"What is a Jew?"

A Jew in Israel, An Israeli Jew, An American/Australian/Hungarian/Russian Jew. All different things, as I learned on my Shabbat trip to Ein Gedi.

We began with "What is a Jew?" I think that it is important to note that it didn't say "Who is a Jew?" The difference being the identification process. "Who" involves the personal identification whereas "what" involves how others see you. The list included about 35 items ranging from "celebrating the major holidays and feasts" to "practicing Jewish values--'...if I am not for myself who will be for me.'" to "creating my own Jewish identity" Individually, we chose five items that we thought were the most important and then in small groups narrowed them down even more. The one the mostly everyone agreed on was "creating my own Jewish identity" and the most debated one was "being born from a Jewish mother". I agreed with this statement because Judaism is a religion that can be interpreted however you want, but I think that there is a line between tradition and modernity. The laws that have been in placed have kept the Jewish people alive. Sure, you can say "it's only one law", but then why not throw out the other ones that you don't agree with. The hard part about this question was that there was a girl in my group who considers herself Jewish, but was born to a Jewish father and still hasn't halachicaly (based on Jewish Law) been converted, although she is planning to. For her, this is a sensitive subject as she considers herself a (reform) Jew, but more religious Jews do not. She is a Jew in Israel.

Kabblat Shabbat was used as a time to discuss this weekly holiday in Israel. Most of the people in this group were not religious, although there were a few, and it was evenly split between Foreigners and Israelis. All the non-religious people agreed that having no transportation in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv is a pain because they can't go anywhere. At the same time though, they find it nice to spend that one day during the week with family. For me, as a Conservative Jew, I like that Israel shuts down on Shabbat. There is no where else in the world where nothing is opened for over 24 hours. I like that on a Wednesday when I go to the shuk, the tenders will wish me Shabbat Shalom. However, as a Conservative Jew, I like to do Shabbat in my own way. If I were to live here, I'd live in Tel Aviv. It's a secular city where there is no transportation and if I really wanted to keep Shabbat, it would be easy, but if I didn't want to then I wouldn't have to.

By dinnertime Friday night, the Israelis and Americans had become good friends despite the fact that we had only met each other a few hours before. This allowed us to speak openly about the issues that would come into play. We talked about the stereotypes of how the other sees us. One girl commented that she resented being viewed as rude because it gave a bad name to the country. However, every other Israeli disagreed commenting that it's not their rudeness that Americans dislike, it's the fact that Israelis are so blunt. We talked about it is like to be Jewish in our home country, which included US, Canada, Russia, Australia, Hungary, and Guatemala. Both the US and Canada have communities that are Jewish and unless you live in small town or a mid-western state, it is unlikely that you will not encounter a Jew. Yes, there are places in the US where you can walk for miles without encountering one, but there are also places where you can barely go one block without encountering another Jew. The girl from Australia and the guy from Hungary both said that there is a very small Jewish community and you could walk for days without seeing another Jew. Most of the Foreigners were able to grasp this concept, but many of the Israelis could not. They walk down the street without thinking twice about their Judaism. In America, I am always aware of being Jewish. There is never a day where I don't mention my Judaism, but here, there is no need to explain anything. Everyone understands. The majority of people here are Jewish.

The Jewish people have a long history. Out task on Saturday morning, was to decide the most important event. We were given a list from Abraham to Moses. From the Second Temple to the Diaspora. From the Holocaust to the State of Israel. I personally chose receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai because without it, Judaism would not be what it is. It is the basis for the religion and relays the rules and regulations as well as stories and morals of behavior. Everyone was all over the place with their choices so there was no majority. The Madrich tried to challenge our decisions to help us think about the Jewish people.

After a short break of lunch, a short walk through Ein Gedi, and a Swim in the Dead Sea, we concluded our dialogue by discussing if the issue at hand was "b'seder" (ok) or "lo b'seder" (not ok). We talked about both American and Israeli issues from American Idol to Bibi and Obama. The last question the Madrich asked was "dating a non-Jew" Most of the Israelis said "lo b'seder" and most of the Foreigners said "b'seder". We then explained to them that when you're in Israel chatting someone up, you don't have to think about if they're Jewish or not because most likely, they are, but in America that is not the case, and it is much harder to find a Jew who you are willing to go out with. One of the religious girls compared it to her finding someone with the same religious standards as her. Not everyone is as religious as she is and there are people who are more religious than her. While it's not quite the same, as it is easier to become more religious than to change religions, I respect her comparison.

But. A Jew is a Jew no matter where you are and a random one will most likely invite you to a Shabbat dinner if you need one.