are YoU JewiSH?
IntroduCtIon The objectives of the following activity are:
KeY coNcePTS
a. To re-emphasize that to be Jewish is to be part of a family.
• Jews are not a nationality or a religion— Jews are a family
b. To highlight the fact that Jews were always considered “different.” Today it is very common for a person to consider him- or herself American first, and then Jewish. Historically however, Jews always had a different social status. They were viewed, and viewed themselves, as different from general society. At many points in history, Jews were forced to live in ghettos, apart from everyone else. Although this was for negative reasons, the point we are trying to make here is that Jews really are essentially different.
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wHAt does JewIsH MeAn?
IntroduCtIon In the following section we will discuss the definition of a Jew. Students may be surprised to discover that Judaism is not a religion or a culture, but a family. All Jews are literally related; we are a family that has endured for thousands of years.
What is your nationality? _______________________________________
acTiviTY nAtIonAlIty Take a look at these two Soviet Union passports. Both of these individuals were born in and were citizens of the former Soviet Union.
What makes someone Brazilian or French? The place where one was born or gained citizenship.
Circle the part of the passports that you find to be the most puzzling.
What makes someone Christian or Muslim? The religion they practice. Are you Jewish? _______________________________________ TIP If students answer, “It is a culture.” Follow up by asking: What if someone does not eat latkes or gefilte fish, can he still be Jewish?
What does it mean to be Jewish? Most students will probably answer, “religion.”
PAssPort #1
If somebody is not religious, can he or she still be Jewish? Yes.
Brezhnev, Leonid, son of Ilya Born on December 19, 1906 in Dnepropetrovsk Nationality: Ukrainian Occupation: blue collar worker
If somebody isn’t living in Israel, can he or she still be Jewish? Yes. What does Jewish mean? This is an open question. Let students grapple with this question for a while. It will help them appreciate the true answer. TIP Use your judgment and discretion if you want to mention that one is Jewish if one’s mother is Jewish. You can make this point more real by pointing out that, “You and I are related.”
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To be Jewish is to be part of a family—we are all related. We all share one grandfather. When you say you are Jewish, whether you are religious or not, you are saying that you are descended from someone, who is descended from someone,who is the ancestor of all Jewish people.
PAssPort #2 Shtendiz, Yosef, son of Shimon Born on June 27, 1945 in Lusaiskaya Lvov region Nationality: Jew Occupation: student
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The bearer of passport #2 is a citizen of the Soviet Union. However, his passport lists his nationality as “Jew.” For good or bad, even the Russian government understood that Jews are Jews wherever they are, and wherever they are born. They are a family, and like any family, there can be American, French, religious, and non-religious family members.
NoTeS It is interesting to note that, until today, many Russian Jews are offended when they are referred to as “Russian.” In Russia, Jews were not accepted as Russians and were always referred to as Jews. To refer to someone as Russian connotes that that person is not Jewish.
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An endurIng FAMIly KeY coNcePTS
• Jews are unique; they have survived and even thrived despite repeated persecution and oppression.
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iNTroDUcTioN How have the Jewish people survived as a family for so many years? (In the case of other civilizations, although the people exist, they do not relate with each other as a family.)
FAMIly Is FAMIly KeY coNcePTS
• one cannot stop being Jewish. iNTroDUcTioN Now that we understand that Judaism is a family, we can appreciate the fact that it is impossible to become not Jewish. It is important for students to understand that their Jewishness is not just a few family traditions that they may or may not celebrate—it is an integral part of who they are and they cannot be separated from it. This point also sends a strong message that one is never too far gone and can always choose to embrace and celebrate his or her Judaism. A Yid is a Yid! This will be understood on a greater level when we introduce the neshamah in Lesson 3.
How can you change your citizenship? Move to another country and denounce your citizenship. How can you change your religion? Convert to another faith. How can you change your family? _______________________________________ _______________________________________
Do you know of any other families that are thousands of years old and are still connected? _______________________________________ _______________________________________ iNTroDUcTioN The point of the following questions is to emphasize that, even in our immediate families, we lose our association with each other over time. The greater Jewish family is very different—we still identify with one another.
Do you know who your great-great-greatgrandfather was? _______________________________________ _______________________________________ Are you familiar with any of your fifth cousins? _______________________________________ Do you know other Jews? _______________________________________ coNclUSioN
The Jewish family, unlike any other, endures regardless of the fact that we are dispersed throughout all countries of the world and live very different lifestyles.
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To be Jewish is to be part of the Jewish family. Since you cannot leave your family, you cannot become non-Jewish. This is why you probably have never heard of a Christian Muslim or a Muslim atheist, but you might know a Jewish atheist.) lesson 1
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