What do I want Judaism to be?
Comments (7) Daisy, the always-interesting author of Dear Diaspora, posted some of her thoughts on Judaism. She begins:
Something has been weighing on my mind lately. I am now more or less an adult, with the duties of an adult, and I realize that it is now up to me and my peers to take on the task of continuing Judaism. It is with us that Judaism will adapt and thrive or stagnate and die; it us up to us to create a new Jewish generation, or to allow our numbers to dwindle. The task of survival is ours, and the ship is ours to steer. We can make of this inheritance what we want.
She continues on the importance of Judaism to her, and how she feels about continuing to discover what the ‘next generation’ of Judaism will look like, and ends with some questions for other Jews. I’m still struggling with my Jewish identity, and figured I’d try to go through Daisy’s questions in hopes of getting my own thoughts together…
What do you like about Judaism and Jewish culture? What do you dislike?
I like the feeling that, in the very liberal form of Judaism in which I was raised, it’s possible to modify and change rituals and ceremonies to speak to what is important to whomever is performing them.
As an example, at this past Passover, the Seder I went to consisted of Passover Jeopardy, led by the hostess, followed immediately by dinner. Likewise, the year before, the Seder consisted of people going around the table and giving voice to oppressions which still exist today. In both situations, I felt a connection with Jewish history without feeling obligated to engage in a long ritual in which I, personally, don’t find much value.
Themocracy