Dunking Rachael

Friday, April 3, 2009

ONE YEAR!!!!!!

April 1st was the one year anniversary of my conversion.

yes, April 1st.

no, not a joke.

and no, the picture is not me

Friday, March 27, 2009

Coke...It's The Real Thing

Is it me or is there way too much blog-o-sphere interest in this stuff! What follows is just a random sampling of what I saw in in one minute of looking.

http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2009/03/19/kosher-for-passover-coke-1

http://www.thefoodsection.com/foodsection/2007/03/kosher_coke_sma.html

http://www.ajhs.org/publications/chapters/chapter.cfm?documentID=270

http://www.bevnet.com/bevboard/bevboard-general/32330-passover-coke-2009-a.html

and on another topic......

Countdown to Passover continues!...

more cleaning today....seeing that it is just to two of us, no kids etc, there actual isn't that much passover contraband in the house (bread etc.). Additionally for a large part of the year we had been on low carb diets, so it isn't like we actually will miss the hard core stuff....Beans unfortunately are a whole different story. I tend to skew vegetarian, although I will eat meat...but none-the-less I have a cabinet full of beans! I tried to eat down the lot of it, but to no avail. I will just have to pack it all up and drag it to the basement.

Another major difficulty is cleaning while still living in the space. I am cleaning the oven now...modern conveniences are great...will finish it tomorrow. So far I am staying close to my countdown to passover calendar....

Only time will tell if I can keep it up!

and lastly....got some great news ...We have been invited to a 2nd night Seder!!!!...and I didn't have to impose or invite myself...I am so happy!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Longings and Existential Loss

I wrote the below on the Empowering Ruth list serve....it is what I am feeling currently.....

I feel lucky to be able to host one Seder for what is left of my husband's family, some adult children and their friends. I am sad that I have been unable to find a 2nd seder for us to go to. Because I converted only a year ago at the age of 47, I feel a strong sense of wanting to make Jewish memories for me. this is something I do struggle with. With no babies to raise, no family/relative expectations to take into account religiousness and ritual is totally a personal expression. My husband is lovely and goes along with me on these adventures but when it comes down to it, why do we choose to do these things?.....Jewish Law? Tradition?..Guilt? ...Love? I realize I feel this odd sense of loss/grief at major holiday times. Not loss of what I left behind in a religious way, but loss of what I will never experience. I find some comfort in using the collective Jewish history for my own, doing holidays and rituals connects me to some history even if it is not a personal one. Other folks my age appear to be stepping back from fully engaging in these types of things...they did it for their kids, their parents. I am in a conservative community, this fits me philosophically, but in practice I feel different....I want to experience the totality of Jewish life....I joke with my husband that I am going to take up with the local Chabad....once again philosophically it wouldn't work, but it points out this schism I am experiencing. I feel somewhat at a loss in my community...but not sure what to do.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Que Pasa Purim .......The Mexico Megillah

To celebrate our almost 1 year of marriage, the husband and I decided to take a trip. Carefully I researched all aspects of the proposed event. I diligently made myself aware of the time needed for passover preparations as well as the holiday itself. When I felt I found the perfect time and place, I booked it. Such a deal! I was proud of my accomplishments! Then something began to nag at me, did I forget something? With all my mindful attention on Passover....I forgot to check on the dates for Purim! I realized this after I had booked my trip to Mexico!

OH NOOOOOO!

I frantically tried to change the dates...it would cost mucho pesos ....I was heading towards despair..."and I call myself Jewish....ha!" But then I remembered a book I read "The Rebbie's Army" about the Chabad movement and the intrepid couples who go all over the world. There must be a Chabad house in Cancun.......yup there is http://www.jewishcancun.com/I exchanged emails with the lovely Rabbi there and my plans were set. If you ever have the chance to be in Cancun please stop by and see these folks they are lovely and will take care of you!

Please enjoy this brief glimpse at Purim in Mexico...

Friday, March 13, 2009

Mazal tov!

Ok...I have entered a contest on the web site called "The Knot"...the contest is full of young beautiful mostly gentile couples.....I am playing both the age and Jew card!

Please take a look!

...and if you can please pass the link along to increase the amount of views my entry gets.

Thanks!

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=55768419723&h=X4DUr&u=zKYl8

Monday, February 23, 2009

Countdown to Passover

Last year at this time I was engulfed in the planning of my wedding. "Passover?.....I'll clean later...." well the experience of coming home from my wedding (We took a cab, came home and walked the dog....lol....) and within a day having to do crazy cleaning to make the deadline; made an impression on me. I vowed not to let that happen again... so a year ago I set various reminders into my Blackberry....the first of which came up yesterday......

"No more food shopping...eat all in the cabinet."

(Actual picture of food cabinet at the time of this posting...

I am too embarassed to show the freezer......)

