From the Assistant Director--

What Does Jewish Identity Mean to You?

Published in Koach on Campus, Spring 2000

By Rabbi Elyse Winick

I started to wonder when we stood with 4,000 others at Binyanei HaUma, the national convention center in Jerusalem. But the question lingered for me in way it never has before.

Even as I watched the students of the KOACH birthright israel group coalesce into a single community, the question burned with great intensity--what constitutes Jewish identity? 

Is it defined by the public or private choices we make? Each of the 4000 of us felt very Jewish and very connected as we sang Hatikva together, but when the glow of that moment fades, if it hasn't already, what aspect of our Jewishness remains?

Judaism, by its nature, is a public religion. Our davvening (prayer) requires a minyan (quorum) in order for certain tefilot (prayers) to be recited. Support of the community is an essential tenet of the tradition, marked by the idiom, kol yisrael areivim zeh ha zeh, each Jew is responsible for one another.

The seder on Pesah, though it takes place at home, is a traditional time for welcoming both guests and strangers to our table. When we confess our sins on Yom Kippur, the language we use is in the plural, ashamnu, bagadnu, we have transgressed. The notion that we're all in this together is very strong in Jewish life, both religiously and historically. We are strengthened by our shared heritage and by sharing it.

At the same time, we define ourselves individually and behind closed doors. The kashrut of our kitchens, our observance of Shabbat, our choices regarding interpersonal relationships, these are not out for view in the public sphere. 

Historically, though this is certainly changing, Conservative Judaism was loathe to comment on aspects of Jewish life that were more private in nature. This is a very American notion and it is reflected in our Movement's development in a host culture. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness have always suggested that our personal freedoms be honored and protected and that our right to whatever practices we might choose at home be inviolate.

This also demands that we ask the question, who determines our Jewishness? 

Public practice might suggest that we are defined by what others can see. Private practice might suggest that we alone can determine whether or not the lives we lead are defined as Jewish lives.

I won't offer up an answer now. Instead, I'll turn this over to you the reader to ponder, debate and then respond. In the next issue of KOACH on Campus I'll tell you what my answer is, but only on the condition that you share with me your ideas on Jewish identity and what defines us as Jews. Send them to me at winick@uscj.org or mail them to:

KOACH
P.O. Box 377
Sharon, MA, 02067

If we have enough responses to generate a true forum of ideas, perhaps we'll invite some prominent figures in and out of the Jewish world to comment as well.

In the meantime, work hard, enjoy the onset of spring, and keep the resources of KOACH in mind for the spring semester.