I'm Back!!!

Hey! I'm back after a long hiatus. So many things were going on in my life and I kept meaning to update...but then, I'd get too busy, or be too tired, etc. But now, here I am.

So, Passover officially ends tomorrow at sundown and I think that I may have pizza! I was invited to a seder by a friend from Torah study and Christopher joined me. It was enlightening and exciting and I enjoyed it from beginning to end and I'm looking forward to holding my own seder next year.

So, what happens next...I have to start an Independent Project. It can be on any topic I want it to be on, as long as it involves research. It can be presented in any format. I have pondered many different topics and I still haven't come to a firm decision on what my project should be...any suggestions?

This week at Torah study we discussed Passover seder traditions, and what happens when there are no longer any children present at the seder. To whom are the traditions passed along? What happens when all the kids grow up and move away? This led to a very passionate discussion about welcoming others, specifically, non-Jews, into the home to celebrate the seder. The rabbi expressed a preference for Jewish particularism, that Jews must remain distinct and separate in identity and that the pride in being a Jew and the priority to support Jewish causes and preserve Jewish identity should always take precedence. Oh boy, you should have seen the hands shoot up in the air!

The rabbi made a pointed effort to say that he did not feel that there was anything wrong with welcoming others to experience Jewish traditions. He personally felt that there was value in Jews celebrating the "Jewishness" of these traditions, and keeping these traditions exclusive to Jews.

I had an immediate reaction...and of course expressed my own opinions...as someone going through the conversion process, I was happy to have others welcome me into their home for the seder. Otherwise, how would I learn? Also, thus far, my personal experience has been that my non-Jewish friends have not only accepted my decision to convert (not that I needed their permission), but have also expressed sincere interest in my experiences, as eager to learn as I am about what it means to become a Jew-by-choice. One of the things I said was that I didn't think that my friends are merely titillated by the "novelty" of my decision to become a Jew, but are truly interested and engaged.

(Now - with that being said, I did have a friend ask me when "this all happened" - referring to my decision to become a Jew - and I told her when I came to my decision to convert last summer. I don't think that she made the comment to be snide, and I think that she truly didn't know about my decision to become a Jew-by-choice until just recently.) 

I thought about a whole slew of things, as the discussion touched on Jewish assimilation in America, the good and bad, and I thought about assimilation of Blacks into American society, and how there are definitely parallels here. A plethora of topics that could be discussed.

I'm still continuing to mull it over in my head. Choosing to be Jewish does not, and will not, diminish my identity as an African-American. I think it will only enrich my life. And I'm lucky to have friends and family who are willing and eager to happily accompany me on this journey.

Shalom.