By Tziona Kamara
We all sang together, arm in arm, as the sun set over Jerusalem after a beautiful Shabbat spent
exploring Jewish identity. Beginning the previous Thursday, we had been exposed to leaders of
various movements and had the opportunity to hear from them about their personal journeys in Judaism. Never in my life had I heard from such a diverse group of thinkers as part of a cohort so diverse in background and personal experience. The programming began with Rav Shmuel Klitsner, who spoke about “Dynamics of Halacha” and the Modern Orthodox movement. Next, Rabbi Joel Roth of the Conservative movement spoke about “Conservative Ideologies and Practice.” After a brief, and delicious, break for a cholent, kugel, and challah dinner, we made our way to the Mea Shearim/Geula area. There, we were warmly welcomed by Rav Yechezkel, a Belzer Chassid, who gave us a tour of the immense and beautiful Belz Yeshiva and spoke to us about Ultra-Orthodoxy. The next morning, after an abundant lunch of sushi, we heard from Rabbi Tamara Schagas about “Reform Ideologies and Practices.”
Our Shabbat meals, filled with good food and lively singing, were also complete with thoughtful
conversations as we all processed the Shabbaton’s programming. For some, the conversations
were a continuation of journeys that had begun long ago, for others the conversations were the
start of a journey to discover how they truly define their Jewish identity as matters that they had
never previously thought about were raised.
Coming from an Orthodox background, it was very eye-opening to learn about the theology and
values of other streams of Judaism. I had learned about the history and basic theology of other
Jewish movements but this was the first time that I was lucky to hear the personal journeys of
members of those movements- it made it personal and gave a face to a list of beliefs. It was so
wonderful to be a part of so many conversations and to give voice to my beliefs and Jewish
identity, as well as to listen. Just as Rabbi Zeff and Rabbi Cohen warned us about, many of us
did not feel that the speaker from “our” movement properly represented “our” Judaism.
Ultimately, whether it was the start of a journey or the continuation of one, the Jewish Identity
Shabbaton was an excellent way to start a conversation about how we are different and, most
importantly, how we are the same, and how we can use those shared goals and values to
bridge gaps and begin working towards improving the Jewish world.
