Overall

Overall, this was a very interesting class which opened me up to many different aspects of Judaism. I am the type of person who likes to learn about anything, everything! This class was able to explore many different types of people along with organizations and levels of observance and learn about them with an open mind. One thing that many don’t know about me is that I am a very organized, neat freak and being that, I noticed that the way this class was structured was done in a very organized manner. To some this may not be such a big deal, but I find it very important while teaching a class. There are some professors who are unorganized and that alone can really affect the class. To really look at things with different perspectives and explore other ideas with a different viewpoint are both very important ways to learn. Professor Cohen did a great job in explaining the different aspects of Judaism by going in with an open mind and teaching what that specific aspect is and what it believes in instead of judging or generalizing it. This is a type of class which can really help someone explore and understand the Jewish culture and all the amazing things that are apart of it, I highly recommend it.

Jews and Genetics

While learning about Jews and Genetics I was shocked by the amount of Jewish Genetic Diseases. I definitely believe that Judaism comes from one’s genes or lineage. I liked how our handout said “important to consider that Jewish identity both defines and is defined by genetics”. I never even thought about genetics like that, but it brings a very good point. Whenever I heard the word genetics, I would automatically think about one’s genes or descent, hardly ever as a part of Jewish identity. Genetics in Jewish identity is a very important issue because it is regarding one’s health. There are some diseases which are associated with Jews which are called “Jewish” Genetic Diseases. I can’t believe I never even thought about genetics in Jewish identity because it is even going on in my life and I didn’t notice. My father, Larry, has three brothers, Bart, Stuart and Mike, all of which live in Dayton, Ohio. One person from each of the four families has the same type of disease just different levels of it. I am not exactly sure the name of the disease; however it is very common among the Weprin family. Fortunately the Jewish people have such a strong trust in the medical field because of their involvement. Even in my family alone, it’s quite amusing to see how many people are in the medical/dental field.

Jews in the Christian Imagination

Even though I have yet to finish the 'Left Behind' book, so far it has really made an impression on me. I have never really read a book about the last days of the Earth. It was really crazy to read about people just disappearing yet leaving all their stuff behind. It was interesting to see how the people left on Earth were feeling and what was going through their minds at the time. Left Behind is a good read and has kept me interested and excited to see what is going to happen next.
The whole idea of materialistic things getting left behind along with other humans getting left behind makes me wonder when the Messiah comes will we leave our things left behind? I think we will leave our things because where we will be going is going to be completely different and much more spiritual than physical. I am very excited to finish the book and get an overall look at it.
It is very interesting to know that two men who both follow Christianity wrote this book. Not that by the authors being Christian will I look at this book differently, but it is important to know the author/s of a book and understand their perspectives behind it.

Messianic Judaism

Jews for Jesus was founded by Moishe Rosen. I found it very interesting that he chose a Yiddish name because Yiddish is combination of German, Hebrew and I think Aramaic. Which is very similar in the sense that the title ‘Jews for Jesus’ is a mix between Judaism and Christianity. It is absolutely fair for these people to believe in whatever they want to believe in, but they don’t necessarily have to keep preaching about it everywhere. These people know that others getting very offended by it and hurting many Jewish people, yet they still preach and still fight for their point. It’s wrong for them to call themselves Jews for Jesus when they aren’t even Jewish, they are just trying to catch other Jews attention.
If these people want to believe in Jesus being the Messiah that’s fine they can believe in whatever it is they please, but they don’t have to go around preaching it, hurting others, and accusing Jews of whatever just because they don’t believe in Jesus.
Messianic Judaism is actually Jewish people who follow some Jewish laws, feel strongly towards Hebrew, knowledge of Jewish culture and Jewish history. They consider themselves ‘completed’ Jews but are not Christians. They feel completed because they consider Jesus as the messiah.
One question that came into my mind was, is it better that Messianic Jews at least believe in some type of Messiah coming (Jesus) rather than none? I have heard the saying; it is worse if you know and don’t do rather than not knowing and not doing. Today, there are so many different parts, types and organizations in Judaism that I can look at Messianic Judaism and say that at least they are following some laws and at least they do believe in a Messiah coming.

