What it means to be Jewish
Guest Speaker - Daniel Crasnow
What it means to be Jewish
Jew (noun)
1 : a person belonging to a continuation through descent or conversion of the ancient Jewish people
2: one whose religion is Judaism
3: a member of the tribe of Judah
4: a member of a nation existing in Palestine from the sixth century b.c. to the first century a.d.
1: A History
2: A Religion
3: A Race
4: A Nationality
Jewish Communal Divisions
Main religious division:
Orthodox
–Strict adherence to biblical laws and ancient interpretations of those laws
Conservative
–Traditional holiday celebrations, believe in continuing to reinterpret biblical law basing the interpretation OFF OF ancient interpretation, but not DEPENDING on it
Reform
–Tend to ignore ancient interpretation of the laws in favor of modern (re)interpretations
Jewish texts
Torah: the five books of Moses— Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy.
Tanakh— The surrounding books, such as Esther, Psalms, The prophets (like Elijah), Kings, Etc… Compiled during the time of the first states of Israel and Judah
Mishnah— the stories and interpretations of the laws as written by the early Rabbis. Compiled circa 100 CE
Gemara— written in the 400 years following the Mishnah, compiled circa 500 CE.
–How strictly one follows the Gemara correlates to how traditionally religious one is.
Jewish Geography
Ashkenazi Jews— Jewish communities who found their homes in Northern and Eastern Europe. Often spoke Yiddish, and form the main bulk of the American Jewish community today.
Sephardi Jews— Jewish communities of Spain and Portugal. Tagreted by the Spanish Inquisition. Banished from Spain in 1492. Often spoke Ladino, and have unique traditions, foods, and customs. Many in South America today.
Mizrahi Jews— Jewish communities of The Middle East and North Africa. These include the (former) Jewish communities of Iraq, Iran, and Egypt. The great Jewish mind Maimonides was based in Egypt, where he worked for the Sultan. Almost all members of this community now live in Israel.
Beta Israel— rediscovered as a community in the 1960s. Migrated to Israel in a series of military operations in the 1980s and 1990s. From Africa: Ethiopia and Eritrea, in particular.
Smaller communities in India and China, among other locations.
“The 5-Legged Table”, Avraham Infeld
“Being Jewish is like having a 5-legged table.”
Choosing at least three of the components of Jewish identity, or “legs” provides a stable platform for living a Jewish life and contributing to the world. Less than three, and your “table” or platform of Jewish identity will topple over; more than three makes it more sturdy.”
The five legs - Memory, Family, Covenant, Israel, Hebrew
Memory
“Jews do not have history. They have memory.”
What’s the difference? History is knowing what happened in the past. Memory is asking yourself: “What does that which happened in the past have to do with who I am today?”
“Z’chor”— “Remember”
as a Jew you don’t function out of your own personal needs, you function out of a collective memory of a people.
Family
“Mispacha”— Family
“Israel” comes from ”B’nai Israel”, “the Children of Israel”.
In Judaism, there is no “conversion”. There is “adoption”.
There is also NO proselytizing in Judaism. It is a sin in our religion, as it is compared to forced conversion.
Unified, not uniform:
a diverse community unified by a shared family
Covenant
The Jewish people were formed at Mount Sinai, with the covenant formed there.
Three Commitments were made:
1.We will be witness to the idea that there is a God, and thus WE are not God. No human is.
2.Tikkun Olam— Repair The World. We will leave the world better than we found it.
3.Ritual and Tradition— we will remind ourselves of who we are by participating in ancient practices.
These reflect the main values of the Jewish community today. Many, if not most, Jews see the world through AT LEAST one of these lenses
Israel: The Land and State
“Our rain falls in the Land of Israel.”
Our family was a family of refugees. Because of Israel, we are no longer refugees. Because of Israel, there will never be a Jewish refugee again.
This idea is the foundational idea of “Zionism”, which is the name given to the idea of Jewish Nationalism.
I define Zionism as: The idea of a Jewish state, dedicated to the protection of the Jewish people, nation, history, culture, and race.
