Why I Don't Understand Why People Call This Place So Liberal

[debka_notion]

As I was getting my lunch today, Steve comes over to me, takes a look at my shirt, which says "Brandeis University Conservative Organization" on the front and "Hebrew is Gender Specific, BUCO is not" on the back, and says to me "You know, we have a shirt like that for BOO too, only on the back it says 'G-d doesn't hate us'". (BOO is the Brandeis Orthodox Organization.) I tried to joke back something, but I was rather offended. It isn't like this is the first time he's said something offensive to me either: last time it was a whole string of bigotted comments about Indians, Pakistanis, Muslims, Asians and other immigrants. I'm getting to the point where I really want to do something about it, but I'm not really sure what to do. File some sort of complaint to the student senate about religious persecution? It seems a bit ridiculous here, but I'm not sure what else to call this one. Talk to the Orthodox rabbi here? I don't know what he'd do... Ideas?

Comments

[debka-notion.livejournal.com]

I think that's one of those problems one has in any Jewish position on the spectrum. I've had people tell me I didn't have to be Reform if I lived in Israel because I could walk to synagogue there (I could, and did walk to my parents' reform shul at home too). I've had people tell me I should "just tell my parents that I won't use electricity on Shabbat, and let them adjust" when I've told those people that I made some compromises at home because certain things really freaked my parents out. I've had people tell me that they don't understand how I could possibly pray standing next to a man. It isn't just being Orthodox at Brandeis- it's being Jewish with other Jews around. I get plenty of it at Brandeis- not just from this Steve, although ze is about as badly put as it gets: most of the other people are at least trying to be helpful, I *think*.

But the way you put it, I can see what you're saying. I just know that I wouldn't say anything like that, and that I felt attacked by what this person said. I wish we could "all just get along", or at least stop pushing our ideas at each other, and relax that we don't all agree, Jews probably have never all agreed, and leave it at that. Oh well, so much for hope.