2 of 5

Write now Article Tools

There is a time for many Jewish people when it almost seems as if the culture of being Jewish and its religious practices have become diametrically opposed forces in ones life. Then seems the time, as it were, to make a choice.

Why did it come to this?

The answers are varied but it usually comes down to this: semantics are tearing Judaism apart at the seams. There are so many variations and interpretations of the faith it is mind boggling. Every detail you believe or disbelieve changes your affiliation entirely. It has all become so academic and pointlessly exhausting, so ritual based and semantic oriented, that much of the passion has left it entirely.

People of this faith reconnect to their spiritual fire by overlooking a lot of these traditions. They focus on the similarities instead of the difference. They see all the sects as bound by an underlying unity, and make that the most important aspect in their minds. Hence the term "culture Jew".

Someone who applies this term to themselves is secular in their practice but still identifies with the whole of the religion. They are more interested in the big picture of things. They care more about the Hebrew Bible than kosher, more about the Holocaust than yarmulke.

These people are starting a revolution within the religion that is determined to send it back to its roots. Many in our modern day have abandoned their practices or minimized the ritualistic aspect of them in order to better maintain unity with all Jews. And they make sure to never look down on other who choose different expressions of the same faith. This is what it is to preserve ones ethnic identity over specific religious practices. This is serving to restore such traditions to what they were meant to be in the first place-not a by-the-book procedural, but a joy filled celebration of hope.

Learn more about this author, Royce Radcliffe.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about The "culture Jew": Preserving ethnic identity over religious observance?
We want to hear your view. Write now!