Oct 7 2024
My Yom Kippur service is not like everyone else's, because my brand of Judaism isn't.
It is one influenced by the journey of Africans before and after our own kidnapping.
It is one that helps me connect with my ancestors and their struggles.
It is one that gives me a way to make sense of the world and the community that I live in, instead of despairing in it and hating G-d for it.
It is how I know G-d is real and always present, no matter where I am or what I'm doing.
My Judaism isn't just a culture or a religion, it's a way of life.
So nope. You're not going to get a completely traditional service out of me; because, there is nothing traditional about my life or my experiences as a Jew who is Black in this country.
There will be portions that are traditional and recognizable to other Jews, but some parts that will be new. Just like in our everyday lives. There are some things we have in common, but in other ways we are foreign to each other. And that's fine.
I've spent my whole life learning how to be Jewish like everyone else, and a year to understand I don't have to be.
Judaism belongs to me and Jews like me as much as it does anyone else. I've done it the "right way", for long enough.
Now it's time that I do it my way.
See you on the block!
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