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Monday, May 10, 2010

Good Step in the Right Direction?

This whole business about one Jew being better than the other one is definitely something that has to stop.

Project ‘Ani Yehudi’, sponsored by Professor Linda Allen and started by Lenny Solomon of Shlock Rock, tries to unite religious and ‘hiloni’ Jews by sharing a unified message in We Are The World style:

When I ask myself, who am I?
I’m a little Sephardi, a little Ashkenazi
a little Israeli, a tiny drop galuti (exiled)
Maybe religious, maybe secular, but between you and me

The result is something that will appeal to many Jews, regardless of how religious we may be (or not):

Having said that, do you also feel that something is still awkward about this project? This is what I think spoils the broth somewhat:

  • There are no female soloists on the project.
  • Is anyone there haredi?
  • The lyrics are overtly religious:
  • Nothing will succeed to break me my brother
    my soul,  is a part of a high external light
    to fix the world that is my motto
    I was born like this, I am a Jew.

    Simply a Jew - like in other religions
    we have; festivals, Shabbat, customs and mitzvot.
    To say that everyone is sure in his righteousness
    at the end we're all Jewish, before the chair of His Holiness.

Still, I think it is a step in the right direction, erasing that righteous smirk of those who believe they are on the side of God.

(On a side note, Aish has used this campaign for their kiruv purposes, but you can bet they do not play this mixed music on their campuses!)

3 comments:

  1. I agree with Sara...great post, though! Hadn't heard about this yet.

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  2. I do feel a strong ethical connection to other Jews and I believe it is good that we stick together. Even natural. We share a common history, have some common interests and have a lot in common.

    Nevertheless, we should not use our ethnicity to cut ourselves of from others or to consider ourselves superior.

    Just the way I feel about it.

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  3. If Judaism is not a religion, what is it? Genetically, culturally, linguistically, historically and geographically, what do a Yemenite Jew and a Lithuanian Jew have in common other than the fact that both (in your opinion) were duped into believing some nonsense?

    ReplyDelete