Judaism
The religion of Judaism envelopes several branches that are highly distinct from each other, focusing on traditional, orthodox, reformative, and other elements of this belief system. As the oldest monotheistic religion in the world, Judaism incorporates numerous traditions, practices, and sacred texts that play an important role in the life of a religious follower. Divided into the orthodox and progressive movement, Judaism can be substantially diverse (Sorajjakool et al., 2017). Conservative Judaism is a part of the progressive movement, and it focuses on the traditional aspects of the Jewish religion, simultaneously incorporating contemporary knowledge. This approach to Judaism is exceptionally well-recognized among the Jewish community, as millions of followers practice conservative Judaism on a daily basis.
Considering the combination of modern and traditional knowledge, conservative Judaism is more flexible in Jewish laws and religious traditions, maintaining religious pluralism. This movement strives to maintain an all-inclusive attitude towards different genders and sexual orientations (Realin & Preston Jr, 2017). For example, conservative Judaism upholds the idea of Klal Yisrael, which refers to the unification of the Jewish community throughout the world, regardless of the members’ life preferences (Dorff, 2018). According to the conservative movement, every Jewish member has the right to participate in religious practices, obtaining necessary knowledge, spirituality, and beliefs.
The branch’s focus on Torah and Halakah determines the followers every day and religious practices. The halakhic laws occupy a central part of the conservative belief system, prescribing various activities to be performed (Dorff, 2018). Such holidays as Shabbat and Rosh Hashanah have tremendous significance for the life rhythm of conservative Jewish members. Another vital aspect of this movement is the belief in God, which is centered around the concept of biblical revelation (Sorajjakool et al., 2017). Revelations are considered visual and auditory manifestations of God, the demonstration of his intangible presence.
Finally, the conservative Jewish notion of unification is deeply connected to the national heritage, Israel, and the Hebrew language, which are of tremendous importance for this branch’s practitioners. Maintaining the cultural significance of Israel and preserving the traditions and knowledge derived from Jewish history is a pertinent goal for many conservative Jewish members (Realin & Preston Jr, 2017). Apart from upholding unification, it is also essential to sustain the principles of traditional Jewish life, which hinges on practicing the Hebrew language and complying with the traditions established by the ancestors.
Introduction
The interviewee is a female in her late 50s, a successful real estate broker, and a CEO. She is a college graduate and considers herself a conservative Jew, following the doctrines of this movement on a daily basis. Her family is also conservative Jewish, and she was maintaining the necessary practices since childhood. To establish a peaceful and accommodating environment, the interview was conducted at a quiet local restaurant outside busy hours, with almost no customers present. The lack of surrounding noise and external interruptions were necessary factors that allowed the discussion of the interview topics freely.
Transcript of the Interview
What is your religion?
I am a Conservative Jew. We follow practices of traditional Judaism and do not accept the New Testament.
How does the Conservative Jew differ from other people of the Jewish faith?
A: In our religion, there are Orthodox Jews, which are extremely strict, then there are Conservative Jews, which are not as strict, and there are reformed Jews – they are very casual about their religion. As a Conservative Jew, I am casual, but I do not keep 100% kosher. Orthodox Jews keep kosher, reformed Jews do not keep kosher, conservative Jews may or may not keep kosher.
In the US, everyone is free to choose their own religion. Have you ever considered changing your religion?
No. I have never ever thought about changing my religion.
Describe your religious practices, including daily, weekly, annually, involving worship, community service, devotional reading of scripture, meditation or prayer, pilgrimage, and festivals, etc.
On Friday, during Shabbat, we lit candles and pray from Friday night sundown to Saturday night sundown, either at home or synagogue. Do I do that every week? No. Do I do that frequently? Yes, I pray. It is kind of like Sunday for Christian people. I do not follow Shabbat strictly. My brother Steve does, he turns his phone off every Friday night. In addition, he does not drive during Shabbat, he just walks – the whole idea of Shabbat is to pray to God.