Last year I "sold" it all to the Rabbi....it is my goal this year to not have to pack up so much stuff and drag it to my basement!....I am really interested in knowing how people do this holiday....the timing and planning appears to be key. I get embarrassed having to ask about the most mundane and simple events. But with no family history, relatives or experiences it can be difficult figuring it out. But I am determined to make it work better this year than last.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Honeymoon with 46 People........... or............Why arn't They on the Bus ? Part 1

OK....my husband would tell you if you asked, the trip to Israel WAS NOT our honeymoon. He would say it was a gift to me to solidify and amplify my choosing to join the tribe. But in the spirit of compromise the trip WAS almost right after our nuptials. We were married on the last Sunday prior to Passover. Sunday the 13th to be exact. It was such a deal! Non-religious types didn't want to marry on the 13th and the religious would never plan such an event so close to Passover. So right after we celebrated our first Passover as a married couple off to Israel we went.....

1.5 hours in the rain and rush hour on a bus from the synagogue to the airport

13 or so hours New York to Tel Aviv

2 hours of getting off the plane...luggage collecting.... and tour bus finding

45 minutes of rush hour traffic from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem

Sheheḥeyanu and sunset overlooking the walls of the old city.....precious and well worth the time

"Blessed are You, LORD, our God, King of the universe, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season."

Beit Din test Question #22 "If you were to join the Jewish people......."

22) If you were to join the Jewish people, what considerations would guide you to that decision? How did your course help you to recognize some meaningful ideas to Judaism? Are there some things you have learned in the course that you find difficult to accept into your life?

I have been a thinker and a seeker for most of my life. I have explored many faiths, been involved in and have a keen interest in philosophy and psychology. I was raised in an Irish/Italian Catholic home. I lived as a Buddhist/Unitarian Universalist for most of my adult life and previously was married for 20 years to a Jewish man who did not practice his faith of origin. At the birth of my child, now 19, I sought to learn as much as I could about Judaism in order to expose this child to the faith of part of her ancestors. So I come to this new point in my life with all my experiences, knowledge and aspirations.

But the question remains how did I come to consider conversion? It is though love that the door of conversion was opened. I fell in love with a Jewish man who participates in his religion, yet he did not require me to convert, pressure me, or in any way attempt to persuade or force me. This exploration of faith was of my choosing, my volition, nurtured by love.

Clearly I am not dogmatically tied to my faith of origin, seeing that the religious expressions which dominated my adult life have been mostly non-theistic. The major change/challenge for me is in the consideration/acceptance of a theistic understanding of existence. Through explorations with my sponsoring Rabbi, reading, (lots of reading!) and the Hillel class I have come to an understanding of the divine, a place of relationship with a theistic point of view that resonates within me.

To help to articulate this I refer to the work of existentialist thinker and Jewish educator Franz Rosenzweig.

“The function of religion, according to Rosenzweig, is not to erect theological systems or establish universal truths, but to lead to experience of God, starting from one's own personal existence. He "commends 'the Pharisees of the Talmud and the saints of the Church' for knowing that 'man's understanding extends only so far as his doing.' Religious observance is, in effect, the doing of one's religious convictions; the two cannot be separated."
“(Time Magizine Monday, Jan. 01, 1951 , http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,814185,00.html)

For Rosenzweig the written word was to be less important than the living exchange, for it is in the doing that the relationship to God will manifest. This idea blends well with my own mindfulness practices. These practices express that it is in the awareness of the moment, the only moment we truly have, where peace and divinity can be experienced.
Through my answers on this exam, my participation in the class and my meetings with my sponsoring Rabbi, I believe I clearly present that I am coming to know, and hopefully I am beginning to understand the meaningful ideas in relationship to Judaism. Clearly there is so much to learn, and experience.

I am most taken by the direct experience of the divine associated with taking on the laws and practices of this ancient faith. I have aspirations to practice in this tradition, but once again they can be best articulated through Rosenzweig:
“Rosenzweig’s approach was subjective also in connection with the mitzvot, Jewish observances. He did think that he would one day become a fully observant Jew, but believed in the gradual approach in which the observances slowly made their impact by “ringing a bell” for him. Typical of this approach is Rosenzweig’s answer to someone who asked him whether he wore tefillin [phylacteries]: “Not yet,” he replied.”
(My Jewish Learning.com http://www.myjewishlearning.com/history_community/Modern/IntellectualTO/Rosenzweig.htm)

Like the bell of mindfulness practice, the mitzvot, the mindfulness practice of Judaism, will take time to incorporated and to resonate within. Like the ringing of the mindfulness bell, or the sounding of the Shofar, the act of doing Judaic practices pierces the daily, the mundane and hopefully will help to awaken me to an even richer and more connective relationship with the Jewish people and the divine.