What makes you Jewish?
My friend, Rabbi Adam Naftalin-Kelman (Hillel Director at the University of California, Berkeley) said that the Jews are best described as an עַם “Am”—pronounced “ahm” and best translated as “a people.” Why an Am? We are not merely an ethnicity. In fact, we are a multiplicity of identities. Jews are Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, Sephardi, Persian, Indian, Moroccan, Syrian, Russian, Israeli, and so on. Each of these complex identities captures a unique expression of Jewishness. Each is unique enough so that they can be stereotyped and qualified by another of the Jewish ethnicities. When my German-Jewish grandparents settled in Charlotte, N.C., the assimilated Southern Jews saw them as outsiders and were slow to welcome them into the community. And yet, despite the ethnic differences, we still see each other as fellow Jews.
Many Jews say that it’s Jewish values that connect us, but certainly in these times, we often find that the values we consider most Jewish actually divide us. Arguments over what constitutes an Israel supporter and a Zionist are raging. There are Jews who consider themselves anti-Zionists. There are Jews who embrace tikkun olam, and Jews who find the very term troubling. There are Jews who embrace LGBTQ expressions as part of the fabric of Jewish life and those who stand against LGBTQ rights. Some Jews are open to non-Jewish engagement in Jewish life through marriage, or synagogue membership; other Jews reject such a blurring of boundaries. Even the way we experience our Jewish observance is fraught. An Orthodox Jew may find Reform Jewish worship unfulfilling; a Reform Jew may find Orthodox services alienating. Clearly our Jewish values diverge in many areas and yet, despite this divergence, we see each other as fellow Jews.
We are an עַם—one people. Even the areas where we most diverge, in some strange way, draw us together. We don’t argue with the non-Jewish world about Israel in the same way we do with fellow Jews. We don’t clash over worship styles with Protestants, or debate intermarriage with Buddhists. We recognize an intangible yet identifiable affinity with our fellow Jews. It comes from some combination of shared history, the Hebrew language, the cycles of the year, Jewish suffering and success, reaction to Israel, our common origin texts, and other ineffable qualities. Importantly, the phrase Am Yisrael Chai (The People of Israel Live) was chanted by Jews of all stripes when they sought strength from within the dark horrors of the concentration camps. Our oneness gave us resilience and even hope.
What are the aspects of Jewish people most apparent in your life? How can you strengthen your connection to “Am Yisrael“—the peoplehood that we call Jewish identity?
—Rabbi Ron Stern