Pluralism, son...

I recently came across this article on Facebook, about a project where Jewish students were asked to write their fears or stereotypes on their bodies and pose for photographs, with the captions “I am not my…”.  Here is the link: http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/161489/provocative-photo-project-goes-viral-among-orthodox-students.  I applaud these students for their honesty and genuineness—I’m not even sure what I would have chosen to write if I had had the chance to participate.  I came across one picture in particular that really spoke to me.  The words written on her forehead read “I AM observant”, and the caption reads “I am not my pants.”

This is an issue I’ve wanted to write about for some time now, but I haven’t been able to find the inspiration to actually put my thoughts to paper.  Until now.  Through the various projects I find myself involved with, I have interacted with a number of religious Jews who had never heard of Conservative Judaism and were interested in asking me questions about it.  I love talking about my Judaism and my relationship to my religion—it’s always growing and changing, and I think that means that my Judaism is strong.  But there’s a difference between wanting to learn, and being rude or ignorant.  I’ve been told that egalitarianism, one of the main tenants of Conservative Judaism “just doesn’t make sense to religious Jews”, and I’ve been asked “what do you have to say for yourself?” in response to women leading services, which is, apparently, against halacha (Jewish law).  I’ve also been accused of picking and choosing which halachot to observe. 

It seems to me that some of the Jews who live, work, and pray in Israeli society every day, may not be aware of what a Conservative Jew is, and once they begin to ask questions, they also begin to dismiss what I think is a beautiful part of Judaism—the struggle.  The struggle is attempting to figure out how to practice Judaism in a meaningful way.  I don’t think Judaism is supposed to be easy, or clear.  I believe that there are supposed to be many ways of expressing and interacting with your Judaism, and that all of them are valid as long as they are meaningful to you (ie: Pluralism).  I choose to express my Judaism by keeping Shabbat and observing Kashrut, but that might not be the path for other Jews.  The problem arises when we are told by other Jews that our Judaism is “less than”, or “invalid”, or even… not actually Judaism. 

So I wear pants and don’t cover my hair even though I’m married—but that shouldn’t tell someone who doesn’t know me how I choose to observe my Judaism.  Why is it necessary to distinguish what kind of Jew someone is by indicating whether she wears pants, or he wears a kippah?  It’s the classic issue of judging a book by its cover.  And I admit that I am guilty of this too—but it’s something I am trying to stop.  I’ve met a lot of different types of Jews while living in Jerusalem, and not everyone looks the same or dresses the same, or practices the same.  And you wouldn’t know what they choose to observe just from looking at them.

I wholly believe that in order for a Jewish State to exist, it must be a Pluralistic Jewish State, accepting of all forms and expressions of Judaism.  This means accepting both in official policy and on the ground—from one Jew to another.  The truth is, even without organized “movements”, like “Orthodox,” “Conservative,” or “Reform”, people will continue to express their Judaism in a way that is meaningful to them.  Jews are a small, and often persecuted, part of the world. We need to come together, and support each other.  In the future, it won’t matter what you call yourself—to the world, we are all “Jews”.  And in Israel, we should all be “Jews” too.  The face of Judaism is changing, and will continue to change—Jews in Israel and the Diaspora need to be ready to love their neighbor as themselves, to accept strangers into their homes and communities, and to not separate themselves from the greater Jewish community.  These are Jewish values I try to live by—so maybe I “pick and choose” which halachot to follow—but maybe, everyone else does too.