Tradition part of Jewish Passover
Believers of the Jewish faith fall among several branches, or movements, including orthodox, reform and conservative followers. As the oldest, still-thriving monotheistic religion, the traditions and culture are well-established. At Utah State, Judaism is practiced on many levels by a variety of students and faculty.
AJ Grovert, a doctoral intern for Counseling and Psychological Services is a Reform Jew, which she described as the most liberal branch of Judaism. After finishing her master’s degree at Pacific University in Oregon, she found the Jewish community in Utah to be smaller, but equally as strong as in other regions.
“Because it is so small, they want to keep it alive. It is very strong and well-connected,” she said. “Spirituality is important, but more important to me is the sense of community and tradition. I am involved with this vibrant and thriving community that has been around for thousands of years and has survived everything.”
When completing rituals, Grovert said she knows she is doing the same thing Jews have done throughout history.
“Being a part of it is being a part of something that is bigger than me,” Grovert said.
She said the closest synagogue to Cache Valley is located in Ogden, Utah, and most Jews in northern Utah live in or near the area.
As a Reform Jew, Grovert said she chooses which traditions and rituals to follow based on their personal significance. During Passover, which begins this year on April 18, she said she will try to follow the kosher diet. She said the diet consists of solely unleavened bread called matzo, excludes pork and shellfish and requires meat and dairy to be eaten at separate meals.
Grovert said Passover commemorates the story of Exodus when the slaves escaped from Egypt. The name Passover, or Pesach, symbolizes when the spirit of God passed over the homes of the faithful Israelites who marked their doors with lamb’s blood, Grovert said.
During Seder, a ritual dinner beginning the Passover, she said Jews celebrate their ancestors freedom from slavery. She said they read from the Haggadah, which contains the retelling of Exodus along with songs, rituals and traditions.
“It’s a way to feel more connected to your spiritual ancestors,” Grovert said.
At the end of the Seder, she said the youngest child in the room would open the door symbolically to let in the prophet Elijah. They also leave a cup of wine for him; and in more liberal Jewish homes, she said they would also leave a cup of water for Moses’ sister Miriam who always could find water whilst wandering in the desert.
During the meal, she said, “Everyone is supposed to slouch because free people are allowed to slouch.”
Grovert said there are four blessings said over wine throughout the meal.
Passover is the most observed Jewish holiday in the U.S., even more so than Hanukkah, Grovert said.
The main difference religiously and doctrinally between Judaism and Christianity surrounds Jesus, whom Grovert said Jews consider to have been a great person, but did not meet all the requirements of the scripturally-described messiah.
“Mostly we consider him a good man, a good teacher, a good rabbi,” she said.
According to Jewish beliefs, the Messiah’s coming would invite a golden age to Earth and she said, “It doesn’t feel like the golden age; there is still suffering in the world.”
For some Jewish students at USU, the non-existence of a local synagogue makes regular service attendance difficult. Brianna Limb, a freshman in deaf education, does not currently attend synagogue services because of the distance and said she also still practices Mormonism.
Limb was raised in a Mormon household, but said she began questioning the faith and “fell in love” with the Judaic faith. Limb follows the Messianic movement of Judaism, which she said technically falls under the Reform branch.
She explained the differences between the branches is in their varying levels of strictness.
“Messianic followers believe that Jesus Christ is the messiah, but they follow the law of Moses because they believe that Christ’s church and higher priesthood was taken with him.” Messianic Jews can be either Orthodox or Reform, Limb said.
She will be celebrating Passover this year and said her faith means a lot to her. She enjoys having two days of religious worship.
Steve Crass, a junior in broadcast journalism, said he also does not regularly attend a synagogue, but was more active in Jewish services when he was younger.
He said if he were to live in a bigger city, he could guarantee it would be easier to practice.
“Judaism thrives in big cities like L.A. or New York,” he said.
Crass, who is a Reform Jew, said he and his sister were not born into the religion, but were given the choice to decide. His mother is not Jewish but his father is, and according to Jewish law, Judaism passes through the mother’s side. He said he went through a similar process to what Christians would call baptism.
“You have a prayer and are emerged in water. You say you will devote yourself to Jewish life,” Crass said.
To acknowledge his faith today, he said he occasionally wears the star of David.
“I accept that I am Jewish. More than my religion, it is my heritage and my culture,” he said.
Crass said he is not looking to marry someone based on if they are Jewish or not, but he would like to raise his children to know the culture and history of Judaism.
“It defines who I am really, I was raised in it and I feel for the people of my heritage,” he said. “There is just this feeling that everybody who is Jewish recognizes, you have this sense of family.”
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