Cultural Judaism

I found today's discussion of Cultural Judaism to be very interesting. My first thoughts upon hearing the concept of "Cultural Judaism" was, "I didn't realize that's a real movement!" I have always heard friends/acquaintances refer to themselves as cultural Jews because they observe traditions but perhaps don't believe the background. I had never heard of an organized movement or organization of people who identify as Jews based solely on their cultural observance. My reaction to that is "great"! In 1990 a survey came out that said 50% of Jews in America will intermarry. Personally, I am terrified by this fact. When I look at the setup of the Center for Cultural Judaism, I see Jews who are struggling to hold on to their Jewish roots despite their inability/skepticism to believe in the religion. They reach out and hold on to one of the strongest facets of Judaism: the culture.

In class, we also briefly discussed Israel's cultural Judaism in comparison to America's. Here's my thought on this (which are most likely biased as I am from the Bible Belt where religion is life)... In America, it's so important to be Jewish because Jews make up such a minority. It's as if Jews must stand out because they are the only ones. Take a look at the Christians around us. It seems that all of my friends from home (once again...the ones from Mississippi) claim to be Christian though they never go to Church (except for Christmas and Easter or when their parents make them) and most of them probably couldn't answer simple questions about the church to which they belong. And when they get married you better believe they will be wed in a church with a priest. I consider them to be Cultural Christians; they go through the rituals, but maybe don't have the beliefs. It's the same thing for Israeli's. In Israel, Jews are the majority. You don't have to act like a Jew because for the most part it is expected that you are one. When everyone is similar then you don't have to stand out. If you put a secual Israeli in Mississippi I can promise you that they will go searching for a synagogue within a month (I've seen it happen several times).

My point is that Cultural Judaism is a valid practice of Judaism because it keeps alive Jewish Culture, and reminds cultural Jews of their background and history.