I can go the distance!

Who could ever know that one semester could be so important in one person's life? I frequently manage to find myself bogged down by various things and responsibilities semester after semester. While I am by no means complaining, as being busy is much much better than not being productive. No matter the semester I always manage to find myself feeling like not enough butter spread over too much toast. While there is plenty of Andy... sometimes I feel as though there really is not enough for all that needs to be done.

I have recently rediscovered the soundtrack from the disney movie "Hercules", and on it is a particular song entitled "I can go the distance." Consequently I have found myself listening to it more than any other song in my music library. It is a theme song of sorts that I feel appropriately describes much of what I have been feeling lately. For those who have not seen the movie or are not familiar with the song, it is about a young Greek demigod hero who is seeking his place in life. While I am neither Greek nor a demigod, I can certainly identify with a young man who is looking to find his niche in life. I am at a crossroads of sorts... I feel too old to really still be in college but simultaneously I can't help but think that I am too young to really be making my way in life. At what point does a person feel as though they are ready to take on the world?

I have been struggling with this idea for much of my collegiate career. I have tried to live my life in the vein of religio-ethical conduct. While I don't think I have always succeeded, I do feel as though I have made the effort I have endeavored to make myself the best person I can possibly strive to become. I guess this brings me back to the pivotal question: What does it really mean to be a mensch? The four years that I have spent at Temple I have spent attempting to be older than I really am, and now that I AM older I might be second guessing that decision. There is something to be said about being young and enjoying one's youth.

It should be noted that I am happy with the person that I have become and I am by no means upset at the way in which I have conducted myself in college. I am just at another transitory stage in my life and I am reflecting on decisions made and the past four years of my life. As I said earlier, Temple was by no means my first choice, but it most certainly was a good choice. I have grown here and I feel as though I have made an impact on this campus. For better or for worse North Philadelphia has been my home for the past 3.5 years and it will honestly be sad to leave. The changes, specifically in the Jewish community, have been great and I can only speculate as to where it will go from here.

I would like to thank everyone at Temple for helping to make my time here meaningful... But now it is time to look to the future and embrace whatever may come.

Here's to going the distance...

Keepin' it Kosh'

Have you ever noticed that there are times that certain themes become more prevalent in your life? For example: you are doing a presentation on hammerhead sharks for your science class and you begin reading up on their behaviors and habits and such. Then, you are perusing what's on TV and notice a "Nature Special" on hammerheads. Then the topic of hammerhead sharks comes up in conversation a few day later independently of you. It would seem that a higher power or some kind of serendipity has been toying with your life. Is it that these thematic elements are merely coincidental? Or could they merely always be present and we only make such connections when our minds are more sensitive to a particular topic? Is there some serendipitous force that provides "thematic" experiences for us throughout our lives?

One such theme that seems to be recurring through my life at the moment is that of כשרות, or Kashrut (Jewish Dietary Laws). I have been serving as one of the student mashgichim for Hillel at Temple University's new kosher operation since last year. At first we only were serving meals for shabbat and the holidays but as the final stages of the kitchen installation have become complete, we are preparing for a full kosher meal plan at Temple. Not only will this provide a great opportunity for the students on campus to explore kosher dining, but it can and will serve as a real draw for new students who are interested in living a more observant lifestyle. This is most certainly serve as a foot in the door to provide future growth for the Jewish community at Temple. The truth of the matter is that Temple can, and foreseeable will, become an inexpensive (albeit in-state only) alternative for observant Jewish students looking for a good education at a good price. I am only sorry that I will not be here for the inevitable growth that the Jewish community will see in the coming years.

I have recently taken on the position of Head Student Masgiach, which essentially means that I am responsible for scheduling the other student mashgichim's hours. As a result of taking on this responsibility I have been having many meetings about the Kosher operation at Temple Hillel. Pretty soon we will be running training sessions for students interested in serving as mashgichim. I am very excited for the weeks to come!!

