Over at My Shrapnel. Check it out. Many thanks to Gila for linking to my post on the ongoing "Who is a Jew" discussion/war (and while you're there, be sure to read some of the other, less curse-filled posts regarding the issue). The one thing that was a little shocking was being referred to as a Reform Jew, since I've never really thought of myself in those terms. I grew up with Reform Jews, but it never seemed to be a label I was particularly interested in adopting. Yes, they were more religious than me, and more knowledgeable than me (at least then). But it never seemed like what they were doing was all that exciting or meaningful, and I guess some of that bias is still with me (spending college years among an eclectic mix of Conservative-ish Jews probably didn't help this.)
I suppose for a long time it would have been accurate to say that "the synagogue I don't go to is Reform," and in some ways maybe that is still true. But I'm enjoying sampling the smorgasbord of what non-Orthodox life- Reform and beyond- has to offer. On the other hand, after getting a sneak preview of it the other night, I can very easily see myself using Mishkan Tefillah for the rest of my life.
I still think I'm RW Reform more than anything else. But as those divisions keep changing and morphing (more on that later), who knows how much longer those terms will be relevant or significant.
Anyway, hop to it. It's good.
2 comments:
Have you read Eugene Borowitz's book yet?
Which one? Right now I have three on my bookshelf. (I'm tiptoeing into a couple simultaneously.)
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