She is also faced with the problem of her estranged low life father who abandoned her returning only to steal money from her. Stephanie, herself, focuses on maturational elements of growing up and showing compassion to her negligent immoral father. Archie beamed with pride and the program emphasized that at its core a Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a vehicle for personal growing up.
In 1984, episode 143 of Diff’rent Strokes, a thirteen year old African American adoptee of a single white father is so impressed by a Bar Mitzvah, the gifts, the opportunity to drink, knowing Hebrew and the praise and warmth that the family shows, he wants to convert to Judaism. The rabbi, played by comedian Milton Berle, informs him of the difficulties such as Hebrew School and fasting on Yom Kippur. He develops some hesitancy although he remains impressed. He returns to his church a better, more self aware and spiritually wise person. The message to Jews continues to be that the ritual is important and positive as viewed through the eyes of others and to millions of others a Jewish custom is presented as having personal and family value.
By 1989, the Bar Mitzvah had become much more familiar in American life. In Episode 19 of the Wonder Years, the non-Jewish Kevin is envious of his friend Paul’s Bar Mitzvah experience. Not only is the preparation seen in a warm family climate, the grandfather’s gift of his old siddur is appreciated at a deep emotional level. Kevin hopes to experience the same feelings within his own family but is disappointed. He is so hurt that he plans to boycott the Bar Mitzvah, which falls on the same day as his valueless birthday. Paul, himself, is upset by his friend’s absence, but is overjoyed when he arrives during the Torah service. Together they celebrate wildly. In the post scene narration, Kevin recalls the day fondly and says, “When I look back on it, I sort of feel like it was my Bar Mitzvah, too.” This first portrayal of a faux mitzvah marked a turning point in television and perhaps even in American life by demonstrating that this Jewish ritual speaks to universal developmental needs with a unique value.”
The 2006 movie, Keeping Up with the Steins, presents a different story in very different circumstances than the earlier television shows. This full length movie, featuring such stars as Jeremy Piven, Darryl Hannah, and Jami Gertz, is entirely about a Bar Mitzvah. It assumes that everyone is familiar with Jewish rites and is aware of Los Angeles Jewish society. It tells its story both through the overall plot and through a number of references that are directed to the general public and specifically to different elements in the Jewish community.
Although the introduction is pseudo-anthropologic in describing a puberty rite of passage, the initial message is that the public performance of a Bar Mitzvah can be traumatic. The theme of the Stein Bar Mitzvah is “Titanic.” At one level, it is ironic celebrating with the theme of a disaster. At a more subtle level, it challenges the Jewish community to consider how much of contemporary Jewish identity is based on the disaster of the twentieth century, the Shoah. A Black rapper sings hava nagilla which includes phrases, “hava nagilla, beer wine tequila….love a shiksa.” In fact, the step mother of the Bar Mitzvah boy is a non Jewish woman from Texas whose husband met her at a wet tee shirt contest. She talks about the “nachos” she gets from the occasion. Clearly the movie ridicules rather than idealizes the beautiful non-Jewish wife. The competitive Fiedler family is struggling to compete. The father, Adam, who is afraid to become a producer, is an agent and even his son knows that he has a limited feeling of success. He is looking to validate himself with a blowout experience as well as to compensate for his own mediocre Bar Mitzvah which was dominated by his unsuccessful father who abandoned the family twenty six years ago. The boy, Benjamin, is shy and awkward and is afraid to perform publicly. He hopes to avoid the whole experience. The family decides on a baseball stadium theme after the father says, “It doesn’t matter what happens in the Temple.” The mother notes that there are 612 invitations. Is the 613th for the heretofore uninvited grandfather or could it be the mitzvah of the Bar Mitzvah? There is certainly a plot reference to the Bat Mitzvah in the Archie Bunker episode in which an important parent has been missing. The grandmother is played by Doris Roberts who is the mother in Everyone Loves Raymond. She immediately tries to limit her son’s bitterness at his father by saying, “My bum is your father.” The plot begins when the desperate Benjamin, who hopes that the family tension will be so greatly exacerbated with the arrival of the grandfather that the Bar Mitzvah will be cancelled, secretly invites him to come ten days early.