In a related note... the theme of kashrut has carried over into other parts of my life. In another one of my professional lives no less! I teach hebrew school at Society Hill Synagogue and we have something (ironically) called "Theme Group". The last half hour of every hebrew school session is reserved for a special topics of sorts in which each teacher imparts some aspect of Jewish living, history, experience, etc... upon their students. In quite an ironic move, the topic of Kashrut was thrust upon me a few weeks ago to teach to my students. I suppose I am qualified?

This is just one of those times that a "theme" of sorts becomes prevalent in one's life and experiences... I guess I am just going to have to "Keep it Kosh" for the time being.

Reflections from the Holiday Season

As the holiday season has come to an end, I am attempting to regain some sort of handle on the enormities of my life. I am a senior in college a year late. Many of my cohorts from high school are already in graduate school, some in doctorate programs even. I am in a very awkward place in my life where I am both in college and ready to be done with college. The past three years have been a time of much growth and perspective for me. While I was not thrilled at first to be attending Temple University, I have come to the realization that while it might not have been what I wanted at the time it was most certainly what I needed. I had spent the 7 years prior to my matriculation at Temple in the "Jewish Bubble" as it were, and to be honest I had a bit of a skewed perception of the world. The world in which I thought I wanted to live was one where Jews were knowledgeable about their faith even if they didn't practice. The world in which I conceived was one where everyone came from a similar socioeconomic background. This fantasy world that I concocted was the direct result of my privileged religious upbringing.

That is not to say that I grew up observant, quite the contrary. I grew up in a home where we only began keeping strict kashrut at my behest in high school. I remember going to many restaurants as a youth right after Saturday morning services for some treif cuisine. The funny thing is that I seem to have forgotten that I lived this way up until Middle/High School. I had become so accustomed to living within the bubble that I had forgotten that there were plenty (if not a majority) of Jews in America who barely even graze against the bubble in their lifetime. Through USY and High School, I had left that realm of thought and experience and found myself in a wholly Jewish worldview. Honestly, I am glad that I truly found myself in the realm of Jewish experience and thought. However, I am not proud of the fact that I lost who I was entirely for a time. I lost the perspective that my non-observant upbringing offered. I lost my ability to connect with disenfranchised Jews who did not make their Judaism or being Jewish a priority in their lives.

What I found when I got to Temple was just that: many Jewish students who were simply nominally Jewish. They identified either as "ethnic Jews", or merely put the term down under race on any number of forms. These people were living in the spectrum of American Jewish experience (that is: what is experienced by modern Jews living in America), that I had ceased to subside in or recognize. I am ashamed to say that I honestly found it abhorrent that so many of my peers seemingly lacked anything that I could recognize as a sense of Jewish identity. Truth be told, I was as ignorant as I perceived that they were, I was looking in the wrong places.

While I had come to think of Jewish identity as being linked with knowledge about history and outward signs of identification, I had simply written many a person off without scratching the surface of their character. I am sorry that I did that, because it was not until much later in my collegiate experience that I learned that I was sorely wrong. Although my collegiate compatriots did not show what I understood as discernible signs of Jewish identity, I slowly began to realize that what I was looking for might not be there. In place of identity based on historical background or religious practice, I found that the very same people who I labeled as ignorant had and have a decidedly strong pride in their Judaism. While they may not relate to Jewish practice and religion in the same manner as I, their pride in who they are is not diminished.

Pride and growth go hand in hand. I have seen the seedlings of pride used to cultivate the growth of many individuals in college. From watching peoples' transformations after their first Israel experience on birthright to seeing my fraternity brothers study for Bar Mitzvahs that they would have never had otherwise, I have realized that nothing is as simple as it appears. While my initial judgements of the type of Jew that my campus attracts were erroneous on all accounts, it should also be noted that I was wrong to judge. I have learned a great deal about who modern American Jews are and where they stand on many issues.

In light of my anticipated career choice, I will say again: While I did not want to attend Temple University at first, it was most certainly the place that I needed to attend. My experiences here have helped me "pop" the bubble with which I had surrounded myself. I am so grateful for the wonderful people who have helped me see what I was blind to before...