What's Up With The Hard Core Jewish People?
My nomination for Strangest Jewish Book of the Year Award: What’s Up With the Hard Core Jewish People? by Margery Isis Schwartz. The author calls it, “An irreverent yet informative approach to Judaism and religious devotion from a Reform Jewish mother’s perspective.”
According to the Press Release,
“Four years ago, our youngest son took the plunge and became an Observant Jew. What a ride it has been for all of us. Whenever I relate stories regarding incidents in our household that take place with our newly observant son or tidbits of Jewish knowledge I have acquired since Carter went Hard Core, regardless of age, gender, religion, or level of religious observance, people are always fascinated. The topic has great crossover appeal. It seems like everyone knows someone who has become more intensely religious in life — whether it be Judaism or Christianity. ”
This is the first book about Observant Jews that is written from the perspective of a non-Observant person. The target audience is Jews and non-Jews who want an entertaining and easy way to learn more about Judaism. People interested in stories about how families cope with such a dramatic lifestyle change are another target segment.
As a Reform Jew myself, the book (which I admit I haven’t read) bothers me because it seems to represent denominationalism at its worst. It’s about seeing people as “other.”
And the title just makes her sound ignorant.
“It seems to represent denominationalism at its worst. It’s about seeing people as ‘other.'” I couldn’t agree more. Plus, what is up with calling Orthodox Jews “observant” and Reform Jews “non-observant”??? Judaism is not on a spectrum from Reform to Orthodoxy. Different groups have different worldviews, interpretations, beliefs, etc. There are plenty of “observant” Reform Jews, and plenty of Orthodox Jews who couldn’t care less. Denominationalism sucks!!
Yeah, fuck that. Speaking as an expatriate Reform Jew, we need to see ourselves as “Hard Core Jewish People” too, and not just as “non-Observant” (and what’s with all the capital letters?).
I like to think I’m hardcore… I’d prefer to be called a Hardcore Jew anyday over an ‘observant Jew’! Hardcore means you’re tough. And by the sound of this woman, it seems like her son is a lot more hardcore then her. The title is well deserved.
This is the first book about Observant Jews that is written from the perspective of a non-Observant person.
Hardly! What a bizarre claim.
And by the sound of this woman, it seems like her son is a lot more hardcore then her.
Sure, but then the “Reform” in “from a Reform Jewish mother’s perspective” is neither here nor there; it’s orthogonal to being hard-core or not. Someone could also come from a half-assed Orthodox background and become a hard-core Jew in a liberal context.
I’m with Rooftopper…this is so not the first time. What about “What Do You Mean, You Can’t Eat in My Home?”
Plus, “hardcore” sounds too, um, porny.
Yeah, I mean, we all know Ron Jeremy is a hard core Jew, right? 🙂
This IS interesting … So if one were to be hard core Reform, what would one be ding exactly? I’m asking out of complete ignorance, but what distinguishes an observant Reorm Jew from anyone else? Are there differences that manifest themselves on a daily basis that aid in any such distinction? Or wasn’t the whole point of Reform Judaism to reduce these distinctions?
I’d say: making an active effort to attend services (and not just “for the kids”!), making yontif (with the ritual items necessary), studying Torah, Talmud, and medieval-to-modern Jewish scholars, participating in community discussions and events, never being content to answer “I dunno” on a question of general Jewish trivia, and using halacha (yes,with the patent Reform room for personal interpretation) as a guide for everyday life.
That covers all my bases, anyway.
Noach: Amazing! There’s so much about Reform Judaim I didn’t know!
Seriously though, who are you kidding? Do Reform Temples even hold services during the week? Does one’s Reform Judaism really manifest itself on a daily basis in the way you just described? Please forgive my skepticism, it’s just that I have never met anyone who identifies with Reform Judaism whose daily life remotely approximates what you just described. Perhaps I should pay more attention to pie in the sky apologists …
My understanding of what it means to be an observant reform jew involves avdedication to personal autonomy as well as a desire to participate in ritual and learning. While that sounds vague, maybe an example is in order.
(As for background, I am someone who thought he would be an observant Reform Rabbi – this did not work out because my outlook changed as a response to not having a community that wanted to participate with me)
The example: It would be my estimate that an observant Reform Jew could decide to eat chicken with milk but not mix other meat with milk because after a thorough investigation of the codes that person disagreed with the Rambam’s ruling. That observant Reform Jew would call his eating habbits within the realm of Kashrut.