Two Jewish educators are contrasted. The rabbi, played by Richard Benjamin, is focused on selling his book on the O’Reilly Factor. He has no time for anything but a perfunctory question. The grandfather is working with Indians and a hippy do-gooder is introduced carrying an English-Yiddish dictionary and talking about his interest in social justice. He confronts the rabbi with the words, “With all due respect.” The rabbi responds by saying when someone says that they don’t have respect. The grandfather speaks for all Jews who are disappointed in the religious establishment by saying, “In this case it is out of respect to you that I am here.” He tells the rabbi that his issue is that the kid does not know what the haftarah means. The kid doesn’t understand the meaning of the Bar Mitzvah. After a few meaningless platitudes, the rabbi actually settles down and works with Benjamin. In this scene, Hollywood is clearly critiquing the inadequacy of rabbinic relationships and advising the rabbis to relate more effectively to their community who are hungry for meaningful teaching. The relationship between Benjamin and his grandfather develops when Benjamin and his friends get drunk and the grandfather both teaches him and protects him from his parents. In this scene which certainly recalls the Bar Mitzvah fantasy in Diff’rent Strokes, the grandfather distinguishes trying out a new experience from becoming responsible person. Later in further interactions with the grandfather, Benjamin decides to go through with the Bar Mitzvah but not the elaborate party. He attributes his growing up to conversations with his grandfather and the rabbi who by now has been shaped up. This reaches a decision point with eight days to go before the Bar Mitzvah. In some ways this symbolically parallels the eight days from birth to brit. Adam and his father talk about their bitterness, disappointments and failures. All of this is set against a background of a videographer who is hired to film the preparation for the Bar Mitzvah. However, Adam wants them to turn off the cameras every time there is a meaningful and painful developmental interaction. Finally Benjamin decides his theme will be becoming a man. He speaks about how he is a man/boy to his grandmother who had probably gotten that phrase from the title of the episode of the Dick Van Dyke Show about Buddy Sorrell’s Bar Mitzvah. He speaks about the work of reconciliation between his father and grandfather and how he is beginning to think about the uncertainty of the future. His haftarah, which is shown on the screen, is from the portion “Balak” with the famous universalistic words, “He has told you, O man, what is good, And what the Lord requires of you: Only to do justice and to Love Goodness, and to walk modestly with your God.” The celebration is a traditional party at home featuring a meal from family recipes. Finally, Neal Diamond appears singing an authentic hava nagilla. His personal involvement is highlighted with his words of greeting from his mother who plays mahjong with Benjamin’s grandmother. In the post film ending, not just the Bar Mitzvah boy has grown up. His parent have reached fulfillment as the intelligent mother has resumed her career as a writer working with her husband who has become a producer and the grandparents are reunited as a product of this successful Bar Mitzvah.
In her review of the movie in the Jerusalem Report, Sheli Teitelbaum demonstrates that it is more than just a humorous critique of outrageous celebrations. The movie already has educational value. She reports that Rabbi Harold Schulweis, one of America’s most distinguished rabbis, uses this movie in the education process for B’nai Mitzvah at his synagogue, Valley Beth Shalom, in Encino, California. He applauds the movie for its honesty. He bluntly said, “It holds up a badly needed mirror to people who are absolutely mishuga in their quest to impress other people. It shows a kid who decides that he doesn’t want this stuff. He wants a bar mitzvah that is more authentic, simple, knowledgeable and competent. He tells his rabbi… (that) he doesn’t want any part of what’s clearly a sham. I intend to show it to our families three years before the event. The movie shows a craving for authenticity within the children but I think that craving is family wide. (It) offers a representation of the character of Judaism that can only create self-esteem and pride.”
This call is beginning to be heard throughout the country. For example, on the affluent north shore of Chicago, one family chose to celebrate by building an amphitheater for special needs children at a camp. The party marked the completion and dedication of the project. Another father said, “All parties on the North Shore are the same; what was special was how we dealt with our Greek, Jewish heritage at the service. We really gave meaning to our theme, “My Big Fat Greek Bat Mitzvah.”
Throughout the last half century, as the place and status of Jews in American society have changed, Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebrations themselves have changed. The media has captured this. Initially they focused on capturing tradition and presenting it in a positive way. They even created a whole new ritual, the adult Bar Mitzvah. This was a source of pride to Jews and was part of a more general process of making America more aware of Jewish customs and culture. Eventually appreciation of this particular Jewish life cycle event has stimulated interest in it by non-Jews. The faux-mitzvah has become more than a party for non-Jewish thirteen year olds. According to Rabbi Irwin Kula, it is part of an intercultural sharing of wisdom. Non Jews see that there is meaning in marking this life cycle moment and want to participate in it themselves. The media has facilitated this as well. Now with more confidence in the place of American Jews, Jewish creators in the media have actually begun to critique the behavior of Jewish institutions as well as Jewish individuals. Nothing could be a more powerful message than the grandfather confronting the rabbi in Keeping Up with the Steins. These personal introspective expressions presented to the general public have certainly had positive proactive impact on the Jewish community in America. In looking at the development of B’nai Mitzvah in America, the media have certainly pushed the rest of the community along.