Identity and Exogamy

Interfaith marriages, always a touchy subject for one to discuss…so many people have so many different views on it. There are many who disagree and there are many who agree with interfaith marriages. I can definitely look at both sides and understand where they stand.
Diversity is very important, everyone should try and meet as many different types of people as possible and experience as much of the world as possible. I have met many amazing people from all over the world but marrying someone Jewish is very important to me therefore that is something I have to control. It's hard to control love but I guess by not even starting a dating relationship with a non-Jew from the very beginning would help prevent that.
In the religious world, they go on ‘shitach’ (sorry about spelling) dates. I use to be very skeptical towards that, but once I learned more about it, it made more sense to me. A ‘shitach’ date is when someone sets you up with another person and you go on a date (usually a hotel lobby, coffee shop) and if you like each other then you continue to go on dates and if you don’t, then you call the person who set you up with your date and you tell them you are not interested. Now the people who usually do this type of dating are looking to get married, which is why they think with their heads and not their hearts. Many people today will not even think about after the marriage and how they are going to raise their children and their future plans. This can really help a relationship especially if you are planning to live the rest of your life with this person.
My cousin Ben recently married a non-Jewish woman from Tennessee. This was the first interfaith marriage in our really big family. This caused a lot of discussion between many of the family members. It wasn’t anything personal against the woman, she is a very nice person but she’s just not Jewish.
I believe that is very important to keep the Jewish people strong and continue the Jewish religion and when a man marries a non-Jew right away that is breaking a little bit away from the Jewish nation, especially since the kids won’t even be Jewish. It was a very tough situation, of course we always welcome everyone into our family but it really upset some.
I don’t get upset and I definitely don’t show any disrespect towards anyone who decides to marry someone out of the Jewish religion. It is completely up to that person, I would definitely hope that they would at least try to teach their children about Judaism and maintain some sort of a Jewish life however if they decide not to, then that is completely up to them. There is so much more to say about interfaith marriages but sometimes it can be putting down in words. I would love to read any responses!

Judaism and Multicultural Identity

I found the book The Flying Camel a very good read and extremely interesting. I found most stories that I read to have a balance of good and bad. Bad because it seemed as if the character in the story always had to hide who he/she really was and be afraid of what all the people who think they are "normal" say or do. Good because the person is happy where he/she is at now in their life and feels comfortable with themselves. It's horrible for a person to have to struggle with who the yare and constantly having to move back and forth in one place or the other just to feel comfortable. I really enjoyed how in the story “Home is where you make it” the character simply starts having fun with telling people where she comes from. ‘It allows for certain flexibility of identification, a kind of public playfulness about the way people see us” (Camel pg 134). So many times people ask me what my major is or what I am going to do when I am out of college and I just got to the point where I start having fun with my answers.
In the story “Benign Ignorance of persistent resistance” the character was talking about how people are considered ‘others’ in the face of other Jews. “”those people”-those people who love their Judaism enough to create a safe synagogue, There are no “those people” within Judaism, be they inblack hats and shiedels or hippie-inspired “rainbow” tallits, be they gay, bisexual, transgender, lesbian, or heterosexual, Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, Sephardi, or Ethiopian, women or men. The list is lon. And no group needs to be “other”. If we love our Judaism, our history, our culture, and our survival as Jews, we can open up the narrow spaces that harbor ignorance of how diverse a people we are” (Camel pg 64). I agree with what she said in this quote. As Jews I think it is important for us to realize how diverse a people we are and that we should all have respect for each other. Obviously back then when many Jews came to the United States from all over the world they were looked at as others and as different from the so called “normal”.

