I know some Jews have been struggling w/ their attachment to Judaism since Israel launched this war & I've been thinking a lot abt how long Judaism existed before it got tied, seemingly inexorably, to a nation state (which is itself a concept that didn't exist before ~1880). It's about 4000 years.

And ofc, it depends on how you count. Were we rly "Jewish," per se, 4000 yrs ago? Shld we start counting from when we were (first) thrown off our land (~586 BCE) & began our Diaspora? Or when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem (70 CE) & we began to develop rituals & a faith system that can be carried?

Its not struggling with the religion as a whole as much as its struggling with the current Israeli government, the sense of helplessness to resolve a centuries old problem, that neither side seems willing to do, and our genuine feelings for the suffering of the Palestinians

Religion /= Politics Much like the Evangelical Movement in the US doesn't speak for all Christians, the right wing Likud coalition that Benjamin Netanyahu heads does not represent all Jews. It's gas lighting to say that you're Anti Jewish because you don't support what Israel is doing in Giza.

Thank God I learn from very wise Rabbis that Judaism is not Zionism and in fact, Zionism has kidnap Judaism. One thing I know for sure, I will never set foot in Israel any more, just like I never felt like visiting German

Thanks for this, I've been struggling with my faith and finding it really hard to talk about tbh

I like the way you think, Em.

I'm not Jewish and as an SBNR (spiritual but not religious) I'm not personally struggling spiritually. But I get where you're coming from and agree with what you have written in this thread. Spiritually, any and all attachment is self-limiting. Spirituality is unlimited.