Shabbat means rest, prayer and no work, a meal with the family. I do not keep kosher, but my brothers do. Kosher means that milk should not be combined with meat. Some Conservative Jews do not cook meat products in the same pots and pans or use the same dishes where they used dairy. You are practically supposed to have different utensils for meat and dairy, also no meat and dairy in the same oven.
After my dad died, I was required by my religion to pray for a whole year. I did that for one year, every week for a whole year. When you are a Conservative or Orthodox, and you lose your parent, you honor your parent by praying every week, and it is called Mourner’s Kaddish.
We have a Jewish New Year called Rosh Hashanah. Jewish calendar only has ten months. This year Rosh Hashanah falls on the first week of September. You pray to God, you think about what happened last year, everything you are sorry about and grateful for.
Yom Kippur – God makes his decision who dies and who lives. He writes it in the book, and he seals it. He decides whether you be healthy or sick this year, rich or poor this year. So between the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, if you regret anything, you better let God know because on Yom Kippur the God shuts the book. That is what all Jewish people believe.
What does the religion of the interviewee teach about God and the purpose of life?
God is the big picture. I feel that we have to trust God. God knows better than we do, even though sometimes we don’t understand things. If we open up our hearts and minds, and we watch, learn and observe, we will then understand that it is all making sense. Maybe sometimes God does not give us what we want, but he gives us what we need. Maybe what we want is not the right thing.
How does your religious practice compare with your parents’ or grandparents’?
I am as strict as my parents and grandparents. I never had any reason to doubt my religion or make any changes. I was growing up in a loving family. When I was 10, I spent a weekend at my friend’s house who was a Christian. Her family took me to church on Sunday and tried to convert me. I hate the idea of someone pushing their views on you. It was a bad experience.
What do you like best about your religion’s beliefs and practices, and why?
That is a good question. I believe that Jewish people stick together. You don’t even have to know somebody, but they will stand up for you. We have each other’s back. For many years we did not have a country, so we had to stand up for each other.
Have you ever experienced any challenges, prejudices, or misunderstandings of your religion by others? Any difficulty of access to places of worship, reactions to any required standards of appearance or diet, etc.
I was raised not to worry about what other people are thinking or doing. I am pretty sure there are people out there who do not like our religion and are prejudiced against Jewish people, but that does not faze me.
Are you committed to helping your children remain in your religion, and how would you try to accomplish that?
Our religion teaches us to express the importance of Judaism to our future generations because we will fail to exist. About eight years ago, I donated $5000 to the synagogue to give it to five children for a scholarship to go to Israel during the summer, spend time in Israel for religious studies. After the children returned from Israel, I was invited to the presentation to listen to what they learned about Judaism in Israel.
What special needs would you have if you were a patient here at AdventHealth that would be due to your religion?
If I kept kosher, I would not be able to eat bacon, ham, lobster, shrimps, crabs, but I do not keep kosher. We do not cremate, do not embalm, or put the person’s dead body in the grave within 24 hours unless it’s Shabbat. We do not believe in autopsy. A male baby is named on the 8th day because our religion believes that the soul does not come into the child until the 8th day. Boys also receive circumcision on the 8th day after birth.
How does your religious faith help you to be a better citizen and cope with the challenges you face at work?
Everything happens for a reason. God made me strong when my dad died. Now I am stronger taking care of my mother, and after I am done with this task, I am sure God has another task for me. I pray to God every night. God is good to me all the time. God knows what’s best for us.
Is there freedom of religion for minority religions in the countries where their religion is the majority? What does your religion teach about the right of a person to change their religion?
I believe minority religions have freedom of religion in Israel. I could change my religion if I wanted to. I do not have a reason to change my religion.
How does your religion view social issues like abortion, same-sex marriage?
My religion believes in woman’s right to choose. I am not sure how my religion views same-sex marriage. I know I treat everyone equally, but I will take a wild guess that in order to promote the creation, Judaism does not favor same-sex marriage.
If I wanted to convert to your religion, how would I do that?