2006-12-11T18:35:00.000-08:00

The discussion in class about Jews and genetics hit particularly close to home since both my parents are tay-sachs carriers. It has always been something I have known and as I have grown up through many biology classes has helped me to better understand basic genetics but now looking it as part of being Jewish it is totally different. To me it would make sence that there are genes that are more popular among Jews since there was and has been such a push to marry within the Jewish community. Therefore the same genes would have to be passing within the Jewish community, and especially back in the days of shtetels there was even a smaller community to marry within each other. Thank god there are now tests that can be done to determine if there are problems before there is a birth. I guess I might not necessarily be alive if my parents had not taken the chance and had kids even through there was a 1 in 4 chance that I could have had tay-sachs.

2006-11-30T12:44:00.000-08:00

I thought that left behind was a really interesting book to read. I have never read any evangelical novels or really anything about the topic so I was a little fascinated by the book. The story kept be engaged from the disappearances to the romance it had everything in it that made it a fast read. I know that it is a fictional story but I can not believe that there are people that take the rapture and the related things so seriously. To me it sounds so silly but to others it is their religion that they follow to a t. i am not sure if an even like that were to occur what would happen to my faith. Would I look for something new or believe more in Judaism. But while this is an interesting question I do not anticipate disappearances like that happening any time soon. Another thing that we discussed in class that I also thought was extremely interesting was that left behind was one of the top grossing books ever. I had never heard of the book or the series or the dvds and yet more people were buying it then any popular blockbuster hit. I never realized what a big following this was yet from my perspective unless you are in the circle you may not realize that multitude of the movement.

2006-11-27T17:17:00.000-08:00

Today’s class about messianic and Jews for Jesus was really very interesting. They were both topics that I knew very little about. I am not sure how I feel about the topic. It is a little strange because I feel that a such a big part of being Jewish is that you don’t believe that god is a person or Jesus, so on that fact alone I am a little turned off. What I find even more strange is that people are “in the closet” about it. Each person is entitled to think how ever they want to but I think that a person who rises to leadership in a community saying they are something they are not and representing a community as a whole is not being honest with themselves and their community. While I may not believe in messianic Judaism a person still has the right do believe it but I do not think it is right to fool a community. It was an interesting comparison that was brought up in class today about Jews who believe that Jesus is the messiah and those who believe that Schnerson the chabad rabbi is the messiah. I would guess that neither of these groups would think that had something in common but both believe that there has been a messiah and are waiting for them to come back. It would be very interesting to see a a person from each of these sides talk to each other, I am sure the conversation would bring new things to blog about.

2006-11-15T16:14:00.000-08:00

Today’s discussion about intermarriages and Jewish identity was really interesting and something that as I get older is becoming something I think about more. I have grown up with a strong Jewish identity and want to continue it for the rest of my life however its hard to know who you will meet tomorrow and what feelings are stronger my Jewish identity or falling in love. I do know right now that I plan on having Jewish children and giving the same education and values that I have so I guess my husband would have to share or be willing to learn. So in that case it does become a part of both my Jewish identity and my future children’s identity. We talked about in class that much of your Jewish identity is developed with you family because it is events such as holidays and life cycle events that bring the family together and often time have some Jewish undertone. So I guess the more I think about it the more I feel that when getting married your Jewish identity is in question, and this can even happen when marrying in the religion. Your life changes so much when you get married that religion is something that will also change and it is up to the people involved to continue to develop their Jewish identity.

