example

This is yet another example of the inequality that so rampantly appears in Israeli policy. I forgot to discuss another issue I was thinking about today, which this article seems to bridge over to perfectly.

The concept of a community is beautiful, and the Jewish community is one in which I have grown up and felt at home for my entire life. However, I am very uncomfortable with the exclusivity of Judaism in certain ways, whether they be religious laws that prevent certain kinds of mixing or even just the stigma that there is against intermarriage and dating outside of the community.

Then I am presented with this argument: "How can we expect to retain our identity in the world if we simply do everything like other people and don't maintain a degree of separateness?"

Touché.

As always, however, I have a response. I am a huge fan of tradition and culture. It's fascinating to me to have my own to show off to the world and I love learning about others'. I practice my culture and heritage not only out of fascination and pride, but also because my family has been doing this for so long, and it is a way for me to feel as though I have a stronger connection to them and their accomplishments which have led to my great life. When looking at the big picture, I don't see that the purpose of our morals, values, traditions is to be exclusive, to not share them with the world. I see our virtues to be examples, to show what a beautiful society we have without imposing it on others. I see sharing amongst all peoples, which happens so regularly in the US and other parts of the world, yes even Israel. Why should I follow strict dietary laws that prevent me from eating at a friend's house or drinking wine that he or she has poured?

I understand that these laws were intended to maintain the strength of community that we have, to prevent us from diluting our people and becoming one of the rest. But are people not to be trusted? Can we not balance our personal culture with our roles as global citizens? Am I really going to connect more with someone based on which day of the week I don't command electricity so much so that I will never be tempted to marry someone who is not Jewish? On the flipside, is it a given that if I choose not to eat kosher that I will sacrifice all of my Jewish heritage for a life completely free of it? I am looking at a big picture, and the line between participating in the world and upholding your heritage is not too fine. There is a wide spectrum of ways to fulfill both at different degrees, and I feel that neither one of these obligations set before us--whether we choose to fulfill either one of them--should interfere with the other.

--Abraham