1)<\/span>\u00a0No two Jews look alike. I know this sounds petty and sophomoric, however going into this month I thought that most\u00a0Jews shared a genetic and therefore physical identity making them appear similar (i.e., Israeli or “New York Jew”). Stereotype is the most common word for this and innocently enough, I fell for it. The truth is that as with any other faith, Jews hail from virtually every ethnic and national background. This stems from the long history of the Jewish Diaspora where their influence planted cultural, ethnic, and religious roots around the globe. Just in my short tenure as an honorary Jew, I sat in synagogue congregations as diverse as America itself, with Jews speaking with accents stretching from the deep south, the busy north, and the Holy Land. The moral here is to never stereotype; never judge a book by its cover.<\/p>\n 2) Food,\u00a0family, and faith. To Judaism, these are bonded together\u00a0like the\u00a0three parts of an atom. Dietary laws within<\/a> 3) Judaism is a tradition of\u00a0open debate between man and God. Of the four religions I’ve explored so far, Judaism is the only faith which encourages one to not only openly debate religious texts between one another, but to question the divine. This is a tradition that dates back to the patriarch of the Jewish people, Abraham, and many other prophets and popular Jewish historical figures who argued with God without shame. This relationship often reminds me of that between a growing teen and their parents where the teen is almost expected to rebel while the parent patiently awaits their illumination. Judaism holds a deep tradition of rabbinic and lay debate over the Talmud and its commentaries, thus creating a crucible through which students of Torah and Talmud come through the other side\u00a0trained in the art of reason, debate, and a secure knowledge of their faith. This aspect of Judaism offered me great comfort, for it seems that among Jews throughout history–no matter the ordeal–the existence of God is so ingrained and part of their cultural DNA, that it’s almost taken for granted and therefore this close relationship between God and his people allows such a dialogue.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n What I Would Change<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n I will always come away from each month wishing I could have done and seen more. My Mentor, Michael J. Solender\u00a0and his wife Harriet, provided a wonderful foundation at the beginning of the month. Without their help and the experiences they provided, I would not have the insights I have into the Jewish faith and its people today. That being said, it is important to understand what community means in Jewish culture. In fact, I would be surprised to ever find a Jew in isolation. Generations of Diaspora meant finding refuge within a mobile community for security and comfort. I certainly felt this\u00a0during the month with constant contact via email and phone with my Mentor and the Jewish members of the Project Conversion Facebook page<\/a>. I wish I could have spent more time in a synagogue and therefore will purpose to spend more time with different faith communities going forward.<\/span><\/p>\n My advice to anyone considering Judaism as their faith is to immediately find a local shul\u00a0or synagogue and link up with the congregation there. Also, talk with your family. Becoming Jewish is no simple matter of saying a few lines of creed or faith and you magically become a Jew. Many aspects of your life change. Indeed, when becoming a Jew, you aren’t simply converting to a faith, you’re becoming part of a global family.<\/span><\/p>\n What I’ll Take With Me<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n This really is a physical and spiritual journey. I spent the last Shabbat hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains with my brother-in-law and it was on this day trip that the journey aspect of Project Conversion really hit home. We eventually came to the end of the trail and decided to explore the less-traveled portion of the mountain. This decision led to more difficult hiking, however the beautiful sights, sounds, and discoveries made the sweat and bruises worth while. In many ways, Project Conversion is the same. Each month is like a new path which invites me to explore\u00a0at every turn. Sometimes I rediscover aspects of the faith I never fully appreciated before. One of these\u00a0is Shabbat.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/projectconversion.com\/2011\/04\/challah1.jpg\")
<\/a>\u00a0Judaism (kashrut) and specific foods used to honor holidays create a unique culinary tradition among the Jews which permeate\u00a0everyday life. Food is the centerpiece of family ties and therefore a Jewish kitchen itself becomes hallowed ground where recipes are argued over, modified, and guarded like Talmud (Jewish religious law and commentary).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n