AFTERdark organization

I actually did see some AFTERdark signs hanging up; however I never knew they were related to Christianity until your email. It seems as if this group is some what related to other Jewish campaigns. AFTERdark is after college students and trying to help them find the “truth”. There are a lot of Jewish programs which are directed towards college students, but not necessarily to find the “truth”. Even though this program is only one night, they are trying to recruit Christians to a lifelong commitment to Jesus something that could obviously last a persons whole life. Then they said that they will have a leader on each campus to help insert each person who makes that commitment into different learning places so they can continue their "education". Almost seems that this one night program is basically about recruiting students to a lifelong commitment to Jesus, and after signing up, they are basically on their own.AFTERdark makes it seem, that college students really want the truth and that this program has the answer to that truth. Most Jewish programs for college students are mainly about bringing the students together and getting them to interact with each other. Not necessarily about finding the truth or making a lifelong commitment.This program seemed as if they were trying to hide who they really are and that they are related to Christianity. Usually, when it comes to Jewish programs, they make it very clear that it is Jewish related. Maybe it is this way because Judaism is a very confident religion which doesn’t feel the need to hide anything. I feel as if Jewish programs don't usually try and look for a specific age group, they simply advertise their event without having to hide anything and let the viewer decide if they want to come to that event or not. Whereas this AFTERdark program feels like it needs to hide their true identity, so maybe they can trick more people into coming to their events? They hang up catchy signs which only tell the basics of the event, where and when, and try to get as many people as possible to come.They aren’t as confident in this program therefore they hide certain aspects of it. I think it is funny how they said that from the ages 18-27, many Christians take vacations from church and they want to try and fix that. I guess their idea of "fixing" that is to have this one night event to try and get people to commit themselves and then leave them to do their own studying? It’s ironic that such a huge religion such as Christianity sort of hides itself when trying to get more people to come to events whereas Judaism, a much smaller religion doesn’t hide anything.With the female Orthodox singer, I think it is great that there are some Female Orthodox singers out there making cds. I know there are some levels of Orthodox where the women are not suppose to sing in front of men. Therefore, this sort of gives the women a chance to express themselves through their singing. Along with being able to express themselves, these orthodox women are able to connect with other religious women and give them something to relate to.(a lot of orthodox women live very similar lives and mainly do very simliar things because of their beliefs therefore they sort of have an understanding of each other.) (I know my mother has the Jewish Housewives cd and thinks it’s hilarious).One great cd that I highly recommend would be the, “You don’t Have to be Jewish” cds. Absolutely hilarious.

Jews and Racial Identities

Today we learned about Jews and Racial Identities, a topic which I found very interesting. I don’t assume or judge any Jew of Color and I definitely do not consider them “lesser” members of the Jewish community. Actually, I love diversity; I think it is extremely important in ones life and a very significant topic to discuss. The fact that there are actually Black Jews out there who believe and practice the ways of Judaism is fantastic! I kind of feel honored that they believe in Judaism! I definitely think it is possible to have Jewish people from all over the world because ever since the beginning of time Jewish people have gone through many diasporas and exiles which has spread them out all over many different countries. I really enjoyed watching the Black Israel movie, and getting to see a little bit about how this group of people actually practice the ways of Judaism and how they feel about being accepted as Jews in America. The Rabbi’s answer about why they all went through conversions even though they shouldn’t have had to, really impressed me. I liked how he said that they know and believe that they are Jewish and that is enough for them. However coming to America, others wanted them to go through the conversion process for them to be considered real Jews. Even though they are already real Jews and know that they are, they still went through the process and made others feel more comfortable. Usually people fight back or would start some sort of revolt in arguing against having to go through this whole process of conversion. But they didn’t, they respected the others opinions and simply went through the process. The Shabbat services and the wedding ceremony that the Black Jews had in the Black Israel movie were very fun to watch. As a viewer, it seemed to me that this group was mixing their African culture with Judaism. For example, during the Shabbat services, they did the prayers, read from the Torah and at the same time had some musical instruments and other African influences during the service. It is really interesting to see how a certain group of people practice Judaism in their own ways while incorporating their own culture which makes it different from others. There are some who believe that these Black Jews should not be considered real Jews and think lesser of them. I feel really sad for these people who look down upon the Black Jews, especially since they judge others and feel as if they have the right to tell someone that they aren’t really 100% Jewish. There are many different types of Jews out in the world today, and many of those Jews feel that their way is the correct way to a real Jewish life, almost like everyone is competing with each other. Many Jews believe that Judaism is a very straight forward religion where it’s either all black or white. I think many Jews feel that way with the Torah too, very straight forward. However, I disagree. I think that the Torah may come off as a straight forward Divine Book, however, it really isn’t. It is filled with so many things that there is more to it than only reading it and following what it says. The Torah was put here for a reason and we are supposed to use it as a guideline for our lives. Same goes for Judaism, it is such an intriguing religion filled with so much history that it is not suppose to be all black or white. After everything the religion has been through, all of the different countries and cultures Judaism has been with, (especially since other cultures have influenced Judaism in many ways) it amazes me there are still Jews out there today who look down upon Black Jews just because of their color and considered them lesser Jews. One thing Judaism really expresses is kindness and being a good person. Judaism is suppose to be a good, kind, all about the love and respect, religion, definitely not hate! After watching parts of that film, it really gave me the urge to travel around the world and see how other people practice Judaism in their own different ways depending on their backgrounds.

