Saturday, July 5, 2014

2 Jews, 3 opinions

Sitting in a small circle in the middle of a sketchy synagogue, all 12 of us began to talk. The topic: Interfaith marriage and its role in the greater Jewish community. 

    While the discussion was really interesting, I was shocked more by the scenario itself. Jewish teens from all over the world came together to discuss a modern issue in the contemporary Jewish world.
    In retrospect, I don't believe that this type of conversation with such a depth could have happened with any other group of teens. There is something wonderful about the Jewish religion and culture that motivates us to question and to argue. In contrast however, the medieval church swiftly silenced its opposition, as to not cause discomfort within its followers. 

     Yet the Jewish arguments, whether purposely or not, are always productive. A magical aspect of modern Judaism is that, unlike other religions, it does not refuse to adapt. These critical questions have become the core of Judaism. Without them, Judaism would have been followed the same way it was followed hundreds of years ago, and most likely, it would not have been able to survive the recent Jewish diaspora. 

    So while some voices were raised during the conversations, and emotions began to intensify, I felt proud. Proud to have the freedom to question a religion, and know that I am ultimatly improving not only my life, but also those of Jews for centuries to come.

----Roee Landesman

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