"...you're never alone when you say you're a Jew"

Wherever you go there's always someone Jewish
You're never alone when you say you're a Jew
So when you're not home and you're somewhere kind of newish
The odds are don't look far 'cause they're Jewish too.

Some Jews live in tents and some live in pagodas
And some Jews pay rent cause the city's not free
Some Jews live on farms in the hills of Minnesota
And some Jews wear no shoes and sleep by the sea.

Amsterdam, Disneyland, Tel Aviv
Oh they're miles apart
But when we light the candles on the Sabbath's eve
We share in the prayer in each one of our hearts
la da da da da da da da da da

Some Jew wear hats and some Jews wear sombreros
And some wear kafiahs to keep out the sun
Some Jews live on rice and some live on potatoes
And waffles, falafels, and hamburger buns.


These are the lyrics to one of my favorite camp songs. I felt this was relevant to our class discussion regarding a type of Jewish Imagined Community. Why do Jews often "feel something different around other Jews"?

Here's my answer:

Jews often feel an innate bond to other Jews because of a collective consciousness that connects them to one another. Similar beliefs and seniments contribute to this feeling of connection. My favorite sociologist Emile Durkheim would say that Jews have a strong sense of collective consciousness because of shared values; this is exactly like Americans connecting over the value and appreciation of a democratic government. People simply seem to feel more comfortable with others who share common views--especially tradition.

So how exactly does Durkheim's theories connect to my song? Let's take a look at these two lines:

But when we light the candles on the Sabbath's eve
We share in the prayer in each one of our hearts

Lighting the candles on Shabbat is a Jewish tradition. Some Jews do it and some Jews don't. But there is much more to this tradition. I want to focus on two thingst: sacredness and ritualism.

In a sense, one could see this tradition--or even the thought of this tradition-- as being sacred. It represents Judaism. Just as the bald eagle has come to be a patriotic symbol of America, images such as candle lighting or the Magen David have come to represent Judaism. I must admit, when I first visited Bloomington I met a girl who was wearing a Star of David necklace and I got really excited. Sometimes I still get a little excited. But do I get excited over the star? No I get excited over what it represents: a community of which I am part.

Lighting the candles is also a ritual. Like all rituals, it seems to reenergize group sentiments by making a connection. In the songs case, it connects two people who maybe don't even speak the same language. These two people,however, are both capable of lighting the candles. It becomes the common ground; something to share, which in turn will strengthen a sense of traditional solidarity.

I hope my sociological babbling makes sense to anyone who may read it. If not, you can still check out this hilarious video of some kid singing my song... (really...check it out...it's hilarious).

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2193878865485206581&q=Jewish