What is important is not the outcome but the process. Reform Judaism puts a strong value on personal autonomy.
The other part of being an observant Reform Jew, it would seem, would be participating with great regularity in the particular ritual and learning events available to him or her.
pie in the sky apologists or living examples of what you claim does not exist?
I never claimed “it” didn’t exist. I’ve just never witnessed it. I mean I read about these guys who say they are living it, and describe this big ol’ movement of similar-minded people all trying to combine personal autonomy and communal standards within a personally defined halachic framework, but I’m sorry – i just don’t see it. The self-identified Reform Jews that I meet simply don’t seem to do anything (well certainly not on a daily basis). Their ritual is limited to yearly synagogue attendance, and they don’t know Rambam from Rushkoff. The last reform Rabbi I hung out with was eating in a treif restaurant on shabat. The last Reform Jews I met begged me to direct them to the nearest cheese burger.
So with all due respect, maybe Reform Judaim has a core of individuals committed to some vaguely defined Reform Jewish standard or way of life, but it seems that when filtered down to the hoi polloi, very little of that actually manifests itself.
Let’s look at the issue of mixed gender prayers at the kotel for instance. The leadership of the Reform Jewish movement feels this is a big and very important issue. My experience with the rank and file membership though demonstrates that it is simply not an issue they ever think about. Even at the Kotel. Many there are having a difficult enough time trying to figure out what those boxy leather things are on people’s heads …
So again, I don’t really mean to be dismissive, I am simply proclaiming my ignorance, admitting my limited experience and asking for further edification.
I called myself an observant liberal Jew the other day, after someone remarked on my kippa – and the fact that I was clearly engaged in some non-halachic activity on a saturday…..
This man (a liberal rabbi) suggested the term ‘post halachic’, which is most in keeping with Kaplanian theology. (I’m willing to be wrong on this one… it’s all second hand!)
Still, I like it. I pray – but not every day, or even every shabbat. I attend community events – not for the goal of some hardcore jewish continuity. I study. I wear the kippa. I’m learning to leyn.
But most importantly, my consciousness as a Jew fills me so much more than before I became observant. And I absolutely reject the orthodox interpretation of halacha. Not only that; I’m not sure that the concept of halacha affirms my understanding of what Judaism is at it’s core, what it’s good for, or how best to serve God, whatever she is. It’s important; but not important for the purpose of always being on one side or the other.
I would never use the phrase ‘hard core’ because it sounds like a competition over whose the Jewiest. I’d rather chill with folks who hard core compassionate, hard core kind, hard core loving, than hard core Jewy.
Ruby K, see you in DC!
The target audience is Jews and non-Jews who want an entertaining and easy way to learn more about Judaism.
Maybe she and David Plotz should get together and write a guide to Judaism! He could write the Idiot’s Guide to the (King James) Bible and she could write Rabbinics Made Eaz-e.
Which is why I am skeptical about JIY.
Charles: That sounds sweet and all and you are of course totally free to “absolutely” reject the orthodox interpretation of halacha. But in doing so, you’ll also be rejecting hard core compassionate, hard core kind, hard core loving Jews of the Orthodox persuasion. And they do exist. So much for growth, enlightenment and inclusion.
CK,
Forget about Reform Jews for a sec…my experience within the Conservative Movement (and the empty pews on Friday nights – never mind the ghost town-like atmosphere during the week) tells me that the only…ONLY Jews taking DAY 2 DAY Judaism seriously are Orthodox Jews…in all their flavors and sizes.
“And I absolutely reject the orthodox interpretation of halacha. Not only that; I’m not sure that the concept of halacha”
Charles…I agree with ya. Truth be told, I’m much more of a Conservative Jewish thinker than an Orthodox one. But if I’m looking to connect with You Know Who…the last place I’d go is a Reform/Conservative/Recon shul. As well, when it comes to dynamic, intelligent Jewish classes…I don’t enjoy being the only non-geriatric person in the room (once again, my experience while working for the Conservative movement).
