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Convert-Able
Tools, advice, and information about converting to Judaism
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Today I will give you my recipe for Challe.
Me and my husband are baking our own bread for quite some time, because it is a) a lot cheaper b) we love the smell of bread in the oven c) we love the taste of warm fresh bread d) in the Netherlands you can only buy pre-baked Challe in a few shops in Amsterdam and Amstelveen e) its fun to do and doesn’t take that much time.
So here’s my recipe for one bread (since we’re only with two people)
Ingredients:
0,75 dl olive oil
1 dl water
1 dl milk (if you want the bread to be parve use 2 dl water)
4 eggs (3 go in the bread, we use only the egg yolk of the 4th egg to make a shiny crust)
300 grams of white flour
375 grams of whole wheat flour
tablespoon of sugar
1,5 teaspoon of salt
1,5 teaspoon of yeast.
poppy seeds
Mix the ingredients together. I use a bread machine for kneading the dough, but you can also use a kitchen machine or knead it yourself. Make sure you put the sugar, salt and yeast in different corners of the mix, so they don’t immediately come into contact with eachother.
Put the dough in a deep bowl and cover the bowl with a damp towel, let the dough rise for about 1,5 hour. (I usually let it rise in the bread machine)
When the dough is almost ready, I preheat the oven at 200 degrees (Celcius).
After the dough has had some time to rise, you can braid it. there are different braids you can make, with 3, 4, 6 or even 12 strands. Or you can make little bread rolls, or shapes like a Magen David or a Chamsa. Here you can watch a video for some inspiration: [x]. You can make the strands more even by using a rolling pin. Today I used six strands and weaved the strands into each other, always starting with the strand on the right.
I carefully place the bread on a baking tray (on which I sprinkled some flour, so the bread won’t stick)
Then I wash the bread with egg yolk, and I sprinkle it with poppy seeds.
The bread is now ready to go into the oven.
When the bread is in the oven, I lower the temperature to 190 degrees (Celcius), and I let the bread bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, I lower the temperature to 170 degrees Celcius (don’t open the oven or take the bread out!!) and let the bread bake for another 20 minutes.
Now the bread is ready!!
I usually take it out of the baking tray (careful!) and let it cool down on the grill in an open oven, that way the bottom won’t get ‘sweaty’.
* I used Dutch/European measurements for everything, I’m not sure how everything works with cups and ounces… If someone does, feel free to edit / reblog with US measurements.
Shabbat Shalom!
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I hope all of you observing Ta'anit Esther are having an easy fast!
Purim is almost here!
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Book Review: Yearnings by Rabbi Irwin Kula
“The more we allow ourselves to unfold, the less likely we are to unravel.”
“The search for truth is not about letting go; it’s about going deeper. The goal is not reaching a single realization, but living the process of realizing again and again.”
Excerpted from Yearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life, these are just a few of the immeasurable pieces of wisdom contained within this spiritual text’s spellbinding pages. Although the title of this book may sound like a self-help guide, author Rabbi Irwin Kula delves far beyond conscious self-awareness into the psychological wilderness of the innate human mind.
Kula, a practicing Rabbi for over 23 years, braids ancient wisdom with contemporary ideology to create an enlightening and cohesive collection of philosophy that captures the essence of the human desire for more.
Through conversational narratives, Kula explores the yearnings for truth, love, happiness, transcendence, and more by carefully examining biblical texts and real life situations for deeper meaning. Although Kula speaks from a Jewish perspective, his understanding of the human condition transcends the boundaries that separate religious traditions.
Despite his intelligent insight, however, not every observation Kula made was grandiose, nor was every thread he wove strong. Some of the lessons he distilled from biblical stories were too far-fetched to be valuable, and his perpetual emphasis on approaching conflict from a completely neutral and open-minded perspective became redundant and exhausting.
But imperfections aside, Yearnings will surely inspire every reader, from the devout to the skeptic, to view themselves and the world through new eyes. Kula propels us past the modernist scope of fact-based thinking into the postmodern realm of experiential reality. Even the staunchest rationalist will be thrust onto a path of self-discovery.
A book about the human experience of desiring and dreaming beyond the tangible, Rabbi Irwin Kula’s Yearnings is a philosophical and spiritual must-read for anyone looking to “unfold” and “go deeper.”
#Judaism#Converting to Judaism#Jewish conversion#Jewish Identity#Irwin Kula#Yearnings#Rabbi#Book#review#sacred#jewish life#Jaime Pritchard
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Something truly amazing: the Magen David, the Jewish star, contains every letter in the Hebrew alphabet.
