Judaism and Ignorance
There was an article today in the Daily Herald about Warren High School, a high school in the Chicagoland area, that planned their prom for April 23rd, the first night of Pesach.
More information, you can read the article yourself...
http://www.dailyherald.com/lake/main_story.asp?intID=3842122
So in the article, it makes a reference to Stevenson High School (my high school) having an estimated 40% Jewish population. The number isn't very surprising, but it got me thinking. I begin to wonder, out of that 40% percent, about 2000 students, how many of them actually consider themselves Jewish?
What qualifies a person to be Jewish? Do they need to attend services at their synagogue, visit Israel, participate in synagogue events, go to hebrew school and sunday school, have a bar/bat mitzvah?
As I begin to think about it even more, a higher percent of the Jewish population at Stevenson High School consist of this...
*Belonging to a local synagogue in the area
*Attending hebrew school/sunday school until Bar/Bat mitzvah
*Attend High Holyday services
It disappoints me so much how so many people in this area consider themselves "Jewish", but at the same time, have no idea what the meaning of being Jewish truly is.
It took me nearly 17 years and a semester in Israel to realize the true meaning of being a Jew. I have never been more proud to be Jewish in my life.
Ever since my semester in Israel, my pride for being Jewish and my love for Israel has become something I cannot explain in words. Walking down the halls at Stevenson High School, hearing the conversation of high school students, the great amount of ignorance and great lack of knowledge seems to just get worse and worse.
I personally begin to feel insulted when a Jewish person does not know anything about the meaning of being Jewish.
It just breaks my heart.
But now I have to ask myself, what do I do with all of this?
What do I do now?
More information, you can read the article yourself...
http://www.dailyherald.com/lake/main_story.asp?intID=3842122
So in the article, it makes a reference to Stevenson High School (my high school) having an estimated 40% Jewish population. The number isn't very surprising, but it got me thinking. I begin to wonder, out of that 40% percent, about 2000 students, how many of them actually consider themselves Jewish?
What qualifies a person to be Jewish? Do they need to attend services at their synagogue, visit Israel, participate in synagogue events, go to hebrew school and sunday school, have a bar/bat mitzvah?
As I begin to think about it even more, a higher percent of the Jewish population at Stevenson High School consist of this...
*Belonging to a local synagogue in the area
*Attending hebrew school/sunday school until Bar/Bat mitzvah
*Attend High Holyday services
It disappoints me so much how so many people in this area consider themselves "Jewish", but at the same time, have no idea what the meaning of being Jewish truly is.
It took me nearly 17 years and a semester in Israel to realize the true meaning of being a Jew. I have never been more proud to be Jewish in my life.
Ever since my semester in Israel, my pride for being Jewish and my love for Israel has become something I cannot explain in words. Walking down the halls at Stevenson High School, hearing the conversation of high school students, the great amount of ignorance and great lack of knowledge seems to just get worse and worse.
I personally begin to feel insulted when a Jewish person does not know anything about the meaning of being Jewish.
It just breaks my heart.
But now I have to ask myself, what do I do with all of this?
What do I do now?