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 Mychal Moves In

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Mychal

Mychal


Posts : 277
Join date : 2011-09-23
Location : Tennessee

Mychal Moves In Empty
PostSubject: Mychal Moves In   Mychal Moves In EmptyFri Sep 23, 2011 2:16 pm

Hello to my former Jews By Choice forum peeps! So glad we've got a space again. I've missed having people to talk Jew with. I can't often talk halakha at my Reform shul and I'm embarrassed to show my ignorance to the Orthodox rabbis at AskMoses.com.

Just like my liberal arts college education, I believe in having breadth-of-knowledge when it comes to Judaism, regardless of how frum I am. And as I talk to born Jews, I find that's a rather odd concept; many people in my congregation profess they have little to no knowledge of Conservative or Orthodox practices.

Thus why I like coming to places like this: I get a range of opinions, from all spectrums, and I never feel embarrassed, because everyone who is a JBC has had to ask this same question at some point. We all started in the same place.

Mychal
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Dena

Dena


Posts : 678
Join date : 2011-09-05
Age : 41

Mychal Moves In Empty
PostSubject: Re: Mychal Moves In   Mychal Moves In EmptyFri Sep 23, 2011 2:42 pm

Mychal wrote:
Hello to my former Jews By Choice forum peeps! So glad we've got a space again. I've missed having people to talk Jew with. I can't often talk halakha at my Reform shul and I'm embarrassed to show my ignorance to the Orthodox rabbis at AskMoses.com.

I figure they can't see my face so it's okay. Laughing

It's good to "see" you here! I hope you find this place helpful in some way as you continue along the Jewish journey.
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Debbie B.

Debbie B.


Posts : 373
Join date : 2011-09-05
Location : Chicagoland

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PostSubject: Re: Mychal Moves In   Mychal Moves In EmptyFri Sep 23, 2011 2:59 pm

I have found that there are Jews across the spectrum from secular to ultra-Orthodox who know only about their own Jewish community with respect to beliefs, observances, etc. Sometimes they even have inaccurate understandings and perceptions of other Jews in their own movement.

Some examples: There are Orthodox Jews and Conservative Jews who have no idea that there are observant Conservative Jews (who are not necessarily rabbis) who not only don't drive on Shabbat (the "driving to shul on Shabbat" takkanah is widely misunderstood by Jews both inside and outside CJ), but don't turn on/off lights, and basically observe Shabbat exactly like typical Modern Orthodox Jews (except that they attend services with no mechitza and women in all ritual roles). There are Reform Jews (particularly converts) who have never met an Orthodox Jew, but assume that all Orthodox Jews would rudely reject them as "non-Jews".

This lack of understanding is compounded by the fact that when Jews change their affiliation and observance level (and this happens more than a lot of Jews like to admit), if they get more frum, they often try to hide that they are not "Frum from birth" (FBB) [it's not only converts who have insecurities about their Jewish identity!] and in doing so they are dismissive and disrespectful of people whose Jewish observance is just like their own past observance!

One thing that I've found is that at least for non-Orthodox groups (and even very observant CJ groups) there are lots of Jews who didn't grow up with much Jewish observance and didn't get a very good Jewish education, and even if they are knowledgable now, many of them did most of their learning as adults, just like converts. Sometimes you have to get to know someone pretty well before you find out about their upbringing or previous Jewish life. I suppose that just like converts do not have to tell everyone they meet that they weren't born Jewish, other Jews don't have to tell everyone if they grew up in non-observant homes. I used to feel like I would always be handicapped in having not been brought up Jewish and that it was too hard to "catch up". I think many converts have that inferiority complex. I do still wish I had learned to read Hebrew as a child because I still read Hebrew slowly even after years of working on it every single day. My lifetime goal is to some day be able to read the Hebrew for a Shabbat song I don't know fast enough to sing along.
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Dena

Dena


Posts : 678
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Age : 41

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PostSubject: Re: Mychal Moves In   Mychal Moves In EmptyFri Sep 23, 2011 3:08 pm

I just learned yesterday that Reform congregations generally only have one day of Rosh Hashnnah services? My congregation is Reform but we have two so I had no idea. Though, we start later than most, I think (10am).
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Dena

Dena


Posts : 678
Join date : 2011-09-05
Age : 41

Mychal Moves In Empty
PostSubject: Re: Mychal Moves In   Mychal Moves In EmptyFri Sep 23, 2011 3:13 pm

Debbie, when I decided to convert I felt like I would be light years behind everyone else in the Jewish world. I've since realized that is not the case. It does seem to me there is a younger generation (younger than myself) who are being educated with much more enthusiasm than the generation ahead of me. I sit in classes with people 50+ and I'm amazed at the things do they not know about Jews or Judaism. But then, I'm seeing teenagers being very much involved in Jewish life and learning. I think that's fantastic. Anyway, that goes back to your point that many people are not educated when they are young and just like converts, they have too learn as adults.
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Debbie B.

Debbie B.


Posts : 373
Join date : 2011-09-05
Location : Chicagoland

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PostSubject: Re: Mychal Moves In   Mychal Moves In EmptyFri Sep 23, 2011 3:25 pm

Here is the Reform Responsum for "Second Festival Day"

I didn't know that the second day of Rosh Hashanah is not officially a Yom Tov for Reform Jews because even in Israel where they celebrate only 7 days of Pesach, 1 day of Shavuot, 7 days of Sukkot (and Shemini Atzeret = Simchat Torah), observant Jews still observe two days of Rosh Hashanah. Now I understand why the Reform Jewish parents thought it unnecessary that my kids' public school district used to have two days of no school for Rosh Hashanah.


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Mychal

Mychal


Posts : 277
Join date : 2011-09-23
Location : Tennessee

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PostSubject: Re: Mychal Moves In   Mychal Moves In EmptyFri Sep 23, 2011 6:00 pm

I'm really surprised, given the fact that there is no longer any question of the exact day in Israel, that anyone outside Israel still observes an extra day. I can see how it was necessary when information was SLOW and inaccurate, but now? Any Israeli can Facebook or Tweet in multiple languages instantly that, hey, it's X holiday.

And you would think that if you were going to celebrate two days, you would celebrate the day before and the day of, since, given the time difference with the Western world, the holiday usually starts in Israel early. For instance, this morning, I was getting good Shabbos greetings from Israel. So if I'm going to do two days, why not today and tomorrow? That way I'm celebrating at the exact same moment as Israelis AND on the correct calendar date.

Good thing there's never been a question on Yom Kippur: only one day. No one wants to do fast days two days running.
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mikedoyleblogger

mikedoyleblogger


Posts : 104
Join date : 2011-09-08
Age : 53
Location : Chicago, IL

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PostSubject: Re: Mychal Moves In   Mychal Moves In EmptyWed Oct 12, 2011 2:45 pm

It depends on the Reform shul, though. Mine observes both days of Rosh Hashanah. (Meanwhile, we cut the Amidah to pieces on Friday night, so go figure.)
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