Without a Jewish boyfriend or a plan to convert to Judaism any time soon, my engagement with the Jewish community feels like it lacks a certain validity. Moriah and I RSVPed for a Tu B'Shevat seder on Thursday organized by Young Jewish Proud, a "grassroots peace group dedicated to reaching a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians based on the principles of equality and international human rights law." And, at the end of the RSVP form, there was a box to check to self-identify as young, Jewish and proud. Am I young? Yes. Am I proud? That, too. But am I JEWISH? Well, no.
I'm really excited about the seder because it seems that YJP is tackling the most challenging issue I confront when considering aligning myself with the American Jewish community. (Israel, of course.) And I think that spending more time with Jews who share my questions about Israel and its treatment of Palestinians will contribute greatly to my enthusiasm for Judaism as a whole and my vision for my role within the religion. It's been easy so far to bond with Jewish friends and loved ones at Passover or at services or during Torah study, but I'm always aware of Israel as the white elephant in the room. I'm really looking forward to hashing this out in ongoing dialogue in a safe space.
I also finally committed to an actual book, without pictures (GASP!) about Israel. At my friend Muni's suggestion, I've picked up Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid by Jimmy Carter. A book review will of course be forthcoming. And a review of Thursday's seder, too.
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