Yael Edelist I grew up in Israel in a very secular family. Religion and politics are intertwined in Israel and, unfortunately, this often creates a rift between the secular and religious communities.
Living in the US for almost 30 years introduced me to new ways of practicing Judaism. And it feels so much healthier when we separate religion and government.
In Judaism, one can be secular, a Jew who lives with Jewish tradition and culture, a Reformed Jew, Orthodox or anything in-between. For me, being Jewish means living in a community of family and friends with close relationships, Friday night dinners, and celebrating Jewish holidays together.
How do you do religion?
Happy Tuesday,
Yael
This post is so relevant and meaningful. I think I’ve spent a lot of holidays wishing I had a secular Jewish community to celebrate with. No one else in my family is interested except maybe cousins who live far away. A few years ago I hosted a seder for some friends, some Jewish and most not and most who had never been to a seder, and they loved it- we used a social justice-type haggadah and everyone was thrilled to be there. Your post inspires me to do more things like that and look deeper further for these opportunities.