Hebrew
https://5leggedtable.com/israel-theland-the-state/
The Birkat (or the prayer after the meal). A short story
Language reflects stories and values.
–Hebrew is the Jewish language that portrays these values.
Example: Hebrew has a whole tense dedicated to interaction, so that “falling in love” is an act that can only be done between TWO people. This is the Hitba-el form.
Example: “Kodem” is “Before”. “Kadima” is “forward”. Forward and before come from the same root words.
My Thoughts
Judaism is storytelling, debate and conversation, disagreement, and eating with the people you disagree with. “Family” is the best term for it.
Israel is necessary due to the world’s history of persecuting Jews. As long as Israel lives, I know there is SOMEWHERE I can be safe.
Judaism values education, independent thought, and communal relations and activism.
I rarely pray, myself. My ’prayer’ comes from the truth I pursue in the world, and my determination to better it.
God is there to act as a foil for us. If we need God, God is ready to help. If we need to scream at God, God is ready and willing to allow us to scream at God.
Judaism does not care much about heaven. Judaism is about THE WORLD we live in now— enjoying it, and bettering it. Since Judaism focuses on the world in front of us, heaven is rarely discussed.
–There is no ‘Hell’ in Judaism. There is no ‘Devil’ in Judaism.
Antisemitism
Defined as ”hostility or prejudice against Jewish people”
The International Holocaust Rememberance Alliance has a working standard written out here:
–https://holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definition-antisemitism
This is the most internationally-recognized standard
The 3D Test
Sets a standard for separating criticism of governmental policies from antisemitism.
–Demonization
Conspiracies about Jewish control of the world. Comparing Jews to Vampires.
–Double Standards
Holding Israel to a higher standard than would be demanded of any other Democratic nation.
–Delegitimization
The idea that the Jewish people, alone in the world, cannot have a nationalist movement, or should be denied their self-determination.
Modern Example of Antisemitism
Calling Jews “colonizers” or Israel “a colonialist project”, as these deny Jewish history in the land of Israel. See George Abraham’s “Counterterrorism with Auto-translate”.
Ryan Grim (of The Intercept fame) falsely accusing Israel of committing a terrorist attack against Iran in order to trigger a regional war.
The Charlottesville Unite The Right march, which included chants such as “Jews will not replace us”.
Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine’s statement on the October 7th attacks (now taken down from their social media):
–“Palestinian resistance in Gaza has take a courageous step towards liberation… The colonial power determined what level of force was acceptable when they colonized Palestine using genocide.”
Justifies the terrorism of October 7th
U.N. Chief Antonio Guterres stating that the October 7th attacks “Did not happen in a vacuum”.
–Could you imagine if the Chief of the U.N. said the same thing about the attacks on America on September 11th 2001? In 2002, Osama Bin Laden wrote as much in his ”Letter to America”, giving his reasons for the attack as having to do with America’s oppressive actions in the Middle East.
Terrorism “does not happen in a vacuum” if it targets Israelis and Jews. It is unjustifiable against anyone else.
Why is Antisemitism so prevalent and wide spread?
Antisemitism is unique among the hatreds.
–The Jewish community is more diverse than most, and since there are aspects of race, religion, nationality, community, and a shared history, antisemitism can target Jews from ANY of these avenues.
–Antisemitism is generally a hatred ”from above”. AKA, the Jews are SUPERIOR. Smarter, more well-organized, tricky and scheming. Most hatreds are a hatred ”from below”, referencing the INFERIORITY of other people
–Hatred against Jews takes whatever form reflects the wants of the people participating in it. For the poor, Jews control the money. For the nationalist, Jews are loyal to their own and bound to betray you. For the anti-colonialist westerner, The Jew is the colonizer. For the communist, Jews are the ultimate capitalist. For Osama Bin Laden, the Jew is the ultimate Westerner.
–As long as people have an ideal they want to fight against, the Jew will embody that evil ideal.
Tikkun Olam “Repair The World”
Term first mentioned in the Mishnah— the follow up to the Torah in which the first generation of Rabbis interpreted the Torah
–Used in reference to ”protecting social order”, as in “making sure the laws of the Torah didn’t cause chaos”
Then used religiously— as in, “Since the world is imperfect, God wants us to work to make the world more holy.
