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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Do you believe in God? If so, why?[/quote]

I'm undecided. I did. Many things have happened in my life that have left me with a lot of questions. [/quote]

Just curious why you still think you're "Special" even though you don't believe in the God that made you a unique set of people to begin with. Jewish used to mean people who believed in one god and held similar religious practices. Not people from a certain area. Do you even consider yourself Jewish if you don't believe in god? I don't consider anyone to be Jewish who doesn't believe in their god.[b] I just consider them racist[/b]. Doesn't that make you agnositic or an atheist insead?[/quote]

I find this comment to be almost Antisemetic...but I will address the issue.  The jewish are a defined ethnicity; like the Greeks, Norwegians, or any other group, there are characteristics of jewish people that are genetic -- for example, Ashkenazi jews are much more likely to carry BRCA mutations.  We have a culture that relates to our religion, but is not defined by the religion.  For example, if you look at the Old Testament (aka the Jewish part of the bible), you will see many rules that need to be followed.  Jewish people study the text, and try to understand the text -- that is called the Talmud, which while not the bible, is the collective interpretations over the years.  People would get together and discuss, argue and debate what things mean.  We are taught to question the meaning, to try to understand things.  The why, not just the what.  That is probably why there are many jews in the legal profession -- we are taught and exposed to debates.  We are taught to question -- which may explain why there are so many scientists.

Jewish people have had to deal with adversity throughout history....from the time of Moses, when we were slaves, to the time of Queen Esther, to the Maccabees...then the Romans who kicked us out of our lands...the Spanish inquisition.  More recently, our mass expulsion from Russia around the revolution (aka Fiddler on the Roof), and of course, the attempted mass extinction during the Holocaust.  Thought out this time, we have kept our identity.  Not because we are better than others, but because it is who we are.

If you look at the world today, there are only two places where it is safe to be jewish:  Israel and the USA.  And, IMHO, Israel, while justified in sending herself, needs to be more understanding...the jewish people should embrace the Palestinians...we know what is like to be persecuted...we were victim of the Diaspora.  We were strangers in the land of Egypt...The recent attempted genocide against the jewish people does not justify mistreatment of other peoples.

But, we are one people.  I can walk into a store in Tel Aviv, in Jerusalem, in NYC, and be with my people.  I can walk into any synagogue, and be welcomed.  For who I am.  Oh, and anyone reading this would be welcome into my synagogue....Last night, we had almost 500 people for Friday night services, because 6 crazy people protested outside.  We sang words of peace and love.

[/quote]

Isn't anti-Semitic to mistreat, oppress and sometimes even kill so many innocent Palestinian lives?[/quote]

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