Seminar Booklet 2016

From a religious perspective, I was raised orthodox, but I did not have a bat mitzvah.
However, as a teen I chose to identify as a secular Jew. In Israel there are two main
denominations of Judaism, religious and secular. However, when I moved to Indianapolis, I
encountered different religious sects such as: Reform Judaism, Conservative Judaism, Reconstructionist
Judaism, and finally the Jewish Renewal sect. For a while I was a member of
the reform synagogue, but at present I do not identify with any denomination. However, from
a cultural perspective I identify as being Jewish.
Culturally, I am accustomed to celebrating all of the Jewish holidays; Rosh Hashanah,
Purim, Passover, ect. Additionally, my diet consists of mainly Jewish cuisine such as:
traditional Iraqi Sephardic dishes, Israeli dishes, and American Jewish dishes like; gefilte
fish, bagels and matzo ball soup. I still dance the Hora at weddings and am accustomed to
sitting shiva.
In 1995 I married my husband who is a non-Jew. Statistically this is becoming a more
common occurrence, 58% of Jews have a non-Jew as a spouse. I personally struggle with the
notion that intermarriage is harmful to the unity and continuity of Judaism and the Jewish
people as a whole.
I have always been proud to be Jewish and I have also felt a strong sense of
connection to the Jewish people. However, as a direct result of participating in and engaging
with the Western Galilee Partnership since March 2012, my identity as a Jew has expanded
and strengthened as a whole. The faculty seminars in May 2012 and in June 2013, in Israel,
gave me a deeper sense of connection to Israel both on spiritual and emotional levels. This
has led to me to become more engaged in the various activities within the Jewish community
in Indianapolis.
Although my journey did not necessarily provide a comprehensive definition to the
term Jewish Identify, it proved to me that a person’s identity as a Jew is deeply personal and
that it can be impacted positively for the long-term through a relationship with the
partnership and/or an Israel experience. I am very clear that Jewish Identify will remain only
abstract without personal experience, which the partnership with Israel or an Israel
experience can have long-lasting effects.
My hope for my American Students is their Jewish identities will be reinforced and
expanded, just as mine was. Further exposure to Israel and the partnership will hopefully
have both indelible and profound effects on their Jewish identity.
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