Developed into a community-service oriented term in 1950’s, Jewish America, and has become more and more prevalent since then.
–This is a new, not an ancient, development. Came about as a result of politically-active, left-wing, social-justice-oriented Jewish American community
–Much of modern thought about Tikkun Olam developed as a result of the Holocaust, in which God REFUSED to intervene while millions were being killed. Thus, the conversation became “How do WE change the world, since God will not.”
Proselytizing
There are numerous reasons the Jewish community doesn’t proselytize.
1.Religiously—
The Torah allows for the “Righteous (non-Jewish) Neighbor” to go to heaven, alongside the Jew. Because of this, there is no reason to convert people.
2.Psychologically—
Judaism is not a duty or a pleasure, it is a responsibility. A responsibility to see, understand, and act in the world differently than others do. Anyone can, if they want, TAKE ON this responsibility, but not everyone should or has to.
3.Politically—
would the ruling empires who had Jewish communities have LET the Jews proselytize? Would Arab or Christian rulers have allowed that?
There is a history of ANCIENT Jews proselytizing, particularly in Ancient Israel. This effort was never PARTICULARLY successful. Why proselytize if you don’t get true believers out of the process?
4.Philosophically—
Can you get a true convert if someone doesn’t come to your religion by choice? If they are pressured or forced to come to the religion, how blood and guilt filled is the process of their joining?
Jesus and The New Testament - Through My Eyes
There isn’t much to say, honestly. Since Judaism existed first, Christianity developed in response to Judaism, but Judaism’s development had NOTHING to do with Christianity.
–Why don’t Christians believe in Mohammed? Because Islam was developed in response to Christianity, not the other way around.
–What about the miracles of Jesus?
–His revival? Which was only first mentioned hundreds of years after it supposedly happened?
–The ways Jesus’ death resembled the prophecies of Elijah? Isn’t it possible that none of that is true? Or that the Romans INTENTIONALLY made those comparisons in mockery of Jesus as “King of the Jews”?
I believe what Jesus believed, and pray to what Jesus prayed to. Why should I worship Jesus when Jesus himself worshipped what I do?
Jewish Reinterpretation of Ancient Stories
Egypt, and mourning for innocent Egyptians
–Pharoah never suffers from the plagues. Egypt does. But only Pharaoh's opinions matter. Even while the Egyptians cry out
The Story of Eden
–There is no such thing as Original Sin. All of the plants of Eden were MEANT to be eaten— that is why humans were capable of eating them. The Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge was eaten TOO SOON. God is like a mother, who attempts to save their children from the horrors of the world, only to have to face the fact that their children ALREADY KNOW
Jewish Laws and Natural Disasters
–All natural disasters were given heavenly origin. Food X makes you sick? Clearly God doesn’t want you to eat X. City Y was destroyed in an Earthquake? City Y must have been full of sinners. Prescribing as justification becomes Justifying.
Jewish Beliefs and American Legal Interaction
“The first breath is when the soul enters the body”. Life begins when the first breath is taken. Before that, the unborn are part of the mother’s body.
The bible should not be studied in school— righteous people do not need to be Jewish, and God isn’t arrogant enough to NEED us to praise God. We pray for our own sake. We act for the world’s sake.
Prayer is for the individual, not for God. God doesn’t need prayer. We do. If you pray by acting in a holy way, or pray in your own language, or pray through music, or pray through enjoyment, all can be prayer. Prayer is an individualized concept.
Questions To Talk About
Assuming that ‘Holy’ and ‘Better’ are synonyms, how can we make the world HOLY by making the world BETTER?
What does ‘Prayer’ look like to you? Does it always look the same?
Is proselytizing inherently violent? Can it be nonviolent? What would that look like?
How is Christianity devalued when Christian beliefs are IMPOSED through the legal system piecemeal, while disagreements go unaddressed and the inconsistency blares forward?
Does God care about prayer? About righteous actions? About you and I? What does God care about, and why?
How do these cares align with our own priorities as human?
–If God wanted us to remain pure, why create temptation?