1/29

While reading an excerpt form Samuel Heilman's "Sliding to the Right", I was very surprised by the idea that "Some therefore advocate that one can be a better Orthodox Jew in a land where Jews remain a tolerated minority"(298). I was shocked to read this; I was always aware there were anti-Zionist Jews, but never expected them to be Orthodox Jews. At first I could not understand this thought, but after re-reading the section a few times, I can see this point of view. Founded on the principle of separation between church and state and through the centuries of religious freedom, one can safely practice religion and live in a safe religious community in America. I find this especially ironic as I visit the Orthodox Union's website and the first thing on the page is about the war in Israel and how "War brings soldiers closer to their Judaism".

Speaking of the website, I found it very informative, aesthetically pleasing, well organized. Compared to the main websites of Reform and Conservative Judaism, this website really seems like the "home" of Orthodoxy on the web. If I were to venture a guess, I would imagine this site to be the most popular, or have the most average hits of the three. It seems to have a plethora of information here, and mainly serves Orthodox Jews or those who have an understanding of Orthodoxy already. I liked the main scrolling headline with pictures, with 6 different stories or news points. Upon my visit, two were for the weekly parsha; Bo.

By looking at the tabs on top and the left, it appears the Orthodox Union caters to providing resources for Orthodox Jews. Opposed to the other two website, apparently one can become a member of the Orthodox Union. they have different prices for each type of membership. Most surprisingly, during the membership process, it is strictly monetary and not based on religious views.

1/27

I could not access Wertheimer's 2007 article, EBSCOHost required an additional log-in. Therefore this entry will be focused on the websites we have explored for class.

In evaluating the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism's home on the web, I was surprised that the site doesn't clearly define the group's basis for Jewish identification. I was shocked I could not find where the group defines Judaism, who is Jewish and the principles of Judaism. Under the "About Us" tab, there is information on the bylaws, history and mission statement of the organization, but not on conservative Judaism. Next, I explored the tab Jewish Living, however this only presented information on prayers and Torah study.

Although it didn't touch on this important idea I feel a national Jewish website should have(basic definition of Conservative Judaism), compared to www.reformjudasim.org, I thought the USCJ's website is organized better. Reform Judaism had little information on their site and send the viewer to many other links for information. the UCSJ's site had many different tabs on the top and the left of information. I also liked how you could more easily find a local conservative Synagogue on the UCSJ's site.

Overall, it seems that the Reform site gives more information to a non-partisan viewer, while the UCSJ assumes most people viewing the site are Jewish and most likely Conservative Jews finding information about the parent organization.

I did however find www.shefanetwork.org very helpful for theological information on Conservative Judaism. I was especially impressed with the Audio/Visual Torah section, to see that some in the conservative movement are in tune with the newest technology, and can reach out to even the most tech savvy of us. I think this section would be most popular with the younger population of Jews, as they might not have patience to read the weekly Parsha(that is a whole other topic, today's youth impatience that is), but would listen via a podcast.

Thoughts after first week

I was very intrigued by the first reading titled "Inauthentic Jew". It was surprising to hear this perceptive from a non-Jew that is married to a Jew living in a Jewish culture. Last semester I did some research on what is "Jewishness", and concluded it was too fluid of a term to define because it means something different to each person. I liked how he breaks down Jewishness into four separate parts; religion, nationality, culture and race. I can concede in agreement these are the four main pillars one can interpret how the Jewish religion related to them. Although culture is very broad and covers much from Jewish cooking to Jerry Seinfeld, I would say there is one more category for Jewishness, and will appropriately call this part self interpretation.

I can also relate to Cheng's discussion of "Who is Jewish" . In high school, I was involved with a Jewish leadership organization B'nai Brith Youth Organization. I was regional President, and when discussing increasing membership, there was a topic among the executive board and director of who should be allowed to join the organization. We created a policy that anyone could join even if the person wasn't a practicing Jew, but if their parents were Jewish, or other members of their family were Jewish, or even they just wanted to learn more about Judaism.

I was slightly surprised visiting www.reformjudaim.org, in that besides giving information about what is Reform Judaism, it doesn’t have much information besides that. I did appreciate how it gave a link for the Jewish Calendar though, very convenient. The website is informal that it provides many links for Reform Judaism for more information and member organizations.

First Entry

This is my first blog entry!