Ever since starting my college career, I've been told that a good journalist puts itself in difficult, or just different, positions. Because I can't be in South Sudan, seeing first hand how this nation has been marred by violence on their independence day due to an inconclusive civil war, or in Rio de Janeiro to write about how the government is planning to control the dangerous favelas and possible terror attacks for the Olympics, I decided to start small explore a relevant subject, religious intolerance, with a simple social experiment.
My social experiment took place at a 3 hour Jew Shabbat. Being a Roman Catholic, the Jewish religious culture is certainly different from mine as it bases itself on another sacred book, the Torah, which slightly differs from the Bible. However, I came to discover that the practices done during the Shabbat, or Day of Rest, were exceedingly similar to the practices done on Sundays at Christian or Catholic Mass.
The evening starts at the Synagogue, where Jews pray for all the good they’ve had throughout the week and take a time to reflect on things they would like to be better at or improve in their lives, concerning not only themselves, but those who surround them. This prayer is instructed and guided by the Rabbi, who is the ‘leader’ of the Shabbat service.
I was informed, when asking for
some background history, that the Rabbi is considered an authority of utmost
importance in Jewish countries as they are in charge of interpreting the sacred
texts that are so vital to the community. In addition, the Rabbi has to be a vastly
studious person as they must not only be fluent in Hebrew, but also test out in
order to be awarded with the ‘Rabbi’ title. After praying and praising God
through hymns and religious songs for about an hour and fifteen minutes, we all
go to Shabbat.
My Jewish friend informed me that during Shabbat, they only ate, as they had already prayed at the Synagogue. However, they must do three blessings: one for the bread, to signify the food, the wine that relates to the drinks, and they wash their hands to thank God for the purity of the water. Shabbat dinner is the most important dinner Jews have in the whole week, as it is the optimum way to thank God for the food they’ve had the whole week, the jobs they have and generally for being blessed.
The food served at Shabbat is considered to be the best food of the week as it is generally made by the wives, who with much effort have collected the best items of food for this special celebration of faith, in addition to bringing the family together to share their blessings and troubles to improve.
In general, the enactment of relationships during Shabbat was extremely similar to what I’m used to. In such a welcoming manner, I was presented to the Rabbi who, with no hesitation, offered me his help and insight on any inquiries I had regarding the practices or prayers.
Everyone was so concerned with making me feel welcome and appreciated, but I was never treated me differently in a bad way because I was a Catholic, per say. During Shabbat, while eating, many came to greet me and asked me how I felt during the evening, which was exceedingly polite of them. They even made sure to let me know that I was welcome to come back anytime I desired.
This experiment was living proof of how humans can coexist despite their differences. The Jewish people at this Shabbat didn't turn their backs to me because I was different, they accepted me as one of their own because of my differences. This simple social experiment disqualified all beliefs that Jewish people are cold, heartless and uptight because of their "harsh" laws. On the contrary, the proved to be loving, attentive individuals with a strong desire of making me feel welcome, further dismissing the unfair characterization they've all endured for most of their lives.
