My grandmother is one of the people that I look up to most in my life. Her lessons are the basis of my beliefs and my actions are modeled on her behaviors. During services, I watch her listen so intently to the prayers. I’m in awe of the way Judaism touches her.
When I had an actual chance to sit down with her to discuss her Jewish life as a child, one thing she said was, “My mom would sing prayers and songs so loudly. When I was young I would wonder why she would do that. Now it’s a blanket.” I now realize that this Jewish pride is truly a special something that cannot be taught. It will naturally be passed down to my children and grandchildren as I carry on the Jewish strength my Buby has shown me.
My Buby came from a family that practiced strong Conservative Jewish beliefs. She refrained from doing work on Shabbat, and went to synagogue regularly. But what allowed for this prominent Jewish spirit was her strong ties to family. Similar to myself, my Buby learned from her parents and grandparents, in order to then teach me. Their strong values of visiting and calling the sick on Shabbat, inviting college students over for the high holidays who had no family to go to, and donating to those in need in Israel when her family had limited money themselves, all reflect the same qualities that I see in my Buby today.
All around me I see a constantly changing Jewish world. Technology advances, Conservative Judaism is taught in different ways, and the overall global culture shifts. One continuity I see, especially in my family and other Jewish families, is the preservation of previous values from past generations. I have followed in the footsteps of my Buby. I try to uphold her values: striving to not only be a good Jew, but a good person.
My Buby told me that Ruach was an important part of her Jewish childhood. “Ruach is something in me that cannot be expressed, it’s just a feeling,” said my Buby. Ruach means “spirit” in English. But there is more to this definition. Ruach is the liveliness that Judaism brings, and that feeling you get when you are dancing with the Torahs on Simchat Torah or singing Israeli songs at the top of your lungs with your friends.
My Buby felt Ruach through the simple aspects of Conservative Judaism. Even merely attending synagogue brought this feeling. Similar to many today, she was part of a youth group that brought the prayers to life and created some of the best times of her Jewish childhood.
Now, I am also part of a USY youth group that creates an indescribable Jewish environment. Even beyond youth groups, I see Ruach rising in new ways. Today, I see the growth of antisemitism and anti-Zionism. But this challenge doesn’t scare me or any other youths my age. In fact, it only makes Jewish spirit even more prominent than it was before. Ruach is now the basis for our strength in times much more daunting than ever.
As my Buby spoke about her Jewish life throughout the years, I noticed that no matter her age or where she was, there was a strong Jewish community that looked out for her. Even though my Buby moved around a lot and attended multiple synagogues, there was always a welcoming community. My Buby taught me that no matter where you are in the world, Judaism will always be nearby. I am constantly reminded of this wisdom, whether it is seeing a fellow community member at the grocery store, or seeing someone wear a kippah in a foreign country on vacation. No matter if it was when my Buby was a child, today, or even hundreds of years into the future, I believe this fact will always be true. Jewish community has been, and will continue to be, ubiquitous.
My conversation with my Buby brought me to an important realization: I am the future. I am the one who gets to decide how I carry on tradition and portray Judaism in the world. As the world changes, I can be the one to make Jewish practices a continuity. Having conversations with grandparents, or observing those older than me is how future generations will allow there to always be at least a small amount of the past in every part of the future.
This essay was submitted as part of Exploring Judaism’s L’Dor V’Dor Essay Contest. To learn more, or submit your own essay, go here.
