Perhaps you have an idea for a project or program that you would like to make a reality. Or maybe you've noticed a problem in your community that you would love to solve. You've been toying with this for some time, wondering about it, but never taking action. Maybe you've been complaining about it quietly but not wanting to take a Or you're just not sure the problem can ever be solved. I say anything you can imagine is possible, and the time has come for you to make a difference.
On February 13-15, 1998, I led the first Am Echad: One People Conference. For want of a better term, we named it a "pluralism conference." In reality, it was a "pluralistic" conference, bringing together students from across the Jewish spectrum. For three days they got to know one another, learned from one another, and overcome barriers that often separate us. We discussed, we listened, we davened, and we learned. We did it together, in settings that sometimes made us uncomfortable. We strained not to offend each other. We developed relationships with Jews whom we had never known before, and it was truly wonderful.
Four days after this conference, I am proud, exhausted, and a little lost wondering what I will focus my attentions on next. Part of me is a little disappointed about one or another program that didn't go exactly as planned. Other parts of me can't wait to do something like this again. I know how much I've learned from my experience. I think stepping outside of oneself to create something really great is something everyone should experience more often. You get to do something amazing, while also doing something you love.
I decided to create the Am Echad conference after reflecting upon my own unique experiences. I have spent time with variously identified Jews, without really forming an allegiance to any one group. Raised "Reform," I spent many hours in a Hebrew School learning the Reform perspective on Jewish life. In high school, I joined the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization and did all my davening in "Creative" services. In college, I began attending "Conservative" services and studying with an "Orthodox" study partner. I met these Jews, learned about and from them, and discovered a saddening sense of animosity between them.
I learned several things from these experiences. First, I rapidly became fed up with labels. "What kind of Jew are you?" What a frustrating question, especially when you don't have an answer. Besides, I soon found that the labels meant little, at least in the university world. A "Conservative" female student could read from the Torah Saturday morning and be completely observant of the Sabbath (including not driving). An "Orthodox" male student could attend morning minyan three times a week and do math homework on Rosh HaShanah. A "Reform" female student could balk at long skirts but pray from the siddur every morning.
Labels not only distorted people's identities; they were also dangerous. When "Reform" Jews are discussed‹politely or bitterly‹at Sabbath lunch in an "Orthodox" home, every "Reform" Jew is given a classification that might not refer to her. The same is true when "Orthodox" Jews are discussed at a "Reform" Friday night service. If we were only Jews, we could set the labels aside and talk to one another. We could be friends. Why should we argue using labels that don't mean anything anyway?
Slowly, I started thinking about the alternative. After all, Jews haven't always been so disunited. Even when we disagreed philosophically, there were times when we were still able to share a community. If we got past the labeling, the name-calling, the stereotyping, and the distance between Jews of every "type," what could we do today? I wondered. What would be possible for us as Jews?
I believe that a unified Jewish community could do almost anything. Jews are no longer the persecuted group held back by our difference from the outside world. We are now free to make a difference in the world. Free both to meet the great challenges that face the Jewish community‹like conversion laws, paternal descent, and the Israeli Peace Process‹and to solve the great problems in the world, such as poverty, hunger, and environmental damage. There's almost no limit to what a united Jewish team could do in the world today. I believe in our power as a people. That is why I planned the Am Echad conference. This is my stand for the Jewish future.
I'm writing today to encourage you to take the plunge. Design a program that will create possibilities for the world that never existed before. Plan something that speaks to your innermost desires, whether it's a conference on Jewish environmentalism, a series on intermarriage, or a fantastic birthday party for the state of Israel. If you would like to plan an Am Echad conference, go for it! If you want more information, contact me at evonne@jhu.edu. If you are more interested in a different program, take action and do it. It may take a lot of effort, but it could also be one of the most exciting experiences of your life.
Evonne Smitt is currently a senior at the Johns Hopkins University