Time Flies By When....

It is the start of the school year and you are celebrating your son's Bar Mitzvah at the end of the second week of school.  Not so sure if my life was more hectic in school or at home.

The school year is off to a great start.  I am teaching three sections of Jewish Studies and two sections of Hebrew.  I am also teaching all day long Judaism 101.   I love the questions and they do not stop.  Here are some samples:

• What foods to Jews eat?  
• It depends on where in the world their community is or from where you Jewish family came.  There are Jews in Europe, North Africa, Central Africa, Asia and the Americas.  I make really good chicken soup. 
• Do all Jews make Chicken Soup?   
• Ummm not sure, but mine is the best!
• Why do you wear kipot?
• Can a Black person be Jewish?   
• Great question - yes.  This has been asked and answered several time already in the past two weeks and I am fascinated by the question.  We have been discussing race, ethnicity, religion, culture and nationality. We have looked at how all of these pieces interconnect and overlap and my students still seem unsure about a Black Jewish person.  This is even after we have talked about Jewish communities in Africa. 

• I know the answer, I am going to invite a friend to come to school and talk share his story with my students.  I tell them the plan and their response was "Great. you are going to bring in a friend to class- are they really Jewish.?"   I have to schedule this pretty soon.

• Did you say you don't believe in Jesus?   
• Yes, I did say that.   
• You don't answer Amen when we pray because we pray to Jesus?
• Yes, It would not be authentic to Jewish tradition if I was agreeing with prayers directed to Jesus.
• Did you say you don't believe in Jesus?
• I have to go back ... 
• Do all Jewish people not believe in Jesus?
• I have to go back again...
• Who do you pray to?
• I pray to God.
• And God is not Jesus?
• In Catholic tradition yes... but this is not a Jewish belief. 
• If you don't believe in Jesus what are you doing in a Catholic School?

I told you they ask great questions!  What am I taking away from these particular questions?  My students are curious, really curious.  They bring with them their own experiences. Honestly they have had little or no contact with Jewish people or the Jewish community. They are working really hard to make sense of me,  Me - their Jewish White, Female Rabbi who is new to the Catholic school.  

I think the year is off to a great great start.  

Next week 5 full days of teaching before Rosh Hashanah!