Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site mit-athena.ARPA Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!mit-athena!martillo From: martillo@mit-athena.ARPA (Joaquim Martillo) Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish Subject: Re: Who Is A Jew? -- Another perspective Message-ID: <53@mit-athena.ARPA> Date: Sun, 21-Oct-84 21:53:54 EDT Article-I.D.: mit-athe.53 Posted: Sun Oct 21 21:53:54 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 23-Oct-84 04:59:27 EDT References: <244@pertec.UUCP> Organization: MIT, Project Athena, Cambridge, Ma. Lines: 97 >Shalom. >Now that I have a real USENET connection instead of reading newsgroup >postings off of printouts, I can enter into the fray myself. Since we >seem to be into credentials of a sort here, I will give you mine. >I am an American Jew of eastern european ancestry. I was brought up >in a very Reform household in Orange County, California -- better known >as the heartland of the John Birch Society. I have lived through and >delt with all the situations encountered growing up in such an >environment -- being called "Christ killer" -- being asked to explain >the significance of the major Jewish holiday called "Hanukkah" (after >all, it must be major since it occurs around the same time as >Christmas) to my elementary schoolmates. -- Having to put up with >manditory high school assemblies in which the guest tells us that the >only way he has been able to achieve such stature in his life is >because he has accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior. -- being >told by my "born again" school-mates that I was dammed to a "hell" in >which I did not even believe; but because they loved me so (and I was >Jewish so I was worth extra conversion brownie points) they would save >me from such a fate. I prefer emphasizing the achievements of the Jewish people rather than sufferings at the hands of the callous. Your bad experienc could have been avoided by attending a Jewish school. If you lived in Orange county, your folks could probably have afforded it. >As far as my Jewish religious training, I went to my temple's >religious school from second grade through high-school. Starting with >the fourth grade, I attended hebrew school until my Bat-Mitzvah at age >thirteen. I will not go into my feelings about the quality of the >religious education I received. It did, if nothing else, leave me >with a hunger for Learning. >There is a point to all this. After reading all the receint articles >on "Who Is A Jew" et al, I am left by many of you with a feeling much >like I experienced through my public school days -- the need to defend >and hold close to my Jewish identity. >Does it truly make a difference in my Jewishness that my >great-grandparents and grandparents came from eastern europe? Oriental Jews have been wondering what difference it makes to have come from Eastern countries for 50 years now. I am not displeased that you learn what it feels like. > Does >the possibility that my great-grandparents may have had leftist >political or philosophical leanings make me less Jewish? If you >believed that a new political philosophy would bring peace and >equality to the world, would you be able to see far enough into the >future to see how it could be twisted? This is certainly a gross >simplification, but it is what many people believed at the time.If my >great-grandparents believed this, are they, therefore, responsible for >what happened in eastern europe? Are they less Jewish for this >belief? After having read extensively the literature of Eastern European leftism, I believe that Jews accepted leftist beliefs in order to transcend Judaism and assimilate in some Utopian European society which with 20/20 hindsight was a ridiculous delusion. I do not believe that the majority were motivated by high-minded ideals (especially given the way these high-minded idealists treated oriental and Spanish Jews). Therefore in a way this leftism does make them less Jewish. >What difference should it make if my more direct ancestors came from >Eastern Europe or the Meditarian region? Does this make me more or >less Jewish? Does the fact that I live in the United States and grew >up in a non-Jewish area make me less of a Jew? Oriental Jews learned that origin-place meant everything. I must wonder why your parents chose to live in such a non-Jewish area. >I may be biologically and environmentally influenced my my ancestors, >but I am who I am -- a product of elements I cannot control and >elements I can control -- a product of a Jewish, Kohen father and a >Jewish mother. I am a female Jew, strong in my foundation as a Jew >because I chose to be Jewish against the pulls of assimilation. If you choose to be Jewish against the pull of assimilation than you may choose to learn about genuine Judaism. I suggest you call the Jewish Learning Exchange at 800/431-2272 and arrange a course of study. >On a purely female note. It is hard enough being a progressive, >female Jew asking for religious recognition from a male-controlled >community that believes that tradition is law. I know many of you can >give me many reasons and show me many places where it says... We will >leave this, perhaps for another time; for if I am not, in your eyes, >even Jewish to begin with, the discussion would be moot. No it is much harder to be a religious Jewish woman. You can always find a lot more non-Jews who will support you in being feminist or in being progressive that a religious women can find Jews to support her in faith in God and maintenance of the tradition.