I am part of a large unaffiliated, egalitarian, Conservative-oriented community. The members of my shul staff the cfhevra kadisha, visit the sick, attend and lead shiva minyanim, collect tzedakah, belong to social action committes, write divrei Torah for the weekly newsletter, are frequently in shul on Shabbat, staff a homeless shelter six days a week, create and attend simchas, and attend learning events. Many are observant of Shabbat and kashrut, though on varying levels. A few of them pray in the morning minyan everyday. I’d call that day to day Judaism. While my community is somewhat unusual, it is not unique: I have belonged to similar communities in the pasr. The idea that only Orthodox Jews live day to day Judaism is not true in my experience.
CK writes:
it’s just that I have never met anyone who identifies with Reform Judaism whose daily life remotely approximates what you just described.
Give me a ring the next time you’re in NYC, and then we’ll meet, and you won’t be able to claim this anymore. My Jewish communities aren’t affiliated with the Reform movement (or any other movement), but the synagogue I don’t go to is Reform. I’m observing Reform Judaism on paper, while many people who belong to Reform synagogues aren’t (just as many people who identify as Orthodox aren’t observing Orthodox Judaism).
CK writes:
Do Reform Temples even hold services during the week?
Here are three examples in Manhattan alone.
I’ll be the first to acknowledge that many Reform-affiliated or -identified Jews are in fact mostly or entirely secular. Or to frame that more accurately, many mostly-secular Jews who want to affiliate with a synagogue choose a Reform synagogue, and many mostly-secular Jews who aren’t part of any Jewish community inaccurately describe themselves as “Reform”. This proves, respectively, only that (1) Reform congregations are open to a wide range of people (not to everyone, but that’s a separate conversation), and (2) there is widespread ignorance about what “Reform” means (even among people who identify as “Reform”, including the author of the book that started this thread).
There are lots of nominal Catholics (particularly in nominally Catholic countries like France and Italy) who could be accurately described as “non-observant”. There are lots of evangelical Protestants who could be accurately described as “hard core”. Given to that, would it make any sense at all if a book called What’s Up With the Hard Core Christian People?” (focusing on Protestant Christianity) described itself as “an irreverent yet informative approach to Christianity and religious devotion from a Catholic mother’s perspective”?
I would consider a”hard-core” Reform Jew as someone who has studied every halacha in the Shulchan Aruch and made a conscious decision about whether or not to observe the particular rule, based on informed learning about the halacha.
The actual practicial observance of a hard-core Reform Jew wqould be expressed by the “observance score,” a fraction, x/613, where x is the number of mitzvos out f the 613 possible ones that particular Reform Jew believes have personal meaning. So, theoretically one could have an observance score of 0/613 and still be a hard-core Reform Jew, although as the observance score approaches the limit of zero, one moves from hard-core Reform Judaism to secularism.
ck, you have unfairly condemned me…. I didn’t say I rejected Orthodox Jews, I said I rejected something about Orthodox theology. Surely there’s a difference….
I wish I could say that ‘some of my best friends are Orthodox’ but that would be a lie! Still, it’s in the realm of possibility.
BTW, I would probably not wear my non-silk kippa in Israel, where that symbol is closely associated with right wing, settler friendly politics.
I would consider a”hard-core” Reform Jew as someone who has studied every halacha in the Shulchan Aruch and made a conscious decision about whether or not to observe the particular rule, based on informed learning about the halacha.
I disagree (though there are some in the Reform movement who agree with you). By setting up the Shulchan Aruch as the baseline, and setting up each question as a yes-no question, one is still using an Orthodox cognitive framework (and an oversimplified one that doesn’t even reflect the diversity within Orthodoxy). Ideally, this hard-core Reform Jew should study the Torah, Mishnah, Gemara, and much more, at which point her conclusions may not match the Shulchan Aruch’s conclusions (not just the answers, but even the questions).
The actual practicial observance of a hard-core Reform Jew wqould be expressed by the “observance score,” a fraction, x/613, where x is the number of mitzvos out f the 613 possible ones that particular Reform Jew believes have personal meaning.
Again, it’s not so clear-cut as yes-no. One of the 613 mitzvot is lo ta’aseh chol melachah – you shall do no work [on Shabbat], and this is one that I take very seriously, but my understanding of what this mitzvah means is very different from an Orthodox Jew’s understanding, or another Reform Jew’s understanding.
The observance score you describe is more applicable to more-or-less-observant Orthodox Jews (though even there, there is diversity of Orthodox practice, and of course, many of the 613 mitzvot aren’t observed today by anyone).
