Confirmation Tomorrow

Tonight is a very special night for me because I am getting confirmed into the Jewish faith. You know, the original plan, the one made before I was born, was to raise me as a Jewish kid for 13 years, and then drag me off into Christianity. My parents were so sure that it would work perfectly. Uh, no. Just so you know, you can’t raise anyone Jewish and expect them to leave the religion. So, I’m here, a full 3 years after I was supposed to be, getting confirmed into this faith of Reform Judaism that is so perfect for me.
I would like to affirm that yes, Judaism is the right faith for me, for three reasons. First, I love Judaism for its community. You know, when I was young and naïve, a li’l 12 year old, I had big plans… And I decided to do a concert for my bat-mitzvah project. When I first started trying to get it off the ground, I truly thought that it wouldn’t go anywhere. But around me the Jewish community rallied to help me complete my goal. I was really impressed at how much money people were willing to give to help others, and how much time they were willing to spend making sure I stayed sane and on task. It was my first experience with the Jewish community, and it showed me just how lucky I am to be part of this temple.
Second, being Jewish if fun! I remember when I participated in Kol yafeh, the temple teen choir, and we had a complete blast learning about Jewish principles and singing about them. Our favorite, Open, had the lyrics, “Open my eyes to truth, open my hands to give freely…” and so on. I’m sure if we gathered some Kol Yafeh choir members together we could pull off an impromptu performance of it. These values of acceptance, tikkun olam, and love that were instilled in me taught about the tolerance and giving spirit that we have here at this temple, and they were fun to learn.
Third, I firmly believe in the values that Judaism teaches. Judaism is about tolerance, giving freely, praying to God, and basically just doing good stuff for the world. We as Jews are taught to respect other religions, no matter whom they worship. It doesn’t sound that great, but believe me, there are intolerant religions out there, and we’re lucky to be a part of something that encourages love, not disgust. We give freely. I always love it when people at this temple come together to give as much as they can to help someone in need. It’s like a tidal wave of charity. Plus, reform Judaism is about God. This is what I like best about Judaism’s values. God is one, not one in three, not fifty million, and God will listen and love you no matter what. It’s great to have an open ear anywhere and anytime. We also have the concept of Tikkun olam, or “repair the world.” I love this too because I’m a big fan of green efforts, and this is the category where that would fall.
Maybe Judaism should even be one of those things you can list on your college application as an extracurricular activity, because it embodies a lot of charity groups and involves a lot of responsibility. Since my bat-mitzvah, I’ve experienced all these things first hand in getting involved with some of the projects we’ve done here, like the talent show that took place a couple weeks ago.
So Judaism has the gift of community, it’s fun, and it teaches good values. I think that’s more than enough reason for me to remain Jewish, and indeed I will continue my Jewish education for the rest of my life. I think there’s really only one question left to ask before I complete my confirmation. “Is this good for the Jews?”

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