What am I learning here? The meaning of Jewish Studies

At the beginning of this year, I enrolled in the Jewish studies program here at IU. Apparently IU has one of the biggest Jewish studies programs for public schools in the country. They offer many different classes ranging from interpretation of biblical texts to Jewish folklore! I think we should be very lucky that we are able to have such a wonderful program, filled with excellent professors, a wide range of classes and great people in the program. After I became part of the Jewish studies program, I started getting emails and emails about all the interesting events going on. Being apart of this program has really helped me see what else is out there and all of the different programs the Jewish studies department offers. Ever since I became a Jewish studies member, all of the dinners and meetings I have been to, have all been very welcoming, and I enjoyed the very personal feeling of the environment.

Queer Judaism

The movie, Trembling Before God, definitely shocked me as unbelievable. There are so many things that made me very upset regarding how these people have to live their lives because of the community they were in. I can’t believe that some of the people got kicked out of their community’s just because of their personal sexual life. I feel really bad for the people who feel like they have been living a lie or feel as if they will never be good enough. I don’t think it is right for someone to judge another person or tell them that they will never be something. After studying with a Rabbi, I learned that a very important thing is to take care of yourself and that one should figure out who they are, be comfortable with themselves and then once everyone does that, we all come together as one or we are all able to work together to form one. Going off of this, you would think that a religious community should not kick someone out based off of their personal sexual life because “to each his own” and if that person is a good person who is giving back to the community and doing just as much as the other person, then they shouldn’t have a problem. No one is perfect and the people in the community should realize that these people are trying really hard and still have the right to believe and practice in Judaism. Helping a fellow Jew is another extremely important act in Judaism, yet the community is kicking out a fellow Jew because of some differences and not helping them. If someone actually cared for another you would think that they would want to help the person work things out rather than kicking them out and turning their backs on them. The fact that, that one man in the movie, who is trying to “fix” himself by using negative reinforcement each time, and is working really hard to becoming a better Jew is wonderful. However, I don’t think this man should live his whole life thinking that something is wrong with him or that he has to be punished for being the way he is.
Everyone interprets the Torah differently and has many different viewpoints on it. I know in the Torah it says, a man cannot lay/sleep with another man, (or somewhere along those lines) however maybe there is another interpretation or viewpoint on the subject. Each letter, word, sentence has meaning behind it, and all of the words are there for a certain reason. I don’t think God would want such negativity and hatred toward homosexuals even though it does say it in the Torah, maybe we do not really understand the true meaning behind it. Overall, the movie was very interesting to watch and I am glad it was able to open my eyes so I could see how others are living their lives. At the same time, I feel horrible for what they have to go through, it shouldn’t have to be like that.

Zionism: Does Israel Equal Jewish?

There are hundreds of trips to Israel out there for students to take. I think it is extremely important for a Jewish person to go and visit Israel because it can help one understand, feel and connect spiritually to Judaism. I have been to Israel 3 times, twice with my family and once on a program. The first two times were both great, however they couldn’t compare to the last time I went to Israel on a program. I went on an Aish HaTorah Fellowship program to Israel for 3 weeks this past summer and ended up extending my trip for an extra 10 days. We would usually learn for a couple of hours during the day, travel around and do fun activities, go on trips all over Israel and have as much free time as we wanted. The girls learned at a woman’s yeshiva/college called Neve which is located in Jerusalem. Personally, I felt like I gained so much from only being there for 3 weeks that I plan on returning to learn more. Overall, the trip was amazing and Israel was such a great experience. It makes me happy to see that there are millions of trips out there for one to choose from and some of them can even be free! Israel can really help someone understand their Jewish identity better and see what life is like in a country where the main basis is Judaism, it’s unbelievable!