2006-11-06T09:24:00.000-08:00

Black Jews is a topic that I find very interesting and I was glad to have this class o get to know more about the subject. I think it is so fascinating because these people had to seek Judaism out and felt that their ancestry was part of the Jewish lineage. Most people who practice a religion do so because it was passed down from their parents but these black Jews had to almost start out from scratch and I think its great that most of the more traditional Jewish movements are accepting. It makes me feel good that there is a place for “everybody” in Judaism and I think that I some times take that for granitite because I was born Jewish and never had to question it. Also I had the opportunity to see one of Joshua Nelsons video, one of the black Jews who sings kosher gospel. It was a convert he held in Krakow, which its self is ironic since it is in Poland where millions of Jews were murdered during world war two. The square in which he performed his Jewish gospel was packed and I am sure it was not just a Jewish audience. But the music was spiritual and he was passionate about what he was doing and defiantly had the whole audience engaged. It is amazing how many of the normal lines are being blurred and that people are taking their religion into their own hands.

2006-11-02T12:46:00.000-08:00

My deciding to get a Jewish studies major kind of happened by chance. I did well on my Hebrew entrance exam and was literally handed 12 credits of Hebrew this made it almost impossible to not pursue the major. However I have also enjoyed taking classes in Jewish studies I feel that if I need to take these gen ed classes that they may as well be about Judaism and history. While I felt that I had a pretty good background in Jewish history the knowledge I gained in college has been more detail oriented and looked at topics more critically then when I was younger. While in class we talked about having the religion pushed on you I have personally never felt that way. I think the Indiana program has enough choices in the major for people to take classes in the area of Judaism that interests them the most, for me that was history and culture. To me those topics have more to do with looking at a people them the religion they follow. Being Jewish or not Jewish I think when one signs up for a class on Judaism or any other religion that have to expect that they class will probably hold some sort of bias so I think you have to go in with that attitude and try to learn from it and make your own opinions, that is at least how I would look at taking a class on a different religion.

2006-10-30T19:39:00.001-08:00

Today’s topic in class was very interesting in many levels and it was interesting to see how gay Jews were accepted differently in different movements in Judaism. The section of “trembling before g-d” about the modern orthodox man who was struggling with being both orthodox and gay was particularly disturbing to me. I would have a very hard time being part of a movement that thought I had to change. I am not sure I would have even given the rabbi he spoke to the time of day, while I am not in his position and do not at al know how he feels I don’t think I could have such a rabbi as my leader. A few years ago in Chicago there was a similar conflict. A rabbi was hired to teach at the conservative day school soon after she was fired because she was a lesbian. This created a huge problem for the community because how was a school suppose to teach acceptance yet fired someone for being gay, and she was clearly out and had written on the topic. There were supporters on both side of the issue and I think this is an example of how the conservative movement does have to follow certain guide lines even though I personally am opposed to them. She was then hired to teach at my post denominational synagogue and has become a vital part of the community. Since the community is accepting of her lifestyle it has never really come out as an issue and since I do not know the complete make up of my synagogue I do not know if there are other gays or lesbians but I would hope that they too would feel comfortable.

2006-10-30T19:39:00.000-08:00

2006-10-25T20:17:00.000-07:00

This entry is a little out of order but I am going to write about my experience with the Hebrew Hammer. I wasn’t in class when we discussed it so this may be repetitive but here goes. I was very much entertained by the movie although I thought much of the film was a little annoying. They may have gone to far with the stereotypes and this is coming from a person who usually does not mind humor like this. I thought that the Hebrew hammer character was a little irritating and his mother was just a little over the top. However it is pretty remarkable that a movie of the nature can be made and be broadcast over a main stream cable network. Jewish people are making such an influence that they are able to make movies about Chanukah and have it not be a boring children’s movie. That says something about the society we are living in. there is a large enough audience that it is profitable to make the Hebrew hammer and other movies like it. I would be curious to know if any research was done to see exactly who was watching and if it was only a Jewish audience or if it attracted a larger more diverse audience.

2006-10-25T20:08:00.000-07:00

Today’s discussion about Israeli Jews and American Jews was very interesting. I have been to Israel many times and that is probably because my family both values Judaism and Israel but I often find it interesting the ranger of responses I get when I tell Israelis that I am visiting. Some are very happy to see us while others are not sure why we left America and that they love Americans. It is quite ironic because I love being in Israel, it is not the religious aspect that get to me I feel much more connected to the streets of Tel Aviv then the streets of Jerusalem. There is something about knowing that when I am sitting on the beach I am surrounded by other Jews. To me that is being Jewish. It is also ironic that when my family is in Israel it is not so important that we have Shabbat dinner, unlike when we are at home when there are very few things that get in the way of Shabbat dinner. I usually find my self on Friday night eating at trendy restaurants that are open on Shabbat. Even though it is not a formal ceremony because in general there is a different feeling on Shabbat in Israel then the rest of the week I do not think the formalities of the ceremony of Shabbat are as necessary. In that way I feel more Israeli because that is the way many Israelis that I have observed celebrate Friday night.

