tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552682727548828725.post6500429478298313734..comments2023-10-17T05:01:42.650-04:00Comments on Abandoning Eden: How I started leaving orthodoxyAbandoning Edenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696116071749613265noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552682727548828725.post-44329701790063030162007-09-06T10:48:00.000-04:002007-09-06T10:48:00.000-04:00Well it may be strange, but you have the advantage...Well it may be strange, but you have the advantage that in Israel there are a whole bunch of "secular jews"; jewish people who identify as jewish, and who may keep some traditions (like holidays, sabbath meal) but otherwise are not jewish in any way. When I was in israel on birthrite back in college, I stayed an extra week or two and stayed by a friend who was at bar elan for the year...we went to shabbas dinner at a family like that, where they had a meal together but took the religion out; so they had challah and wine at the table, but they didn't eat it first or say blessings over it or anything. <BR/><BR/>To some extent, that's the kind of jew I am now; I still like going to non-religious shabbat potluck dinners at my friends' places, where we have challah and wine. Next week I might be going to a rosh hashana dinner at my grad school (mostly to catch up with old friends, and becuase one of my friends doesn't want to go by herself and keeps begging me to come with her) but I'm not going to services. <BR/><BR/>I think just becuase we are atheists doesn't mean we have throw the baby out with the bathwater...the bathwater being the religious aspects, and the baby being the unique cultural/ethnic background we come from. Just a silly example, but I still love yerushalmi kugel, and will make it occasionally..just like my boyfriend (who is from a sicilian heritage) makes this crazy sicilian meat sauce thing that is awesome, even though he's rejected catholisism. The problem is that for jewish people, the culture is all intermingled with the religion, while (maybe because other religious groups are larger and more spread out), in other religions people have their cultural/ethnic background, and then their religious background.Abandoning Edenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12696116071749613265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552682727548828725.post-91690067015664788152007-09-06T04:31:00.000-04:002007-09-06T04:31:00.000-04:00I've gone through a similar transition from orthod...I've gone through a similar transition from orthodoxy to atheism and have recently 'come-out' to my family and friends as an atheist. <BR/><BR/>Living in Jerusalem through the transition period makes things strange. I still eat mostly kosher (as most places are kosher here), but I've avoided dealing with the non-Jewish dating issue so far as almost every woman around is Jewish :-) <BR/><BR/>Also, good for you - it takes guts to deal with the intermarriage issue head on. I dread that conversation with my parents if it ever arrives. <BR/><BR/>Anyways thanks for your blog, its interesting to see other peoples experiences leaving Judaism and reflect on the similarities and differences in the paths taken.<BR/><BR/>Good luck on your journey!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com