Hijab Wearing Teens Have Restored My Faith In Humanity

This week I got special permission to write about an article that isn't about Judaism, because I found one specific one (still about a religion, just not ours) that truly restored at least a small portion of my faith in humanity. It was about the issue of whether Muslim girls should be allowed to wear a hijab while playing sports. What I read astounded me. First off, it was only this year that FIFA lifted its ban on headscarves. It took until March of 2014 for them to stop discriminating against an entire religion's worth of soccer players. Second, even after this decision was handed down, a school team still refused to allow one of their girls to play with a headscarf. Now, I might understand them not following the big league's rules if it wasn't for religious purposes, but for some Muslim girls, telling them that they may not play with a hijab is as good as telling them that they may not play at all. This girl, Samah Aidah, is one of those girls, apparently. Her teammates, instead of standing by and having someone fill in for her like you would expect, decided to do their part in coming to defence of their wronged teammate.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen. The entire team wore headscarves for their next game. Amazing, isn't it?
I absolutely love how these girls, who are mine and my friends' age, managed to not only let go of any and all prejudice and form their own adult opinions, but also work together and actively support their friend. Not many people would willingly don an article of clothing that is such a classifier, in this climate. And the very fact that they felt bothered enough by the injustice to stand up for their friend's right to religious freedom shows a special kind of integrity not often found in American teenagers. On the flip side, I think it's just sad that these girls had to resort to this. Why were they put in this situation? Because their coach couldn't let go of that same prejudice and be a decent human being. So over all, huge win for the girls, but major disappointment in the Responsible Adult department.

The article that I read can be found here.

Poland

Before you read this entry, I must give you fair warning that its contents could very well be seen as controversial, and perhaps insulting to some. In no way do I mean for it to be, and I am only speaking my mind.
Last week began our preparation for the Poland trip, with a very moving and informative display put together for us by the madrichim. But it was only today, as we were given our roommates and told to start preparing, that it really sunk in for me that next week we will be going to Poland, a veritable showcase of our worst memories. It was there that so many of our brothers and sisters died, and many more suffered unimaginable torture. Yet it is also a place, a country, just like any other. Yes, we have many bad memories there. But it is also the home to many people. As terrified as we all are to travel there, we must remember that it isn't all death, gloom, and concentration camps. It's also schools, houses, libraries, politics, and so much more. So even as I steel myself in preparation to send my emotions through the wormhole at warp 10, I remind myself and others that the side of Poland that we are about to see, that of darkness, is only one side, and we mustn't forget that there are many other parts to this country, as with any other. Yes, it holds a dark past for the Jewish people, there is no denying it. But it also holds a bright future for the human race.

Hillel

NOTE: I just discovered that my posts for this week were sitting in my drafts folder, and that they didn't actually get published. I apologise for the wait, and here they are now.
The other day on Facebook, I saw a link my dad posted about Hillel. The movement, not the person. It was by a rabbi who used to be heavily involved in Hillel. Now though, he said through this article that he can no longer support them. After reading the article, I have to say neither can I. Apparently, they have the nasty habit of suppressing anyone who doesn't agree with their extremely pro-Israel beliefs. If you are even involved in anything that is in any way associated with Palestine, Arabs, Islam, or anything even remotely anti-Israel (or has the potential to be), or you disagree with some of the current Israeli policies (and act on your belief), then you are not welcome. As the rabbi put it (because I couldn't put it any better), they have "essentially banned all liberal Jews who love Israel but disagree with the current Netanyahu government from Hillel involvement."
This infuriates me. I've never been involved in Hillel, but it doesn't matter. They are Americans, and they are suppressing people's right to an opinion. They are going against the very essence of our country, the very reason we exist. The right to be your own person. I almost can't conceive how an institution in the United States could be so blind and one sided. Perhaps I'm madder than is rational, but it really bothers me.
They insult respectable people who have their own sophisticated opinions, and in doing so they are proving themselves to be rather low on maturity.
If you have a different opinion, or know another side of this issue, please let me know because I feel woefully under-informed.
Here's a link to the article: http://touch.sun-sentinel.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-79515797/

