DU Jews....

[elfwitch]

Poll question: DU Jews....

Which are you?

[salinen]

1. Other

Born/Practice Nothing.

[elfwitch]

2. Then you aren't a Jew

and the poll isn't for you.

[BurtWorm]

9. You don't really mean that a Jew by ethnicity who doesn't practice

isn't Jewish, do you really? I'm Jewish neither ethnically nor religiously, but why wife is ethnically albeit atheistically. You're not saying my wife is not Jewish, are you?

PS: She was born atheist and has remained atheist.

[elfwitch]

13. Nope.

This poll, as noted by the word PRACTICE, means religious Jews not ethnic or cultural Jews. As you know there are three types of Jews: ethnic, cultural, religious. One can be any combination of the three. This poll is for PRACTICING Jews. If your wife does not attend services or practice the rituals, then she is not a religious Jew.

Don't try to put words in my mouth. The word PRACTICE appears 9 times in the poll and has to do with different denominations, if you will, of the Jewish religious practice. If you want to do a poll to ask if someone is a ethnic, cultural, or religious Jew, be my guest.

[BurtWorm]

17. We misunderstood each other.

You told salinen that he was "not a Jew" on the basis of his assertion that he was "born/not practicing." I don't know if he is or isn't Jewish, but I took his statement to mean he was born Jewish but doesn't practice. So it sounded as though you were defining Jewishness on "practice" regardless of heritage. I really didn't believe you could possibly mean that non-practicing Jews weren't Jewish; I just wanted to be absolutely sure that's what you meant because it seemed as though you were implying that in your answer to salinen.

I certainly didn't put words in your mouth. I merely asked for a clarification.

[Liberal Classic]

18. Goodness gracious

Then you aren't a Jew and the poll isn't for you.

Salinen may not be observant, but he or she is still Jewish. There's a great many Jews who aren't observant at all, or only observe Rosh Hashanah. Judging by the number of respondants to the "other" category, it seems rather harsh to say "No poll for you!"

[Snow]

3. There's a fourth strand of Judaism in the US, don't remember what

they're called, but a quaker meeting I was with before moving to LA used to meet sometimes with a group of people who practiced that variety. They seemed to be as left-wing in their faith as we quakers are in ours; we had a lot in common. Wish I could remember what they're called, though.

[rogerashton]

5. Reconstructionist?

n/t

[Snow]

14. That's it! and you both weighed in at the same time....

anyway, they seem to be pretty sparse on the ground (like Quakers). In Omaha, where I was at the time, they met (like us) in people's houses.

[eyesroll]

6. Reconstructionist?

That's another movement I could consider, if I was going back to the synagogue (see below).

And, actually, Reform Judaism is quite progressive too -- women rabbis, same-sex unions OK (although there's no real hierarchy that requires rabbis to bless any union they don't want to), abortion should not be decided by politicians (and is in fact mandated to save the mother's life), etc.

[jedicord]

10. Unorthodox Judaism?

n/t

[Gothmog]

15. Reconstructionist

One of my law partners belongs to reconstructionist temple. There service have almost no hebrew.

[eyesroll]

4. Born Reform/been practicing "culturally" but currently unaffiliated

I'm sort of an agnostic/secular person who still identifies as culturally Jewish. (I didn't vote in the poll -- didn't want to mess up your results.)

I'd probably be Reform if I decided to re-join a synagogue.

[elfwitch]

7. Do you still do Shabbat?

I love Shabbat! I can't wait for the challah every week. In the past three years I have only missed lighting the candles / drinking the wine / eating the bread once. My son was born on a Thursday night and I was still in the hospital on Friday night. Other than that one instance, I make time for Shabbat no matter what else is going on.

[eyesroll]

8. No. We never really kept Shabbat when I was growing up, either.

My parents are both Reform, although my dad had a falling out with the synagogue when I was 13 (his sister died, and the rabbi tried to comfort him by offering to sell him a memorial leaf on the Tree of Life :eyes:). My mom goes to High Holiday services and keeps Passover; my dad's pretty much out of all of it (he did stay a member of the synagogue until my sister and I were confirmed, though).

I do keep Passover, though, and can make a good challah (obviously not for Passover). Do you prefer raisins or plain? I prefer plain when I make it, but my grandfather makes a mean raisin challah. (He owned a bakery for many years, and still sends me mandel bread for Rosh Hashannah and matzoh-flour brownies and almond squares for Passover.)

Shabbat is a neat tradition, though. Judaism in general makes one more aware of the need for rest, and for the passing of the weeks and the seasons.

[elfwitch]

11. I don't like rasins...

I'm okay with them all by themselves but no in things. It's weird I know but...

Shabbat really does make you think about taking time to rest. It makes you go, I could clean out the garage on my day off but I really should be resting. It can wait until tomorrow.

It is my favorite tradition.

[starroute]

12. Raised Jewish Agnostic

Which my family always described as the fourth branch of Judaism.

That always made sense to me, since Jewish Agnostics are not the same as other agnostics. Where ordinary agnosticism mainly seems to consist of a lot of nit-picky arguments about whether or not a god exists, Jewish Agnosticism is far more of a mode of engagement with the universe. You might say it's a lot like the Talmudic approach towards God, only without a god. That pretty well describes my approach towards religion.

[Gothmog]

16. Reform

I am member of a reform temple and enjoy it. The Rabbis have been adding more hebrew over the years and our services are becoming closer to a conservative service. The other large reform temple has tended to go the other way with less hebrew.