Fiction

The required readings for understanding more about Jewish fiction were all great selections. I found the ‘Mr. Mitochondria’ story quite sad! The character was able to overcome some hard times in his life and was able to put closure on his relationship with his lost brother at the end of the story. Those events are all good things and probably great feelings for the character; however it was sad for me, the reader, to realize that the whole time the character was pretending that his lost brother was with him the whole time. I found it quite interesting that this reading is considered Jewish literature because the idea of Judaism isn’t directly inserted in this reading. However, there are many ideas which the author relates to Judaism indirectly in the story. I wasn’t sure exactly what the author wanted to relate to Judaism however I did notice some interesting analogies, such as relating the mitochondria to Judaism. “Mitochondria, the microscopic organelles that dwell within all living cells, are, in reality, ancient bacteria, tiny specks of life that invaded our ancestral cells and made their home there” (mr. mitochondria 7). If you look back in Jewish history, one can find that no one really knew exactly where the Jewish people came from and that they sort of “invaded” other nations/land and made it their own. Also, another comparison was when the author said that the only way to get the mitochondria is through the mother, just like in Judaism in order to be considered a Jew ones mother must be Jewish.

Film

After watching the Hebrew Hammer, I must say that I was impressed. The quality of the film, the knowledgeable humor and the integrity behind the characters were all very helpful in making this a good film. That’s awesome the main character was able to become such a confident and proud Jew after everything he went through in his life. There was definitely a good feeling about watching this picture and a lot of laughs to go along with it. The whole idea of the Jewish “Shaft” was excellent and perfect for the role of Adam Goldberg and the character he played. This movie actually makes fun of every cliché possible. Such cliché’s as, old fashioned detective films, Black Panthers, superhero films, coke-dealing “really cool” genre and of course the Jewish mother. One thing I noticed which really amazed me was when Adam was leaving the Nazi Bar after beating everyone up inside. Right when he walks outside an older man approaches him saying, “You Bled My Mother, You Bled My Father, But You Won't Bleed Me”. That man just so happens to be Melvin Van Peebles one of the coolest men alive! I was shocked to see that they actually got him to be in this film. Melvin was actually the first to make an independent Black film which started the whole “Blaxploitation” genre. Actually, there were two older Jewish men who allowed Melvin to play his film in their theater, after everyone else rejected it and it turned out to be a huge hit! They remade a movie about his life, called Sweet Sweetbacks Badassss Song, and Melvin’s son Mario actually plays his father in this movie. Highly recommended!

Theater

After listening to Vanessa Hildary's poem called "culture bandit", it came off to me as a more confident piece rather than an angry piece. It's amazing that Vanessa is able to express how she feels about her life into this poem. She is stating who she is, and what is important in her life. Judaism and Hip-Hop are two extremely important areas in her life which she is able to combine together. I find absolutely nothing wrong with her being able to do this; actually I would probably give her recommendations if I could. She is able to show the world that she is Jewish it is a big part of her life, and along with being that, she has a strong background in Hip-Hop and many other diverse cultures. By being so diverse, she writes poems and she acts about being a mixture of different things and how that is okay for her and she is proud of it. She is who she is. Vanessa has really done well for herself, she is apart of many different organizations and theater groups where they go and perform all of their poems and acts. I have watched some of the Def Comedy Jam acts and for her to be able to win one is amazing.
Jewish theater as a whole actually seems pretty entertaining. The Jewish Theater cleaninghouse website is a very convenient and organized place where one can find all the information they want on Jewish Theater. I knew of Mel Brooks and the Producers and probably a couple more Jewish plays, but after looking at the Jewish theater website, I was shocked to see how many people are associated with Jewish Theater, its really unbelievable. After listening to the Caroline, or Change soundtrack, I would really like to see the play. The soundtrack is filled with great musical instrumentals along with great songs and lyrics to go along with. It makes you forget how great a Musical really is.