Joe Roberts
University of Maryland, College Park

"Say! I like green eggs and ham! I do! I like them, Sam-I-am! And I would eat them in a boat. And I would eat them with a goat... " And Dr. Seuss’s character continues from there about how now that he’s tried them, he likes green eggs and ham. However, green eggs and ham are not kosher, and Judaism is not green eggs and ham, which is the point I’m trying to make. Just because a person likes Judaism, that does not mean they like it everywhere, every time with everything. Some people like the cultural side of Judaism, others like its family-oriented way of thinking, while others like having something to do on Saturday morning.

Yet for some reason, many people are convinced there is only one way to live it or that it is an all or none package! Judaism as a whole would be much stronger if we would recognize more Jewish people as Jews. Here’s what I mean: If all a person does is have Shabbat dinner with their family, are they less Jewish than those who go to synagogue every week? Or are the ones who go and pray meaninglessly any less Jewish than those who mean their prayers, yet never go to synagogue? Come on people! Who can judge who is a proper Jew and who is not? (Hint: It’s not you or me.)

Why is it that when groups pray, the person who is done with the Amidah (the centerpiece of the prayer service) first "wins," the person who does not know Hebrew or how to put on tefillin instantly "loses" and the person who struggles to keep up is left out? Judaism is not supposed to be a competitive religion, in which the "most Jewish" person wins!! This is a religion which praises patience and sees teaching others as one of the greatest deeds possible. If you think someone is "doing it wrong", either politely enter into a discussion about it (after all, we support questioning), or leave the person alone.

There are many different ways to express your Jewishness. We’re all on a journey. We are all Jews, we are all Jewish, and I just hope we all realize that fact before we tear each other apart.