Orthodox and the Army

This might be a little late, but I'd like to react to the ultra orthodox protest that happened in Jerusalem last week. For those of you who aren't aware, a law was passed very recently requiring the ultra orthodox to go to the army. Leading up to that Knesset meeting, the ultra orthodox staged a protest in Jerusalem, which wound up being peaceful, as opposed to violent like some of my more creative classmates began to imagine.
As a liberal Jew, I disagree with what they were protesting for. However, as a person with morals, I believe that every person is entitled to the right to protest. So, while I may think that they are wrong to avoid the draft like that, I do think that they had every right to protest as they did.
On the flip side, regarding why they were protesting, I think that in this culture, it is important for everyone to contribute. And as much as they think they are contributing by studying in yeshivot, they're really not. At least, not in a productive enough manner to justify thousands of them, practically a tenth of the population, not serving in the army or doing a sanctioned alternative. The law was designed a few hundred people, in a time when the crucial preservation of the Jewish religion needed some help. Now though, the Jewish religion isn't in any danger. There are hundreds of thousands of religious Jews all over the world. Not only that, but the ultra orthodox population has grown so much in relation to the rest of the Jewish Israeli population, that they are a huge chunk of the Israeli people. Them not going to the army will hurt Israel badly. Therefore, while I agree with their right to protest, I definitely do not agree with what they are aiming for.

This Week's Article

The article that I read this week was about a demographics problem that Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman insists that the Jewish people are having. It discussed several things, but the one that stood out to me was his belief that sending children to Jewish schools will fix the problem. It is true that Jewish schools undeniably give Jewish children sorely needed information about their religion, and many come out of the schools much more knowledgeable than most. However, I can also say from personal experience that many people get turned away from Judaism through their experiences at Jewish day schools. I won't go into detail, seeing as people's religious feelings can be a very personal thing and not my secret to tell, but I can say this. In my experience, the huge onslaught of Jewishness that is forced upon a child all at once, all the time, for years, that comes with going to a Jewish day school, is part of what disillusions people. It makes being Jewish seem like a chore. In my opinion, as opposed to funding Jewish schools, people should be funding fun and informational yet not forceful programmes for children, in order to incorporate them into the Jewish community without pushing it.

Am Yisrael - The Saviours of the World?

Today in class, we talked about a non-Jewish historian (whose name I can't remember) who truly believed that the Jewish people was clearly put on this Earth for a divine purpose. Apparently, the Jews always have a solution before the rest of the world even discovers the problem requiring said solution.
 For example, Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zichai, who figured out how Judaism could continue without a Beit Hamikdash (the Holy Temple). You might say that it can't have been that hard, because the Jewish people operated for many years before the Beit Hamikdash, but there are several things to consider. 
For one thing, the culture and traditions of our people have been rapidly changing ever since the religion was founded. Since they had the Beit Hamikdash for so many years, the traditions of the Jewish people had long since evolved to be heavily dependent on it, and the priests.
For another, we are now in an era that is post Tanakh, and therefore with much more distance between us and many of the influences present during the Tanakh. 
Finally, there have been generations of religious leaders since our last time without the temple who did their own part to connect the Jewish people to the temple, writing their own commentaries and opinions and presenting them to the culture as law. 
Therefore, in my mind, it isn't such a stretch that finding a way to survive without the Beit Hamikdash in that setting is such a huge feat. 
As to whether or not that means Jews are a people divinely chosen to be ahead of the game... Well, as much as Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zichai had the foresight to be prepared, I don't think that the same can be said for the entire Jewish people. Every religion has their share of wise ones, cautious ones, and strategizing ones, not just the Jews. On the flip side, every religion has their fair share of idiots, and the Jews are no exception. My point is that it is the individuals within the people of Israel who are gifted, and not  people as a whole. The Jewish people are not perfect. My conclusion, therefore, is that while those are pretty words and nice compliments, they do not hold any basis in fact.