So it’s kinda like chose your own adventure judaism?
the talmud is an open dialgue, and the purpose of learning talmud is not to discover a “definitive” ruling on a subject, but rather to understand halakhic reasoning and to get a sense of the values which guide halakhic decisionmaking. the shulcan aruch and the misnah brureh codify this conversation and turn it into set law. but nothing in the talmud obligates you to follow a given halakha. the choice is entirely yours.
the difference between orthodoxy and other forms of judaism, is that orthodoxy says “there’s one right way to do this” (tho between various “orthodoxies” they have multiple ways of doing “the one right thing”), whereas conservative, reform and reconstructionist judaism reject that notion and say that it is up to each individual to develop a sense of halakhic reasoning and to determine where they hold for themselves.
for the orthodox, they hold by the standard of the community (which is ultimately set by the gedolim) even if the community’s standard goes against their deepest convictions (like in protecting sexual predators). for non-orthodox people, they develop communities around shared halakhic commitments and perspectives, rather than squeezing themselves into boxes which don’t represent the individuals hk”bh made them to be, and they certainly don’t defer rabbonim who baselessly confer themselves with halakhic authority.
the orthodox are just incapable of admitting to halakhic validity of this practice, and derive a sense of self-satisfaction and self-worth from smearing everyone and anyone that exposes them for being anti-intellectual fundamentalist ignoramuses.
because after all, never admitting you’re wrong is never having to say you’re sorry.
BZ wrote: many mostly-secular Jews who want to affiliate with a synagogue choose a Reform synagogue, and many mostly-secular Jews who aren’t part of any Jewish community inaccurately describe themselves as “Reform”.
Interestingly, you might have substituted “Orthodox” or “traditional” for “Reform” and then basically described the situation in Israel with the same sentence.
Mobius writes: …conservative, reform and reconstructionist judaism reject that notion and say that it is up to each individual to develop a sense of halakhic reasoning and to determine where they hold for themselves.
Strictly speaking (i.e., on paper), this is a much too generalized statement. As far as I understand Reform Judaism, it does describe Reform, where the individual is empowered to make informed decisions for him/herself. The (theoretical) difference between this and Conservative/Reconstructionsit Judaisms revolves around who or what bodies have the authority to make decisions in those communities.
In Reconstructionist Judaism (again, as far as I understand it), that authority is the community rather than the individual. The community is supposed to educate itself by familiarizing itself with the traditional and contemporary sources and then make a collective decision, to which all members of that community adhere.
In Conservative Judaism (same caveat about my understanding of it), that authority belongs to the mara d’atra (halakhic decisor, read “rabbi”) of a particular community. He or she– though still mostly “he”– educates him/herself and then makes the decision for the community and the community is expected to obey. The Conservative Movement also throws in a little twist by having something called the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards that basically approves halacha by committee (which, in my mind, is never a good idea). Some Conservative institutions feel bound by the CJLS’s authority on some issues (i.e., the two North American rabbinical schools on the LGBT ordination issue), but others don’t. And just about every CJLS teshuva comes with the attached caveat that the final decision on the issue actually lies with each community’s mara d’atra.
What happens in reality, as we all know, is a totally different story.
Mobius:
“but nothing in the talmud obligates you to follow a given halakha. the choice is entirely yours.”
I don’t know how you could have gotten that impression. Given one hour with a set of Talmud, I doubt I would come up with less than 100 refutations of that notion. The Talmud is full of prohibitions and rulings of all sorts. It is very clearly a document written by and for people who consider Halacha binding. It’s true that the Talmud’s focus is on the difficult cases wherein there’s more than one opinion (the assumption being that the easy cases are obvious enough – don’t murder; don’t light a fire on Shabbat – from scripture, the Mishna, and common sense), to the point that if a statement being analyzed is too obvious, that in itself becomes a question (peshita- “that’s obvious, what is the statement really trying to tell us?”. And it’s also true that the Talmud usually doesn’t give a “bottom line” at the conclusion of its discussion of these controversies. But it should be clear that in actual practice, the obvious cases far outnumber the difficult ones, and even regarding the difficult ones, it’s not a free-for-all. The outcome is at most limited to the two or three opinions still standing at the end of the discussion.
