Really pleased I found your blog!

While this article was published 11 years ago, it’s still popping up and I don’t believe is accurately portrays how the orthodox view other Jews.

I am orthodox from birth. I grew up ultra orthodox and married a young man that was likely classified as modern orthodox in 1997. I had the opportunity of experiencing first hand the ultra orthodox and modern orthodox communities of Chicago. We made Aliya (emigrated) as a family in 2012 to Maaleh Adumim Israel.

I can tell you, that every community that I lived in had cultural differences that often felt enormous to me. I can also tell you that a fundamental theme in each of those communities, is a belief that a Jew is and will aways be a Jew. Even if a Jew were to convert to another religion, they are considered a Jew according to Jewish law. We know that we need to work harder at accepting our differences and each other. We know that infighting is what caused the destruction of the second temple. We joke that if you put two jews in a room you’ll come out with three opinions.

Just because a community is insular and does not want to engage in theological debate does not mean that they don’t accept you as a Jew. Just because you don’t identify as Orthodox does not mean that Gd doesn’t hold your prayers dear. Every Jew is precious to Gd, as is every human, and he loves us all no matter what.

Thank you, and thank you for reading. It’s that thing you just can’t explain to outsiders because they never get it. They just never do. You have to be here. Then you know.