Jewish Parents/Empty Nest

After talking with some friends with Reform or mixed religion backgrounds, I discovered a little bit of a phenomena. These friends consider themselves "Jewish" and have desires to connect with Judaism in one way or another, whatever it may be. They grew up in similar environments as I did- in a Reform household where some holidays or traditions were observed and in a community that was largely Christian/non-Jewish.

They shared their fears that after they leave their homes permanently, their parents will abandon all the traditions that they shared with them when they were growing up. They don't think that their parents will have enough incentive to keep going with their rituals and traditions without their children around to share as families. Or even abandon Judaism as a whole and become fully assimilated.

I found this rather shocking actually. My parents are going in the opposite direction. No, they're not going to stop eating pork. But they've taken on greater interest in Judaism and find more ways to connect with their backgrounds. Ever since they returned from their vacation in Israel, they've decided to recite Shabbat prayers every Friday night and take more time with the services. If anything, as opportunities continue to arise, they will continue to find ways to be more involved. They hope that one of these days they will start taking Yiddish classes. My dad has even asked about the class schedule from the JCC for the winter term. They're essentially looking to continue reclaiming their roots.

So I am wondering if we have a new problem that we need to address in the Jewish community: dealing with the empty nesters as they need to redefine their Jewish identity as more than just families. It's the same issue that we're presenting to the youth: Judaism IS about family but it's more about parents and children, but the community as a whole. It's how my generation is discovering their Jewish roots: through organized community activities and birthright Israel trips, all without guidance from their parents. The vast majority of the graduate students at Michigan actually put "strong Jewish community" as one of the top reasons for attending there.

I should keep asking other people but the problem is that many of my Jewish friends now grew up in fairly Jewish areas where they just can't imagine not being Jewish. Maybe somebody in sociology wants to take this up....

Madroff Scandal

This is a great example of why it's better to be reading the Israeli papers like Ha'aretz or Jerusalem Post for Jewish World issues. They do a deeper coverage from a Jewish perspective rather than a business or American perspective as New York Times dues. For example, Ha'aretz played a photo gallery of people heavily affected by the scandal including owner of Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Stephen Speilberg's foundation, etc. They did a separate article on the implications of this on Taglit Birthright trip. It was very heart-breaking to see how many students the program will be cutting for this comin summer. Last summer alone, they sent 42,000. This summer, they're budgeting for 25,000, maybe down to 5,000 if the majors donors don't pull through because of losses on the Wall Street. New York Times didn't cover any of that.

It really is horrible and devastating to watch this drama being played out in the Jewish community. It used to be that the gentiles picked on the Jews for their "cunning" abilities to wheel in investments and make huge profits, like that greedy Jewish stereotype that would harm the gentiles. Now it's Jew against Jew. So much for family! Especially when so many Jewish charities invested in with this Madroff guy.

Just unbelievable that the world of Jewish philanthropy is beginning to founder. I don't think we'll actually get to the point where we're going to crawl to the gentiles and admit that we have to break Peter Stuyvestant's promise, that we need their help, that we can't take care of our own. We'll manage. Families always manage to come through, if not with some hurt feelings and level of broken trust.

Yiddish in Israel?? Oxymoron?

I'm pretty much pushed/required to take Yiddish over the summer by my department. I'm willing go with it to avoid another class with undergraduates and to stay with my friend who just wants this out of the way. The department said, "Do it at YIVO in New York, or go to Tel Aviv, but we like YIVO because A) We really trust it and B) You can get research done!" After talking to another friend who did research and study at YIVO last summer, I am deciding against it. She told me that she literally had no time to do her research because the course was full-time. So, if it's going to be a full-time thing, I might as well go to Israel and use my free time to see my family and friends, right? It's my logic.

But Yiddish in Israel? It would be very weird to speak a galut language in the Holy Land. I know that the haredim do speak it in Mea She'arim because they believe that Hebrew is a holy language and should not be spoke on the streets. As a Zionist, I think that Hebrew should be spoken and understood to some extent by many Jews, wherever they can, in the synagogue or on the streets. Given my lack of practice in Hebrew this year, it would be an upside to go back to Israel and speak it again on a daily basis outside of my Yiddish classes. I doubt that my progress will be a different than if I go to YIVO. You step out of the classroom, there isn't any Yiddish on the streets to unconciously learn from.

I told some of my Israeli friends that I might be back but they question why am I not studying Hebrew anymore. I explained that American Jews spoke Yiddish but not Hebrew so therefore I must study Yiddish. (They keep complimenting how great my Hebrew writing skills are...)

After a semester of Yiddish, I still don't feel that bond. I think it's cool but I'm not crazy about it enough to really devote myself to it passionately as I do with Hebrew. Maybe it's another sign that I've been in Israel too long. But at least I know that it can be a marketable skill if I move to Israel if things don't work out here in the US at all.

Those settler riots are scaring me, to be honest. It's so shameful to see fellow Jews commit acts of violence on others. But I do hope that things will quell after the February election. And to even harm Jerusalem's security, the city that they want to protect and defend fiercely.