Running head: DIFFERENCE INTERVIEW

Difference Interview

Ashley Frederick University of Central Florida

DIFFERENCE INTERVIEW I interviewed Steven Miller, a Jewish nuclear engineer program candidate for the U.S.

Navy. Before the interview began, he was engrossed in reading a National Geographic magazine.

What exactly is your religious background?

My dad is Jewish, but my mom is Jehovah witness.

What were your family dynamics like growing up?

Growing up, my mom was never baptized as a Jehovah witness, so we celebrated Christmas until 1994, where we switched to Judaism. We celebrated Hanukkah until I moved out of my parents house, when I stopped practicing in 2012.

Since your parents come from very different religious backgrounds, how did they get along?

Well, it was the 1970's and 1980's, so they smoked lots of pot.

Previously, you told me your parents were divorced. Was it because of their religious differences?

No, they drifted apart. My dad got laid off. It was wrongful termination, so he wanted to sue them. He lost the lawsuit due to some minor write-up from years ago, but he lied about it to my mom. My mom was very hopeful about the lawsuit. It was many communication errors that lead to their separation.

DIFFERENCE INTERVIEW What religious holidays and traditions did you practice while you still were practicing?

I had my bar mitzvah. I celebrated Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Hanukkah. As for knowing Hebrew, I only practiced the part I had to say from the Torah for my Bar mitzvah.

I know you grew up with your older brother, is his religion Judaism? He's actually a Pagan Greek Pantheon now. He worships Zeus, despite the fact he had the same upbringing as me.

What made your brother go to Paganism?

I believe my brother didn't have a good connection to Judaism. He's been studying and been into Greek and Roman history his entire life and feels more passionate about it than Judaism. He's actually currently majoring in Archeology at University of North Florida.

Do you still identify as a Jew? To an extent, yes out of respect to my father. I believe the Gods of old are personification of our deity. I believe that every being, is in effect, a personification of God. We are a result of the universe wanting to see what it has done and how far it can go.

How did your parents go about the divorce process?

DIFFERENCE INTERVIEW They are currently separated. They are together for convenience, more of friends that talk on occasion, but they no longer love each other.

When did they separate?

October 2012.

How do you feel about it?

It sucks, but I'm not surprised. I saw it coming.

What's the difference between a synagogue and Christian church?

I've never been in a Christian church service, but in a synagogue, there's usually more than one person up on the stage, with lots of prayer and chanting, and they blow the Shofar on special occasions.

What is the purpose of a Yamaka?

It is a Jewish mans affirmation that humans are separate from God, and that there is a very distinct separation between God and humanity.

How do you feel about World War 2?

Hitler is a scumbag. He wanted to expedite the Jews, but the other countries didn't want them either, so he exterminated them.

What are the different branches, or styles, of Judaism?

DIFFERENCE INTERVIEW There are three different types of Jews: Orthodox Jew, Conservative Jew, and

Reform Jew. The orthodox Jew wears the head gear and has a beard, conservative Jew only wears headgear to church only, and a reform Jew respects and likes Judaism, but they eat non-kosher food like bacon.

What does being Jewish mean to you?

To me, it's culture and history. It's identity because being Jewish means that our people have been shit on for the past 2,000 years. We are still around and we're still going strong. The reason why we've been shit on is because we tend to do really well. We know our history and knowledge cannot be taken from us. We, as a people, are resourceful.

Not being of Judaism belief, I thought (society taught me) all Jews were supposed to be wealthy. How has that stereotype impacted you?

I came from a lower middle class family, but people thought I was rich. I was even told to my face that the person thought I was a filthy rich Jew. Not all Jews are rich; it's a fact of life. Many try to make the best decisions and it doesn't always work out. Most, in fact, are just getting by in America - just like everyone else.

Is there anything you would like to share with me that we have not covered?

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I do not eat Kosher, but I do not like most pork products. However, I do like to eat bacon and pepperoni. My favorite kosher foods are challah bread, Nova-lox, and Gefilte fish. The Gefilte fish needs to be in the sweet jelly sauce or I will not touch it.

At the end of the interview, Steven stated that he considers himself a new age reform Jew because he's not a good Jew. Good Jew being one who practices and is traditional in the Judaism ways. According to Wertheimer, Each Jew is empowered to invent his own version of Judaism via a personal journey through many different forms of engagement and disengagement (2012). Even though Steve thinks he's not a good practicing Jew, he still is a good Jew. He acknowledges and accepts the Judaism ways and he takes his influence from his religion, along with aspects of other religions that he likes, to make his own form of Judaism which is exactly what he is suppose to do. He personalized his religion and is not afraid to share it with others.

The main cultural part of Judaism that Steve identifies the most with is the rich history of his people and the religion as a whole. Jews have the most interesting history of any religion, mostly because of all the hardships and obstacles they faced. They never lost their faith; even when all hope seem to be lost. All of the histories and cultural knowledge has been handed down from generation to generation, as well as in the Tanakh. Professor Simon states that the Tanakh teaches biblical values to everyone, it just needs to be adapted to appeal and to be comprehended by people of modern day society. He recognizes that every generation is different and not everything will be translated easily into the future society (Regev, 2007).

