Genesis 17:4-9
- As for Me, behold, My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be the father of a multitude of nations.
- Neither shall thy name anymore be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for the father of a multitude of nations have I made thee.
- And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
- And I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee.
- And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
- And God said unto Abraham: And as for thee, thou shalt keep My covenant, thou and thy seed after thee throughout their generations.
The Ingathering Of World Jewry
By
Micaiah Ben Malachi & Makedah Bat Leah
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Reform Jew, Conservative Jew, Orthodox Jew, Reconstructionist Jew, Ashkenazi Jew, Sephardi Jew, Mizrahi Jew, Soviet Jew, American Jew, Israeli Jew, Ethiopian Jew, Caucasus Jew, India Jew, Black Jew, African Jew, White Jew, Asian Jew, Indian Jew, Native American Jew, Jew By Choice, Chabad Jew, Converted Jew, Birth Jew, Secular Jew, Observant Jew. We are all the descendents of Abraham.
According to the estimates for 2007 of the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute, the world population of Jews is 13.2 million.[1] Adherents.com cites figures ranging from 12 to 18 million Jews.[2] These statistics incorporate both practicing Jews affiliated with synagogues and the Jewish community, and approximately 4.5 million unaffiliated and secular Jews. (1)
Many of us came to Judaism because we were drawn to it, like a magnet is drawn to steel. Judaism has given us a sense of Peoplehood, even if many of us have little or no contact with other Jews, attend a house of worship or able to participate in a Jewish community. Makedah and I came to Judaism because we are able to investigate, discuss, ask questions and agree or disagree with one another or other Jews interpretation of various Jewish text, culture or ideas.
Unfortunately, even within such an open and diverse religion, we as Jews, have preconceived notions of what a "true" Jew should looks like, how a "true"Jew should behave, dress and their worship etiquette, even circumcision. There are also many Jews among us who base their recognition of another Jew by skin color, hair color, hair texture, last name and or what branch of Judaism they are affiliated with. Likewise, the Goyim also make the same distinction when deciding who is White enough to be accepted as marriage partners, head most of the Fortune 500 corporations here in America, be their neighbors and even what their grandchildren should look like. There are many false misconceptions about Jews. Some examples are, we have a large "hooked nose", dark curly thick textured hair, olive colored skin, Jewish sounding last names, are dressed in a long black coat which is below the knees and black felt hat and two braids, that young women wear scarves, have lots of money or rich, wearing the Magen Star jewelry; all are supposed to be outward ways of recognizing a Jew in the Goyim world.
The "true" Jews are as diverse as the stars in the night sky. We come from every racial group and nearly every corner of this blue globe we live on. There are those whose have never been inside a synagogue or shul and would not know proper etiquette, which last names might be Campbell, Brown, Johnson or Jones, whose hair might be kinky, wiry, straight or curly. Yes, they might have ivory, light brown, medium brown, dark brown, yellowish skin and any combination of hues that G*d or Grandfather might chose to create. Some of the real or true Jews could have doctorate degrees, bachelor degrees, and high school or GED diplomas. They could be doctors, lawyers, nurses, politicians, social workers, advocates, and cashiers at Wal-Mart, McDonalds or unemployed. But they are all Jews. They have always been Jews since the beginning of time. It was man who chose to separate himself from his brothers and sisters of a different hue, not G*d or Grandfather. It was not G*d or Grandfather that caused them to be used as slaves in the past and economic slaves today. There is little we Jews can do about the world of the Goyim. But there is a lot we can do within our own house.
We must embrace those who come to our communities and sincerely wish to be accepted and cherished as members of our communities and houses of worship. We must strip our communities, houses of worship and even leaders of the inherited racism and other "isms" that hinder our growth and respectability. How can we lead the Goyim world, if we are blinded by our own shortcomings? Our Jewish communities are similar to a child. They begin small but constantly grow over time. Like a child, we must continually learn and evolve. Colorful toys not single color toys keep a child's attention. Yes, there have been many Jewish families adopting interracially and transracially. However, what will happen to these children when they grow up and seek a Jewish partner, a Jewish homelife? Will the doors of acceptance be slammed in their face? Will they become disillusioned because everyone is one hue and they were born another? Will they be made to feel less Jewish because they facially do not resemble the culturally accepted norms of what a Jew is to look like? Will they feel ashamed of the texture and or color of their hair? If we are to continue to survive as a "people", then we must stop classifying and begin unifying. Both the narrow-minded Jews and Goyim are wrong in what a Jew looks like physically, their manner of dress, their educational level, their income, their knowledge of worship etiquette or whether they are circumcised.
When the next holocaust comes, the killers will not be concerned with outer appearance as before, but rather our public declaration of being Jews. It will not matter if you are a Reform Jew, Conservative Jew, Orthodox Jew, Reconstructionist Jew, Ashkenazi Jew, Sephardi Jew, Mizrahi Jew, Soviet Jew, American Jew, Israeli Jew, Ethiopian Jew, Caucasus Jew, Indian Jew, Black Jew, African Jew, Euro-American Jew, European Jew, Asian Jew, Indian Jew, Native American Jew, Jew By Choice, Chabad Jew, Converted Jew, Born Jew, Secular Jew, Observant Jew or have relatives who are or were Jewish. If we refuse to accept our Jewish brothers and sister at a time of peace, then whom do we depend on in time of war?
Micaiah Ben Malachi
Makedah Bat Leah
Foot Notes
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_population
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