“for the orthodox, they hold by the standard of the community (which is ultimately set by the gedolim) even if the community’s standard goes against their deepest convictions (like in protecting sexual predators). ”
That’s a pretty gross slander of most Orthodox people. You confuse the irrational Chareidi elements with the entire spectrum of Orthodoxy. Even among many people who seem to be of the group you describe, there’s growing anger against the “insiders” who protect their own interests at all costs to the rest of the community. If the current lawsuits reveal the abuses they claim, I think we’ll see a backlash against the Chassidish notion of “gedolim” who are above the rules and never feel a need to explain themselves.
“the orthodox are just incapable of admitting to halakhic validity of this practice, and derive a sense of self-satisfaction and self-worth from smearing everyone and anyone that exposes them for being anti-intellectual fundamentalist ignoramuses. ”
Some, yes. But “the Orthodox”? A little broad there. And I’ve spent a great deal of time with non-Orthodox people who derive a sense of self-satisfaction and self-worth from smearing everyone and anyone that exposes them for being poorly educated parrots of self-proclaimed progressives and postmodern charlatans, who not only fail to understand the positions they oppose, but don’t even understand the implications of their own positions.
“because after all, never admitting you’re wrong is never having to say you’re sorry. ”
As if the Orthodox (or anyone else) have a monopoly on that.
J: I don’t know who you are, but thank your rational discourse. I’d write more but I have to go run out and protect some poor embattled sexual predators.
ck: Thanks for the kind words. I read your site regularly, and not only for the pictures:) And it was a great idea at the last secret meeting to suggest we plant Gafni to take the heat off us.
i’m sorry. orthodox people are great and perfect and they never do anything wrong. i’m going to go close a heavy window on my neck now.
That’s a deliberate misreading of my post. See above, ” You confuse the irrational Chareidi elements with the entire spectrum of Orthodoxy. “; ““the orthodox are just incapable of admitting to halakhic validity of this practice, and derive a sense of self-satisfaction and self-worth from smearing everyone and anyone that exposes them for being anti-intellectual fundamentalist ignoramuses. ” “Some, yes.”
I never said anything remotely approaching the idea that Orthodox people are perfect. Why don’t you step away from the window and address what I actually said?
Hey Everyone: You ought to read my book “What’s Up With the Hard Core Jewish People?” before criticizing it. You can search inside the book on amazon.com and have some free reads to get a better feeling of what it’s about.
When our son, Carter, went hard core Jewish, I needed a cram course in traditional Judiasm in order to be on the same wavelength as Carter. Unfortunately there were no Jewish CliffNotes or a simple, to-the-point book that would expediently teach me everything I needed to know about Orthodox Judaism without really trying. The 12 books out there about newly Observant Jews and Orthodox Judaism are all by newly Observant Jews (including Azriela Jaffe’s, What Do You Mean You Can’t Eat in My House?), rabbis, or other religious Jews whose perspective is very different than mine. I needed to understand Judaism and religious devotion on my own terms and in a way that wasn’t intimidating, so I started doing in-depth research using books and the Internet. I’m a marketing research expert, so secondary research is right up my alley.
I wrote this book to share my story and Jewish knowledge in a user-friendly way. Section I is “The Story.” Section II is “Everything You Need to Know About Orthodox Judaism Without Really Trying,” and Section III is a Jewish glossary. Carter and Naomi, my Torah-true son and daughter-in-law, love this book, although the irreverence was sometimes a bit tough for them to take. But they know this is a book that finally walks the Jewish outreach talk by being both entertaining and informative, making it engaging and accessible even to people who don’t think Judaism is relevant to them. My hope is that the book will help increase Jewish engagement among unaffiliated Jews by helping them to think more about spirituality and perhaps incorporate Jewish rituals into their life like lighting Shabbat candles, doing tzedakah, and performing mitzvot. Like Aish HaTorah (Carter’s learning institution) says, every little bit of following Torah law helps. It’s not just all or nothing.
It would be a real bonus if this book helps Jews at all levels of religiosity to understand that more than piousness, what God wants from all of us is human consideration and acceptance. If Jews can’t get along with one another, how can we expect the rest of the world to accept us.
By the way, regarding the title of my book, Azriela Jaffe, a righteous Jewish woman whom I adore, said that at first she was bothered by the title of my book. Then when she looked up “hard core,” she realized that Torah-true Jews are hard core and the title was absolutely appropriate. Hard core means intense — whether it be someone who is an exercise fanatic or NASCAR fanatic or a strict adherent to Torah law.