In the interview, Steve stated that most Jews are affluent in skills. As general history has taught us, this is affluence is usually with money. This stereotype is being influenced by things such as The Diary of Ann Frank, whose father was a banker. However, not all Jews are good

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with money. Sadly, Steve's house got foreclosed on due to his father losing his job. Even though the American Jewish community is one of the most successful religious communities in the world, one fourth of their population are in, or near poverty (Mendes, 2006). This is due to the fact that most Jews are middle class and the economy is currently in a recession. Poverty has a different effect on Jews than on any other religion. Being practicing Jew cost money. They are expected to visit Israel at least once in their life, eat kosher foods, join a synagogue, and enroll their children in a Judaism school. Jews that cannot afford certain religious luxuries are excluded from participation from the community and are socially marginalized.

During the interview with Steve, I realized how little I knew about Judaism. Everything I did know I learned from a previous teacher, classmates, books and television. Everyone's view and experience with Judaism is different; that thought never occurred to me. I thought they all did the same things at the same time. I did not realize that there were different types of Judaism, like there are different branches of Christianity. Not everyone is a hardcore Christian, just like not all Jews are orthodox. Steve and I know each other fairly well, but we have never talked about religion before this interview. It did not matter to our friendship. Plus, religion is a very personal thing and no one wants their beliefs to be infringed upon by another person, especially a person of a different faith. Lum states, Positionality is self-reflection on who you are, where you have come from, and where you are headed as a diverse person. It is the continuous discovery and rediscovery of your place in life (2011). I never realized how much my own beliefs have shaped me as a person and my cultural references until I started this interview. I asked him what the differences between a church service and a synagogue service was and he could not tell me because he has never been to a Christian service, just like I have never attended a service held in the synagogue. I have never considered myself a religious person, but after this interview, I

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discovered that I am religious and my beliefs are my own. The biggest thing I have learned from the interview is that people can attend the same place of worship, but can still have a different set of beliefs and values.

As for the Judaism culture, I feel like I can understand their religious point of view more. Their religion is intense with all the different holidays and the different traditions that accompany each holiday. There are fasts, feasts, readings done in Hebrew, and eating certain foods on certain days. Steve did not realize how intense it was until I pointed it out. His exact words were It's pretty hardcore, after listing everything he could think of that involves the entire culture of Judaism.

I have always been aware of the struggles and obstacles Jews have faced since the first time I learned about the Holocaust by reading Ann Frank. Their history is loaded with loss, triumph, and many instances of injustice. They have always made do with what they are given and make the best of it. It is so inspiring and wonderful how they have come from such a long way of being slaves and exterminated to being one of the wealthiest marginalized groups in the United States; however, they are still an oppressed group around the world (Soifer, 1991).

The only thing I found difficult to comprehend this religion is the fact that it is a culture. It has its own language, food preference, specific activities and toys, as well as many traditions for many different holidays. Coming from a Christian background, I have no idea if I could handle learning another language for the sake of understanding the bible more concisely. I do not think I could eat kosher and never eat pork again. I feel like Judaism makes Christianity seem lazy. The other thing that made it difficult to understand this culture is the extreme lack of research of Jews in the United States. It was difficult to find these few articles that were based on

DIFFERENCE INTERVIEW American Jews. Since they are a marginalized group and face everything just like other populations, there needs to be more research.

The areas I related to the most were the flexibility of the religion. It does not force you to choose a branch, or a specific bible version like some Christian churches do. Judaism encourages everyone to make their own version of the religion that appeals to that specific individual. Technically, I am not from one specific branch of Christianity, and I honestly could not tell you the differences between a Baptist and a Protestant church, or any of the other church branches there are. The fact that Judaism lets you pick and chose, per se, is wonderful. They recognize that everyone wants to worship, just not in the traditional way or maybe people have different values that are not incorporated into the religion. I appreciate that this particular religion is aimed at pleasing the believers.

Overall, my knowledge of Judaism has expanded greatly. My knowledge of my own religion and belief system has also been brought up to my consciousness. I never thought of myself as religious before this paper, but now I see how it has shaped me as a person, a woman, a friend, a fellow human being and a future social worker.

DIFFERENCE INTERVIEW References

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Lum, D. (2011). Culturally competent practice: A framework for understanding diverse groups and justice issues (4th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson/Brooks-Cole.

Mendes, P. (2006). Not an oxymoron: Jews and poverty today. Social Alternatives, 25(3), 50-54.

Regev, U. (2007). Justice and power: A Jewish perspective. European Judaism, 40(1), 148-164.

Soifer, S. (1991). Infusing content about Jews and about anti-semitism into the curricula. Journal of Social Work Education, 27(2), 156-167.

Wertheimer, J. (2012). The ten commandments of America's Jews. Commentary, 133(6), 35-40

DIFFERENCE INTERVIEW Addendum 1. What exactly is your religious background? 2. What were your family dynamics like growing up? 3. Since your parents come from very different religious backgrounds, how did they get along? 4. Previously, you told me your parents were divorced. Was it because of their religious differences? 5. What religious holidays and traditions did you practice while you still were practicing? 6. I know you grew up with your older brother, is his religion Judaism? 7. What made your brother go to Paganism? 8. Do you still identify as a Jew? 9. How did your parents go about the divorce process? 10. When did they separate? 11. How do you feel about it? 12. What's the difference between a synagogue and Christian church? 13. What is the purpose of a Yamakkah? 14. How do you feel about World War 2? 15. What are the different branches, or styles, of Judaism? 16. What does being Jewish mean to you?

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17. Not being of Judaism belief, I thought (society taught me) all Jews were supposed to be wealthy. How has that stereotype impacted you? 18. Is there anything you would like to share with me that we have not covered?