2006-10-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading the article about Jewish youth and going to Israel and I was a little surprised on what it said. Maybe I read something wrong or ideas will be more clarified tomorrow in class but to me the article sounded like these youth trips were cheesy and did not create the results that they are intended to do. I participated on a youth program in Israel and although it was not one that they discussed I the article there were many similarities. I think the authors should consider that these are teens on their summer breaks that are going to Israel, they are not necessarily looking for an educational experience and if the program does it correctly the participants will get that with out knowing it. Part of being that young of age is having adventures experiences like swimming and hiking and repelling, and I think that by doing so you are taking advantage of what the country has to geographically speaking have to offer. Kids what to have fun and that is how they can do it. I do believe that if one does go to Israel at a young age it will be a good base for their Jewish identity and continuing education and returning to Israel. The age when I went and when many adolescents go to Israel is the summer after your junior year of college. This is a time where you are still learning about your self and you need as many experiences to do so, so by going to Israel you are just adding one more piece and hopefully that piece will remain with you for your life. I also had the chance to go back to Israel to study at Tel Aviv University and it was unbelievable how many people were alumni of Alexander muss the program I did. We all returned and it probably had a lot to because of our first taste of Israel a few years ago. So while our experience when we were in high school many not have been everything the broacher for the program said it did start us on the path towards Israel being in our life. as for not getting a true taste of Israel I think that is a hard subject to handle. Ideally these teens would have the free time to explore tel aviv, however with safety being a problem and that parents only sending their kids if they trust the safety procedures it makes it harder to do so. The only way to get that experience is to have that free time, simulating it I think makes it cheesy so that is an area that these programs so I have to do a better job of. Many of my friends and peers missed out on the “rite of passage” because of the situation in Israel however I think it is great what birthright has done. While it is only ten days and mainly exploring the touristy sites of Israel it is giving these young adults the base like my high school experience gave to me of wanting Israel to be part of their lives. I am very curious to hear what the class has to say and also how many people did have Israel experience before which may have led them to taking a class such as this.

2006-10-17T18:14:00.000-07:00

testing.. hopefully this works!

2006-10-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterdays discussion of imagined communities really got me thinking and I think it is completely true and I am not sure why and I am curious to know if other groups besides Jews also feel this same connection. Last semester I had the opportunity to study abroad on Semester At Sea and traveled literally around the world. While in many of the countries I would coincidently run in to Jews and while they were strangers there was some comfort level, play Jewish geography and once in a while find a person of community in common. While in the Amazon we stopped and there was a group of women speaking Hebrew, while not fluent in Hebrew I can carry on a conversation and just went of and said Shalom. While they were strangers there was something in side of me that said it was ok to do. We ended up talking, and I was invited to Shabbat dinner at their hotel. It was quite an experience singing Shabbat songs in the middle of the Amazon with Jewish women from Israel. Maybe it was the common values that are emphasized no matter where in the world you are that is common among Jews or that I was feeling extra friendly but I probably would not have had the same acceptance if the women had just been speaking English. I also had the opportunity to attend a Seder is Tokyo Japan. It was at the local JCC. While may of the people were students or business men who lived in Tokyo others were Japanese Jews who jokingly referred to them selves as Jewpannese who identified as Japanese Jews. While I had never met these people before they welcomed me into their community as if I had been there forever. In both cases we shared common interests and there was a sense of community immediately. Both of these experiences ere highlights of my semester because I did have these Jewish connections. I therefore agree with Benedict Andersons claim that you can feel associated with a group of people even if you have never met them.

