question to citizens of israel

question to citizens of israel

Mistress Gatta • 9 באוק׳ 2004

is it true that Israelis can have it either way- belong to temple or not, since no mater what they are Jewish, but Diaspora Jews have to belong and believe, since that the only thing that separates them from non Jews? true or false?


Together we stand, divided we fall

about your question of Diaspora Jews

Damien • 30 באוק׳ 2004

well it is kind of true, but not in exactly in the way you presented it.

Israelis are devided to relegious (20%) and non relegious jews (80%). Belonging to temple, along with many other rules relegious jews follow, is their way of life as jews, and not something they do in order to separate them from non Jews.

Diaspora Jews I assume devide the into the same 2 groups - relegious and non relegious. However, many of the non relegious do go to temple to "feel" Jewish, as you said, and not as a way of life as it is for the relegious Jews.

Hope this answers your question. It is really off topic, but I noticed nobody replied or even commented, so I did, but just this once...

By the way - I don't belong to a temple. I'm not sure many here do...

melody • 2 בנוב׳ 2004

I believe Damien is right.

Most of diaspora Jewish kids are raised in Jewish school, either religious or not.
The non-religious school also provide some kind of religious education, exactly like in Israel, where study of the Torah is a must. Abroad, these non-religious schools are closed during Jewish holidays. I was personally raised up in Europe and studied in a non-religious school and every holiday I went with my friends to the synagogue.
But noone ever "forced" us to belong or to believe. As Jewish, it's something we just felt like we want to do, even if it was sometimes just another way to get togheter with other Jewish kids, rather than going to pray. All my friends were non-religious and lots of them went to synagogue.

On the other hand, there were and still are many Jews abroad who never visited any Synagogue at all... but when time comes to celebrate Bar-Mitzvah for example, they'll choose to celebrate it in Jerusalem, at the Wailing Wall.