Shabbat | Shorashim - Israel with Israelis

Shabbat

By Alison Russell

On our day of rest, we looked at two topics that unexpectedly complimented each other. In the morning, our forum discussed the values that make up our Jewish identity. Within the small group and the larger one, I found comfort in the pattern to the responses. For most of us, our Jewish-ness does not spring from a strict adherence to rules or practices, but an acceptance of a common community based around standard values of respect. That announcing your identity as a Jew was not placing yourself in a box but opening yourself up to discussion.

This connected to our parkside discussion of Yad Vashem, and how the Holocaust was a part of our Jewish identity. It's about no matter how you define your Judaism, you reflect on it, and you talk about it, and you celebrate it for all those who weren't or aren't able to do so.