Final Reflection

Throughout this blog, I have expanded my understanding and acceptance of Orthodox Judaism, and many of their beliefs. I have a better understanding of why Orthodox Judaism believes the Torah is the word of G-d, and why I cannot be married in the state of Israel. While I wish I could be, and hope to some day be able to, I understand their reasoning for saying my mother’s conversion is not “Orthodox enough.” Also, when I first thought about this blog and the research I would do and understandings I would come to, I did not foresee myself understanding how Jews could be anti-Israel. However, my research has taught why this extremist group believes what they do, and I even found myself relating to many of their beliefs. Overall, I was able to suspend my beliefs throughout my research and gain a better understanding of why Orthodox Jews are as literal as they are. And I feel the most important conclusion that I came to is that Orthodox Jews, specifically the ones I encountered in my first trip to Israel, do not feel superior to me. I appreciate their believes just as they appreciate my dedication to my view of Judaism.