Throughout my adolescent academic career, I attended a Jewish private school on Long Island, New York. It is affiliated with the conservative movement of Judaism; students are expected to pray everyday in the morning, keep kosher, wear kippahs, and learn Judaic subjects and Hebrew. However, more often than not, most students did not keep kosher, boys avoided wearing kippahs, and students, including myself at times, hid in the bathroom in an attempt to skip morning prayers. Nonetheless, there were still students who felt close to God, wanted to pray, and kept kosher.
I was raised to keep kosher, celebrate Shabbat dinners, go to temple on Saturday's, and be close with God. However, I sometimes strayed from the values I grew up with. I stopped going to temple, we did not have Shabbat dinners as much, and as life got harder, my faith in God diminished. As I was going through these phases in my life, I felt like a “bad Jew.” The judaic values we were raised with and taught, I didn't follow. I started to be very hard on myself.
However, what has always attracted me to Judaism, is the community that values belief in Hashem. Though I lost faith at times, I never stopped believing in Him. I find it remarkable that regardless of how religious, what you follow, or where you live, if your mother is jewish, both your parents are jewish, you pray three times a day, or haven't prayed in years, or even if you converted, you are considered one of us, one of the tribe, and you are part of our family.
The verse "Love your neighbor as yourself" found in Leviticus 19:18, is essential to Judaism and what being Jewish means to me. On Passover this year, my friend attended our seder at my cousin's house with my extended family. On shabbat, my mom invites anyone and everyone, my mom gives tzedakah every shabbat to those in need. When I see someone wearing a kippah in public I immediately smile knowing that there is one of me here.
Judaism, though complex, diverse, and sometimes extreme, is a beautiful religion, with a give the shirt off your back mentality. We accept and love everyone and are always willing to help a fellow Jew. That is what Judaism is to me and why it is so special, near and dear to my heart.
