{"id":34286,"date":"2013-12-19T20:19:54","date_gmt":"2013-12-19T20:19:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?p=34286"},"modified":"2013-12-19T23:03:25","modified_gmt":"2013-12-19T23:03:25","slug":"never-think-aliyah-reform-jewry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/news-op-ed\/never-think-aliyah-reform-jewry\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I Never Think of \u2018Aliyah to Reform Jewry\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a response to an article that ran on JTA, How I Became a Reform Jew<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My parents raised us in an observant Orthodox household. Our lives were filled with beautiful ritual and we celebrated the wonder of a familial spiritual connection.<\/p>\n

If those words sound familiar, they should. Neshama Carlebach wrote them.<\/p>\n

In a recent article by Ms. Carlebach<\/a>, daughter of the late, great Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, she shared her recent experiences at the Union for Reform Judaism convention in San Diego. Her formative moments that weekend gave her a sense of coming home, finding a family with whom she fit in perfectly, and filling the religious voids that, she said, for her, Orthodoxy never could.<\/p>\n

\"Neshama<\/a>
Neshama Carlebach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Like many others on Facebook and Twitter, I read the article in earnest. Her name and pedigree alone piqued my interest, and I imagine it is also what drew most people to read the piece as well. While on-line reactions varied, I wondered if, sans the name recognition, anyone would read an essay I could write about why I love Orthodox Judaism.<\/p>\n

Like Ms. Carlebach, I have a very clear understanding of what it means to be a Jew in the modern world. I have been blessed with many unusual opportunities \u2014\u00a0unusual for most women, not just those of the Orthodox persuasion. I proudly answer virtually any question I am asked, be it on national television about Orthodoxy and contraception, or at a business meeting about whether my head is shaved beneath my wig. If I am the first contact that someone has with an Orthodox Jew, it is my pleasure to represent.<\/p>\n

As a young bride, I received numerous gifts at my bridal shower. Few stand out in my mind today, with two exceptions: the gifts from my mother and my mother-in-law. My mother bought my baking set, including Pyrex dishes of various sizes and shapes. Though it may seem insignificant to most and strange to many, I could not have been happier.<\/p>\n

For years I had watched my mother, my father, my grandmother and my aunts bake in dishes like these. Kugels, coffee cakes, chicken and the like were always made in a Pyrex. To me, they are about Shabbos and family. My own set of this bake ware meant that I was being both empowered and burdened with continuing the traditions of my upbringing, a burden I happily accepted. It is an honor to keep these traditions alive and to raise my family in this way. And the pride I take in knowing that these are the same values, traditions and laws which have kept Klal Yisrael \u2014 all<\/i> of the Jewish community \u2014 going for thousands of years, knows no bounds.<\/p>\n

The gift I received from my mother in law was my candlesticks, the ones I use to usher in each Shabbat and Yom Tov. With my daughters beside me, I light the candles and recite the blessings, a tradition that dates back to our matriarch Sarah. Sitting amid pictures of my children at various stages of life, and handmade school projects from years ago, the candlesticks are a beautiful reminder of our collective past, present and future. They radiate a light that extends far beyond my dining room and represents much more than two simple flames. I am complete.<\/p>\n

I have never questioned my role as a woman in Judaism. In fact, I have embraced it, accepting that my role is different than my husband’s, my brother’s or my father’s.\u00a0 I have my responsibilities and they have theirs \u2014 and that’s okay. In fact, it is more than okay: it is the way it should be. Guided by brilliant rabbis and leaders blessed with an infectious love for Judaism, this commitment is exactly what strengthens the links in our chain, a chain that predates us all \u2014 modern movements included.<\/p>\n

Torah is alive and well in my home. Like Ms. Carlebach, I have also not abandoned anything that is intrinsic to me. Quite the contrary: with every step I take in the modern world, my religious connection becomes stronger, grounding me to what is important and to what has kept us alive as a people. The irony is that everything Ms. Carlebach believes she has found only in Reform Judaism, she already had in Orthodoxy. I, too, am expanded, elevated and blessed. But for me, I am already home.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is a response to an article that ran on JTA,\u00a0How I Became a Reform Jew<\/a><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Miriam Wallach responds to a recent article by Ms. Carlebach, daughter of the late, great Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, titled, “How I Became a Reform Jew.” <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":34291,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[94],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-op-ed"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy I Never Think of \u2018Aliyah to Reform Jewry\u2019 - OU Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/news-op-ed\/never-think-aliyah-reform-jewry\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why I Never Think of \u2018Aliyah to Reform Jewry\u2019 - OU Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Miriam Wallach responds to a recent article by Ms. Carlebach, daughter of the late, great Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, titled, "How I Became a Reform Jew."\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/news-op-ed\/never-think-aliyah-reform-jewry\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"OU Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-12-19T20:19:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-12-19T23:03:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/wallach-e1387485366722.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"232\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Miriam L. 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