2006-10-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

I chose to listen to American Jewish Summer. I did not go to an affiliated Jewish camp so there was little emphasize on Jewish music so I was curious to hear what was traditionally sung. First the packaging had no real Jewish iconography. It is of a women with long hair and a guitar in front of a tree, it looked more Woodstock and hippie oriented then Jewish. There no traditionally Jewish symbols such as the star of David, chai symbols which kind of surprised me. It gave a more natural campy feel. The sponsor of the CD is the Jewish music group. I do not think that it is associated with any national Jewish movement and I think the CD is trying to cover a wide range of Jewish songs. Obviously the creators of the CD felt that Jewish music was an important enough part of the camping world to create a whole CD dedicated to it. Some of the titles of the songs I was a little familiar but many of the tunes and translations are different. There is a variety of songs from prayers to more American folk songs that deal with racism, The music sounds very folkie and I am enjoying it because it does remind me of camp even though these are very different than what I am used to hearing. However as the CD goes on the music becomes more rock like. The artist took traditional Jewish songs are “modernized” them with more up beat melodies This is just another way that people are trying to innovate Judaism and make it more exciting I think. I think that the creators considered this music to be associated because many of them are prayers that they put to music and then becomes catchy and more enjoyable to listen to and sing along with. Also many of the songs are in Hebrew and there for it is a way of educating campers with music. There are also some songs that have a klezmir feel that is also traditionally associated with Jewish music. The themes of many of the songs also have Jewish themes that can be taught also though song. I am guessing that many of these songs could also be used in prayer services at camp instead of a traditional service so that also makes them associated with Judaism. Singing at camp weather at a Jewish or non Jewish camp is an exciting time and all these songs do have catchy melodies and could help create a sense of community.

2006-09-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

I was really impressed with Heeb magazine. Thought the articles were interesting and it was very eye catching. I have heard about this magazine for a while but never really had any interest or knew enough about it to read so I was glad that I had this opportunity. The beginning of Heeb was much like any other magazine I would pick up and read. Editorials, letters to the editors, fashion music ect. I could have been reading a Cosmo or People except each article had a Jewish feel to it. Two of the articles about Yitzhak Perlamsn son and a fashion designer who uses her cloths as walking billboards for her beliefs, and while they were in a Jewish magazine I think that these two people would easily be featured in a more “mainstream” publications especially now with Jewish culture becoming more popular and many of the people that run “mainstream” media are Jewish. Other articles also had similar appear in Heeb because they took place in Israel and were about African Jews who are vegan and make tofu and are trying to mass market it across Israel would probably not they may not have made in into the pages of news week or time. I think heeb is a perfect outlet for stories like that because if your going read a an article about food production why not let it be about it in Israel. The cover article “crimes of passion” was provocative, there were top less women and controversial positioning of the people but this sparked me more to want to read it then to be offended by it. The only thing that really caught my eye and shocked me was the use of the talis as a loin cloth. In this day in age the talis is seen as a religious garment for prayer, but I am not sure where that came from, and it may have come from just being a plain article of clothing back in ancient times so then it would not seem so weird to use it that way in the pictures or if the designer was just trying to get people thinking. Either way I continued though the article and was engaged in it. I think it is ok, and especially because of the audience that heeb is trying to reach to be a little edgy and push’s the limits. If we wanted to read something that did not have the edge, pick up a monthly synagogue bulletin. I thought the humor in the articles was right on in many points and was actually able to read though the whole magazines, minus some of the articles that were more political. I skip over those normally. I was not impressed with the lay out and many times found it hard to read. Aesthetically there was light writing on top of light illustrations and the font was very small on some pages. This could be that the magazine is not aimed for older Jewish people who have already started to wear reading glasses but for the younger generation. The layout also added to the general edgy feeling of the magazine. Many of the articles if presented in a more traditional layout I could picture on the pages of he Jerusalem report. What I found most interesting was the advertisements. There was one for heeb clothing and the models photographer were anything but “Jewish” looking. I am sure they did this to make a point and it certainly caught my eye. The Jewish new generation culture it going beyond just young Jews. There were also many trendy advertisement that had nothing to do with Jews or being Jewish, which shows that the readers have other interests. The last advertisement for palm pilots was really striking and thought provoking. There is picture of Eli Weisel and the words, “remember, never forget”. Palm Pilot essentially use shock advertising by using that talent and the holocaust slogan. The last line of text is “who will remember to bring the rugelach to the President’s commission on the Restoration of Jewish Properties in Easter Europe?” so the add ends on a positive note. Here are two things, palm pilots and the holocaust that would never seem to go together, but some how to me work. I think the generation that heeb tries to reach has grown up with messages like this, we watch curb your enthusiasm which talks about a survivor, the winner of the popular tv show and sees portrayals of Jews and the holocaust all the time in the media so I think this ad works in this publication where as in others is would not. Over all I think this is something that will only help people either find or enhance their Jewish identity, and like anything else if it is really that insulting to you, don’t read it.

