This is a page for our visitors to fill in
with their experiences.  

What do YOU love about being Jewish?

Please e-mail us and we will post your
thoughts here.

Kehillah@Earthlink.Net

(It's helpful if you'll tell us a bit about yourself: 
Male or female, occupaton, where do you live?, age, what kind of Jewish education did you have?, etc...)

Thanks.

Gillie... 

Here are some e-mails we've received recently:

I AM A JEW BECAUSE....

(c) by Rabbi Stuart Federow with material from an article by Gail Saville

I am a Jew because my parents chose to raise me as a Jew. They could have chosen another religion for me and for themselves, but they chose Judaism.

I am a Jew because I, myself, have chosen Judaism for me, and I will choose Judaism for my children after me.

I am a Jew because, in Judaism, everything is my choice. After choosing to do wrong, the Jew cannot say, "I was born this way," or "the devil made me do it," but rather the Jew exclaims, "Gd, please help me to rise above the wrong I chose to do."

I am a Jew because, in Judaism, we are born in to the world not tainted with original sin, but blessed with original purity; we are neither Good nor Evil, but we are what we choose to be. Although Judaism does not deny the potential people have for choosing to do wrong, we do not let it blind our hope in the human potential for choosing good.

I am a Jew because, in Judaism, faith means believing in something because it stands to reason, not believing in something beyond reason.

I am a Jew because, in Judaism, Gd --however comprehended-- is easily understood as One, Indivisible, and Unique, rather than hard to understand as three who are separate and unequal, but who are somehow one and the same.

I am a Jew because, in Judaism, there is no one between us and Gd. All people have close personal access to Gd directly through prayer, without having to go through a vice-president in charge of human affairs, or praying in the name of anyone other than one's self.

I am a Jew because the essence of Judaism consists of its distinctive values and not on ritual, festival or folklore, except as they teach and express those Jewish values.

I am a Jew because the mission of Judaism is to make the world a better place for everyone, not by faith that everything will work out on its own, but through deed and action that reflect Jewish values.

I am a Jew because, through Judaism, I am a part of a people and a way of life that have survived and will survive because they are Eternal.

My Journey As A Jew
Shalom,
Over the last six years I have learned to read Hebrew, became an adult Bat Mitzvah, attend services regularly, keep shabbat and the other holidays.
And now, I am making my home a kosher home.
Although I was always spiritual and attended services and made sure my three children became Bnai Mitzvah etc.  One son just received smicha and is a Rabbi in Chicago.  My doing more of the rituals has turned my life around.
I buried a child, and more recently my husband, but my Judaism gave me something to lean on, something from which I could derive strength. I even made a legal name change and now use my Hebrew name. 
To anyone out there who wants to know what a difference it makes - they should try it.
Leah Chaya
Age 59 - Western Massachusetts

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