You would need to go to the Rabbi, then take Judaism classes and learn about Judaism. Rabbi would question you, why are you converting, what is your purpose. He will be testing you. You should not try to please somebody by converting, you really have to believe in Judaism. If you say you are trying to please somebody, for instance, you are a Christian marrying Jew, they will not let you convert. Orthodox Jews will not accept converted Jews. For instance, when my brother’s sister-in-law, who was a Catholic, converted to Judaism, they had to ask a reformed Jew to perform a circumcision on their son. The Orthodox Rabbi refused to come to their house because there was a convert.
What would be the consequences if you changed your religion in the future?
I have no answer because I would never change my religion.
Do you believe in the afterlife?
We believe in the afterlife. We go to heaven. I do not believe in Hell, because at times, hell is what we go through in life while we are living. I do not know if the Jewish religion believes in Hell.
Personal Reflection
The interviewing experience was especially productive for me and my understanding of conservative Jewish beliefs. Prior to the event, as I was investigating the primary beliefs and practices of this religious movement, I felt that there might be a contradiction in the combination of contemporary and traditional knowledge. Furthermore, I was unsure whether the modern-day dilemmas, namely gender issues and same-sex marriage, could be approached from a conservative perspective. A significant interest for me was how diverse the religious practices of conservative Jewish members could be. Therefore, I was expecting to find insights into these topics during and after the interview.
Over the course of our discussion, I felt especially interested in the differences between various branches of Judaism and their attitude towards maintaining proper faith. It appears that conservative Judaism is exceptionally lenient towards upholding the necessary practices, which might be followed strictly or avoided according to the believer’s interests. Nevertheless, religious activities remain a crucial aspect of the conservative followers’ everyday life, regardless of the rituals performed. After the interview, I felt a significantly deeper connection with the interviewee. Although the topics discussed were primarily focused on the spiritual elements of her life, these attributes were remarkably linked to her personal understanding of the world, her family traditions, and individual preferences. Moreover, I realized how it is possible to combine conservative and modern interpretations of various dilemmas, maintaining a personal outlook on the issue and respecting others’ religious choices.
It appears that conservative Judaism practiced by the interviewee possesses several central concepts that are similar to my religious interests. The tendency towards acceptance and understanding of others is a corresponding element for both beliefs, as I believe in equality and matching possibilities for every person. The respondent says that she treats everyone equally, regardless of the racial, ethnic, or sexual differences that might occur, which is a valuable aspect of my own faithfulness. The women’s right to choose and same-sex marriage, regarded positively by the interviewee, are excellent examples of how our beliefs are similar. Furthermore, a vital attribute of the beliefs discussed is the perspective on God and the purpose of life. The respondent stated that “God knows better than we do,” implying the existence of higher intelligence that obtains extensive knowledge and can guide individuals on their life paths. My personal spiritual attitude is matching in that regard, as I believe in a greater powerful being that maintains control over the universe and our lives. Although it might not necessarily be God, its presence and impact on the various populations are dramatically similar to the respondent’s understanding of God.
Nevertheless, there are several differences between my personal beliefs and the interviewee’s faith. Although I was raised in a Christian family, I do not have a religious denomination, only considering myself a spiritual person and following specific ideas about spiritual development and life balance. The concept of inner peace is especially important to me, and I perform daily meditation and yoga practices to ensure that my mental and emotional state remains balanced. Alternatively, the interviewee does not focus on these attributes of faith, stating that the best attribute of her religion is the unification of the Jewish people. Furthermore, contrary to the respondent, I do not feel the need to express the importance of my religion to future generations, as I believe that every person should make a decision regarding their religion independently. Altogether, even though there are several differences between my spiritual attitudes and the interviewee’s faith, the central concepts of our belief systems are highly resemblant.
References
Dorff, E. N. (2018). Modern Conservative Judaism: Evolving thought and practice. University of Nebraska Press.
Realin, A. P., & Preston Jr., L. R. (2017). Personalizing patient care: A reference guide for healthcare professionals (4th ed.). AdventHealth Press.
Kohn, D. Judaism. (2017). In Sorajjakool, S., Carr, M. F., Nam, J. J., & Bursey, E. (Eds.). World religions for healthcare professionals (2nd ed., pp. 113-130). Routledge.