2006-09-25T21:17:00.000-07:00

Today’s class left me with many more questions then I though I would have. When I looked at the syllabus and saw we were talking about the UJA and federations, I felt like I was a pro on the subject coming from a family where the federation is very important and I can barley remember a time when one of my parents was not on the board, leading a trip to Israel or chairing a luncheon. But this class still surprised me. I found my self looking at the way they run the federations with a more critical eye especially the questions that we ended class on, about not knowing exactly where your money is going since it is such a large umbrella organization. I kinda just thought that if you did not want to give it to the general campaign you could allocate your funds to where ever but that was not true. The answer that I got today from talking to my dad, who served on the board of the Chicago federation, was that each year different causes become more “trendy” then others and if one was allowed to pick which smaller subdivision you money went to the “trendy” organization of the year would be receiving more funds then others that were not so popular. For example, many people might forget that there are programs that feed the elderly in the former soviet union, and while that is not a highly talked about issue now, it is still necessary that those programs receive the money they need to run them selves. So while this may not be an official answer or one that satisfies everyone, I though that I was an interesting approach. Another thing is that while you may nor be able to completely control where you money goes you can control where you spend you time and efforts. So if you feel strongly about being right or left wing about the political situation in Israel, join the organization that feels the same as you and give you time. Do activities, and campaign for that particular organization. While money is extremely importance when talking about a philanthropic organization what also makes the federation what it is is its sense of volunteerism and the many different ways one can do that.

2006-09-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

Chabad is an organization that has not always seemed to fit right. While I agree with what they are doing by sending shalichim to different parts of the world where there are small Jewish communities that may need some help in finding a Jewish identity part of there theology just seems a little off. One line in the Fishkoff article was very hard for me to get past and changed my perception greatly. “chabad’s refusal to recognize non-orthodox Jewish denominations…” This statement really upsets me a lot. It just seems to me that the schalichim are being completely hypocritical. They are saying they don’t want to “convert” Jews to being in the chabad movement, yet don’t recognize them as being Jewish. It just doesn’t make sense. The article also talked about how the shalisim would not go into the homes of the community they were living in since according to chabad beliefs they did not follow a strict enough Judaism. Personally if some one was trying to teach be to be Jewish yet would no come to my home would be a huge insult and I would be very turned off by them. This is not to say that I am completely against what chabad is. I think I would enjoy the spirituality of their services and the life they bring to Judaism. It is great their love for the religion yet I disagree with how they are trying to get other Jewish people to be more Jewish.

2006-09-13T16:55:00.000-07:00

Today’s discussion I thought was very interesting regarding cultural Judaism. For one thing I think that it is very hard to separate culture from religion when talking about Judaism. It is like the old argument which came first the chicken or the egg. Much of Jewish religion and culture that we know today has been greatly adapted and changed from its roots with Abraham, and Abraham was probably practicing some sort of “Jewish culture” at his time. So while I consider my self to lead a Jewish life, as a 21 year I feel much more connected to the cultural aspects of Jewish life as opposed to the religious. I think what the Posen foundation is doing by creating these grants for universities to offer cultural Jewish courses is the answer for what many college students are looking for. At this point in my life I have no interest in taking a course and being lectured on rabbinical texts or feeling like I am in Hebrew school, I would want to discuss Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora. One major example that I feel could fall in to this category would be looking at Hollywood and the motion picture industry not only is it run by so many Jews, but many story lines of movies have Jewish under tones. I think this would also fall into the category of Jewish culture. Since many of these films are not showing orthodox Jews, who are usually the ones depicted I in the media, by looking at films that may not necessarily be seen as being Jewish one can learn a lot about Jewish culture. I think that universities should take advantage of this grant and the Jews should look past the name cultural Judaism and think it is ok that not everything they learn about Judaism has to be religiously based.

