Quaker Universalist Conversations

Queries for October

by Mike Shell

Friends,

In preparation for our October topic of Judaism and Quakerism, here are several queries, ones which we hope both Jewish and non-Jewish readers can consider. You need not answer all or any of them, but perhaps they will suggest an opening for you.

Contact us at blog@universalistfriends.org if you would like to write on this topic.

Candles

  • What do you value of Jewish faith and practice?
  • What role does Quakerism play in your life?
  • What gifts do you believe Jewish faith and practice might offer non-Jewish Quakers?
  • How might you integrate the gifts of Judaism with Quaker faith and practice?
  • What print or online resources do you recommend for Quakers wanting to learn more about Judaism?

Blessings,
Mike

Comments

I value Jewish ritual, its depth of understanding and its embracing of all peoples. I am a Jew who attends Quaker Meeting as an attender in St. Petersburg, FL. And I have done so for close to 15 years. Rabbinic scholarship is something I hold dear as I do over 5700 years of pain, heartache and love. There is much that can be said. Herb Snitzer
I hope Friends will look up my article on Judaism & Quakerism in Western Friend for 5th Month 2011 to see a basic outline of what i see as the similarities and what i value. I am a Jewish Quaker but not a Jew and attend/teach Torah study regularly with a Renewal chevurah. I value the chassidic joy of their worship and creative experiments with worship and prayer/meditation. But most of all i value that study and understanding of the Tradition is valued. I think most liberal Quakers in the last 30 years have been too busy throwing out our distinctive practices and beliefs and have thrown out the baby with the bathwater. Many Quakers reject any attempt to refer to how our ancestors did things and even more WHY they did what they did, the underlying relationship to the Eternal One and the spiritual experience necessary to ground our outreach and activism. With Jews, the understanding and wisdom, adapted to new times, are always present and accepted.
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