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A beautiful work of art. Religious-themed Jewish art is such a rarity to come by because of the commandment prohibiting visual depiction of God. However, this is a high-quality example proving that Jews have found ways to incorporate Hebrew text and organic, curvilinear motifs into elaborate works to celebrate the world that God has created.
A handmade mizrach-shiviti paper-cut from the U.S.A., 1861.
The larger inscription reads “This is the gate to G-d”. The two medallions above it read: “I have set the L-rd always before me” (Psalms 16.8).
A mizrach is a decorative piece that indicates the correct direction for prayer, and a shiviti is a meditative plaque used for the contemplation of G-d’s Name. They were particularly popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
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“Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.”
-reblogged from sufigeek
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Movements Within Judaism: A Break-Down
My journey to Judaism began about nine months ago. I was hired to work as a multimedia specialist at Shwayder, a Jewish summer camp near Idaho Springs, Colorado. When I reported to staff training two weeks later, one of the first things I learned was that this camp taught and practiced Reform Judaism. I was taken aback.
Prior to that moment, I had no idea that sects within Judaism existed. I had always pictured “the Jewish people” as a unified ethic group thatshared common religious practices and cultural heritage. In other words, I failed to recognize that about 1,000 years of Diaspora and the rise of skepticism in the Modern age are just two of innumerable factors that have contributed to the evolution of Jewish practice and belief over time as well as the emergence of differing ideologies within Judaism.
With that said, I hope I have saved at least a few of you from experiencing that awkward yet completely logical epiphany in public. For those of you who have heard of Reform, Conservative, and Modern Orthodox Judaism but are unsure of what distinguishes one from the other, I will attempt to ease your confusion. Below, I have compiled brief descriptions of the four major movements based on information found in Essential Judaism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs, Customs, and Rituals by George Robinson. You’ll get the gist.
Reform Judaism
The roots of what is now called Reform Judaism began to sprout during the Enlightenment period in Europe, specifically in France and Germany. Tolerance of Judaism spread throughout the Christian world as an increasing number of people abandoned Catholic and Christian dogma in favor of viewing the world through the lenses of rationality and reason. During this period, many Jews sought to transform their heritage and religious traditions by “rethinking the relationship between Judaism and modernity.”
Early Reform Jews developed several ideologies that differed greatly from Orthodox practitioners.
- Viewed Judaism as an evolving belief system rather than as a collection of historically-mandated rules.
- Reduced the frequency of services to once a week rather than several times a week.
- Began incorporating instrumental music into prayer recitation.
- Emphasized the Shm’a as the most important prayer over the Amidah (traditional considered the most significant).
- Conducted services almost entirely in vernacular languages rather than Hebrew.
- Replaced masculine language with more gender-neutral language to describe God in the Siddur (prayer book).
- Encourage individuals to personally explore their faith outside of the synagogue environment.
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism is best described as the “middle-ground” movement between Orthodox and Reform. Zacharias Frankel, the movement’s founder, was dissatisfied with Orthodox Judaism because it rejected the scientific study of religious texts and disliked Reform Judaism because it denounced Jewish nationalism and dismissed certain mitzvot (commandments or laws) deemed irrelevant to the modern world.
The movement struggled to construct a solid foundation in Europe, but Eastern European Jewish immigrants welcomed Conservative Judaism (previously referred to as “historical" Judaism) in the United States. By marrying modernity with traditional practice, the Conservative movement gained popularity in the years following World War II and is now the biggest branch of Judaism in America.
Over the course of its growth and development, Conservative Judaism gradually opened doors to women that allowed them to participate in many of important rituals that were previously executed exclusively by men.
- 1955: Allowed women to read Torah.
- 1973: Permitted women to be counted as members of the minyan (name used to describe the members of a congregation who are allowed to recite Torah at a service).
- 1983: Allowed women to attend Rabbinical and Cantorial school.
Today, Reform and Conservative Jewish practice are similar in many ways. Ultimately, both movements are rejected by the Ulta-Orthodox rabbinate in Israel and must continue to fight for recognition as Jews in the state.
Modern Orthodoxy
Prior to the Enlightenment, the designation of “Orthodox” Judaism did not exist; all strands of Judaism would have been classified using today’s definition of Orthodoxy. However, as more liberal Jewish ideologies gained popularity and momentum, Jews dedicated to continuing traditional practice were forced to call themselves “Orthodox” Jews.
To most Orthodox Jews, the Reform movement threatened to demolish the very foundations of Jewish practice that had been fostered and preserved for centuries. Though less extreme, Conservative Judaism’s emphasis on scientific understanding likewise caused grave concern. With the gradual encroachment of modernity, Orthodox Jews were left with two choices: withdraw from modern society, or reluctantly accept only the aspects of modernity that aligned with their traditional beliefs and practices.