2006-09-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

I thought that today’s discussion in class was particularly interesting. One point that particularly struck me was when some of the students in the class seemed displeased with some aspects of reform Judaism, even when they identified with that movement. I feel that if you think some this is wrong with what you follow then you should change it. I am not trying to jump on them, because I do not have enough information to make a judgment like this but as with anything if something is broken fix it. Therefore is people think some thing is wrong with the reform moment it should be changed and I feel that that is one of the essences of reform Judaism and what has kept it a so popular in the united states. I think that the reform movement is trying to fix the “Hebrew problem” with summer camp Hebrew emergence programs. Being from Chicago I know how popular OSRUI is and I know many people reform and non reform who attend that camp and go into the Hebrew program and come out knowing useful Hebrew which in my opinion is more important that biblical Hebrew. That is actually one of the problems I see in conservative Judaism is its focus on biblical Hebrew in its education. I went to a conservative Jewish day school though middle school and spent a good portion of my day in Hebrew, yet always though more time should have been spent on modern day Hebrew that could be used on trips to Israel as opposed to knowing biblical Hebrew which a dying out langue,
Another point that also struck me was when we were innovation and engaging a community and if that contradicts with tradition. I come from a very interesting Jewish background, my dad and 2 of his close friends were very unhappy with this conservative synagogue so they took matters into their own hands and started their own synagogue whose goal was to innovative, engaging and above all allow member to try to create a meaningful, un-boring Jewish experience. I grew up with Judaism trying to be un-boring and sometimes I felt that some of my dad’s crazy ideas were strange and “unjewish” but many of them were engaging and made people want to come to synagogue. Being innovative may work for some and some may still want the traditional prayer service but I think it is extremely important for people to enjoy being Jewish and not think of it as a chore, or dread services and if an electric guitar is what is going to do that I think that that has just as much a right to exist in the Jewish spectrum.

2006-09-03T13:10:00.000-07:00

From going through the rj.org web site I learned a lot about the reform movement. Although I did not grow up in this movement part of my extended family is affiliated with it and while reading though the web site I learned a lot about the way they practice Judaism and while the ways of practicing may be different many of the basic beliefs that I have are similar to ones in the reform movement.
The reform movement believes that they are a Jewish organization because they affirm to the central tenets of Judaism, god, torah and Israel. People that follow reform Judaism believe that people were created in the image of god and that the torah is the foundation of Jewish life and that it is a timeless and can still be used to answer questions about life today as it did when it was written. Much of there education and internal programming are on these issues. This movement also believes they are innovative and want to preserve tradition and diversity.
The reform movement believes that it distingues its self from other movements that are prevalent in north America now by being inclusive rather than exclusive. They welcome those who chose to be Jewish and intermarried families. They also believe that children are Jewish if either of their parents are Jewish and if the child is being raised Jewish. They believe in equality of women and also of gays and lesbians, therefore allowing women and homosexuals to be leaders of their community.
The movement which was founded by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise in 1873 has many internal organizations and groups ranging form its own Hebrew union college- Jewish institute of religion for those who want to become rabbis in reform Judaism to groups for educators, cantors, Zionists, women, young students to college age students, to programs world wide.
Both the web site and the reading showed to me that the biggest goal of reform Judaism is that it is able to compatible with a secular life. It is open to change and flexible enough that a variety of people would follow it. I do not agree when people call it a lesser form of Judaism and I think from the web site and reading that the reform movement is just another way for one to practice Judaism. What right do other Jews have to say if one from of following the torah is more or less correct from another and if that makes some one a better or worse Jew.

2006-08-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

Today’s first class gave me a very good taste of what the semester would be like. I was unsure of how the class would be run and what the topic would actually be since the titles of some classes are sometimes deceiving but I was pleasantly surprised when we started right off by discussing different types of Jewish identities and that the rest of the semester would be like that too. Since I grew up going to a Jewish days school it was a topic that has been discussed since I have been young. I still remember the first paper I wrote in 7th grade on weather you were a Jewish American or an American Jew. I think the teacher meant for it to just be a good writing assignment but it is one that debated with my dad the night I wrote it and one that still comes up today, and I am guessing may come up through out the semester. The discussion on the topic already is very different from my all Jewish 7th grade classroom.

The discussion about eh dog kippa was also very interesting. To me the idea is so strange that I immediately see using it as a teaching tool and if I saw someone who was seriously putting a kippa on there dog, I can only assume that that is not the only strange thing that they would be doing. Therefore the dogs “religion” would only be reflected by the dog’s owner.