Jewish Reflections on Childhood, Rennet, and Anti-Semitism

My goal today was to get out of the house before noon and get errands done, like the laundry mat and market. Now, it's noon and I'm blogging. What kept me home?

I started chatting with Gatsby about Judaism and the reform shul he joined. We were discussing and sharing points of view on the positive and negative things of reform, conservative and orthodox Judaism. We talked about how many modern shuls don't really connect or reach out to young Jews, in their 30's who are not married. We talked about how it seems hard to connect with a community in a deeper sense.

I, of course, was sharing my usual thoughts on how I wish many of the ritual and traditional things were not left out of my own Jewish experiences when I was young and in my most formative years. I went to a conservative temple, "Temple Ner Tamid", when I was first beginning Hebrew school. Then I went to "Temple Ahavat Shalom" for one year, and then finished my Jewish educational years at "Temple Emet". I also attended Camp JCA/Shalom for a few years, spending 2-3 weeks each summer there. Again, it was quite reform. And so, not being rooted in one community and not having certain foundations, I felt much was missed out on. What types of "things" you are wondering?

Since Gatsby and I were talking about Shabbat and how we see it honored in our own lives. I was sharing things that I didn't learn until recently; like how we traditionally do kiddush, then wash hands with the prayer, how we are not supposed to speak until after we do chamotzi and take a piece of bread. I never knew these rituals, these honors we were given. I never learned or even saw tefillin until just a couple of years ago. I didn't even know the V'havtah was said with tefillin until last October when I was with my cousin and a young Chabadnik asked him if he had wrapped tefillin that day. So, as my cousin, in his perplexity in not knowing what they were, wrapped for the first time, I listened and made new discoveries. For me, a big part of being a Jew is rooted in customs, practices, rituals (call them what you will), that bring me a sense of connectedness to a greater whole.

I might drive on Shabbat, use my computer, blog, take photos, talk on the phone, use lights; however, I won't do real work that causes me stress. I won't check my bank account or pay bills. I try to go to shul or a Shabbos meal to make those connections. For me, community, is very very important piece of my Jewishness.

Anyway, our conversation went from the beauty of Shabbos, how it might be shared with a husband and wife and with children to the topic of kosher. I keep a pretty strict kosher kitchen, though I eat out at non kosher places (vegetarian and fish only). This lead us to talk about non-kosher cheese and I think I did a good job in grossing Gatsby out when I shared with him what Rennet is. and showed him Trader Joe's kosher list (I LOVE TRADER JOE'S) I think I will someday not eat non-kosher cheese.

The final part of our conversation had to do with anti-semitism. I grew up when I was a child, living with my father, in Simi Valley. Not the most diverse area back then; now home to many LAPD officers. We had one shul there that was built in an old mortuary. There were always stories how there were bodies buried in the basement and under the building. I remember more than once arriving to temple to go to Hebrew school and seeing Swastikas graffitied. It's no suprise that it happened. Today there is only a Chabad in Simi Valley I think. That shul closed many years ago and is now a community center.

I lived with my mom in the San Fernando Valley as a teenager. The valley was pretty diverse, especially with mandatory busing for kids coming from East LA and South Central (which I am grateful for). I remember really seeing black people for the first time when I was in perhaps the 4th grade. I remember hearing Spanish names at that time too.

When I entered Jr. High school, diversity was expected and amazing. However, the anti-semitism prevailed and there were more than a few occasions where white power idiots got onto the school campus over a weekend and filled our lockers with anti-Jewish, anti-black propaganda. The typical type with horrible pictures of stereotypical fat money hungry Jews, how the Holocaust was a hoax, etc. I am not sure how all this really affects me now; however I can imagine that the reason I was always so strongly proud of being Jewish, even when I wasn't really practicing, is because when threatened, a natural defense kicks in. I think it's a big part of being a Jew.

You would think by the time I graduated from high school in 1991 , that this sort of stuff would be gone, but nope, not the case. I started attending Glendale Community College in 1991-1992. I think I was there just one year. I was a little hippie activist chick back then. My license plate was customized to say "PceWrld", I had all the typical hippie stickers on my 1976 Green Toyota Celica Hatchback with a working 8-track player :)"One Love" "No Racism", etc. I can't remember them all now. One day as I approached my car in the large parking lot, I noticed stickers all over the windows. I thought, "That's weird". And when I saw what they were, my heart raced, I looked around the lot to see if anyone was watching me, I had true fear. Some white power shmucks had plastered my car with their propaganda stickers. Needless to say, I didn't return to Glendale College, which is actually a mostly Aremenian school just 15 minutes from where I currently live. I enrolled in Pasadena City College then, where one of my first two friends were Latino and Black.

And so...Gatsby, thanks for a great IM today. It got me thinking and reminiscing about so many things. I am reminded of just one of the many reasons why I am proud to be and stand up for being a Jew.

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