After over a century of adaptation and survival, Modern Orthodoxy has emerged as the mainstream form of contemporary yet traditional Jewish practice. It can be characterized by the following elements:
- Believe in general participation in modern culture and society
- Academic study alongside Jews from other denominations as well as their own.
- Pro-Zionist philosophy
- Compliance with basic Jewish religious-legal rules (mitzvot).
So there you go! I encourage you to explore each sect and figure out which one is right for you. Shalom :)
#Judaism#sects within Judaism#Jewish practice#Reform Judaism#Shwayder camp#Conservative#Conversion#conservative Judaism#Orthodoxy#Modern Orthodoxy#Jewish Orthodox#Ultra Orthodox#ZIonism#Rabbinate#Enlightenment#Mitzvot#minyan#Torah
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Table Magazine published a personal narrative today detailing how U.S. Army 2nd Lieutenant Jake Kohlman discovered and explored his Jewish identity through weekly services at Basic Training. Read his story
#military#U.S. Army#Jake Kohlman#Judaism#Jewish Identity#Jaime Pritchard#religion#faith#Jewish services#Torah
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For all of you converts (and born-Jews too!): This is a letter explaining why converts are important to the revitalization and even survival of Judaism. On your path, you will struggle from time to time to figure out your place in the Jewish community. Read this letter, print it out, and pin it somewhere you will see it every day. On those days of frustration, take a breather and read the letter again. It will remind you of why your decision to become a Jew matters.
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I have a picture of Jubilee that I got an arts festival, hanging on my bedroom wall.
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For those of you in the Denver area, the Mizel Museum is currently hosting an exhibition called 4,000 Year Road Trip: Gathering Sparks.
The first room in this colorful and interactive exhibit visually explores the holidays on the Jewish calendar through the presentation of heirloom ritual objects donated by Jewish immigrant families that now reside in Colorado. The next projects videotaped autobiographies of Jews, from Holocaust survivors to Sephardic Jewish refugees living in South America. Through each room you travel, learning bits of information about Jewish history and cultural heritage.
Moral of the story: even museums can serve as excellent guides on your exploration of Judaism. Look for one in your city!
Mizel Museum
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"The convert is dearer to God than Israel. When the nation assembled at the foot of Mount Sinai, Israel would not have accepted the Torah without seeing the thunders and the lightning and the quaking mountain and hearing the sound of the shofar. Whereas the proselyte, without a single miracle, consecrated himself to the Holy One, praised be He, and puts upon himself the yoke of the kingdom of heaven. Can anyone be deemed more worthy of God's love?"
-Tanhuma Buber
#jewish convert#judaism#conversion to Judaism#tanhuma buber#tanchuma buber#Israel#God's love#proselyte
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Celebrating Shabbat, or the Sabbath, is central to Jewish living. As a Jew-by-choice, unlearning old habits acquired from my secular/atheist upbringing has been a unique challenge. I can most accurately compare the experience to training for a marathon when you have never run in your entire life. Over the summer, I worked at a Jewish summer camp where I discovered this book. A Day Apart is an entertaining and enlightening guide to all of the blessings, rituals and practices traditionally used to honor the Sabbath. Whether you are celebrating solo or with your Jewish friend/lover/spouse, this book with provide you with every exercise you need to get in shape for Shabbat.
#Shabbat#celebrating Shabbat#Shabbos#Sabbath#Jewish conversion#converting to Judaism#Shabbat at Home#A Day Apart#Noam Sachs Zion#Shawn Fields-Meyer
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Looking to learn more about Hasidic Judaism? In her new series, Oprah's Next Chapter, Oprah Winfrey visits Hasidic Jewish families in Brooklyn, New York to learn more about their culture and way of life. For more videos, photographs and information about her journey, click this link
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As a potential convert, it is important to educate yourself about issues that face the Jewish community today. Tablet Magazine is a fantastic online magazine dedicated to publishing articles and editorials that discuss Jewish news, politics, art, culture, religion, entertainment and more. Read one woman's first-person account detailing her experience learning the art of Torah Chanting
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Welcome Journeymen and Journeywomen! Deciding that you are interested in converting to Judaism is the first step on your path to it! Before we can begin our tour, you will need a guidebook! Choosing a Jewish Life by Anita Diamant is a great resource for any Jew-to-be. This was the first book I bought when I decided to convert. Diamant describes every step of the way, from choosing a Rabbi to study with and helping you prepare for each stage of conversion, to dealing with family conflict and living your first year as a Jew. Enjoy!
#Choosing a Jewish Life#Anita Diamant#Jewish conversion#converting to Judaism#Jewish books#Jewish life
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Your tour guide and Jew-in-training, Jaime Pritchard.
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