Welcome to Gaia! ::

I think that's the big thing- we all have some comfort zones, and we aren't just uncomfortable when pulled out of them. We're Jews. We have to yack about it. And complain about it. And so on, and so forth.
But yes, definitely religious hippies with their guitar. Why'd you go to Sunday school so far away?

We moved 3 hours away to Camarilo because of my Mom's work. We didn't want to leave our synagogue though, so we went to High Holy Days in O.C. and Sunday school at the Hippy Commune.

Only real reason why we joined was because my Mom wanted us to have a religious education.

Jyu: cool

Sure, it's just not what you're used to. who knows, I might be right at home there.

At our shul there are two services held an orthodox and a refrom plus progressive. I attend the progressive and personally the only reason I feel uncomfortable in the orthadox service is because there is usually a bunch of women talking all through the service. I have to say there isn't much talking in our services. I might add that we don't have musical instraments either.

There are deffinitely different levels of reform. I didn't really think of this until just now, but the temple I used to go to was way too liberal for me. Guitars, finger snapping during prayer, 5 minutes sermons, the Rabbi encouraging people to go out and get people to convert *shudder*.
The congregation I go to now is also reform, but it's on a whole other level. As far as instruments go, we have an piano, and on special occassions there is a member who plays the violin. She is quite amazing, and I feel she adds to the service, rather than takes away from it. It's quite beautiful.
The Rabbi gives amazing sermons. Unlike the previous one, who barely touched on ideas, this Rabbi tends to go into exquisite depth (and he tends to go way over his allotted time^^)
And the people there are amazing^^ They're well informed, and very intelligent. Everyone contributes to the Torah study, and they always have very interesting things to add to the discussion.
But on the flip side, I wouldn't be comfortable at all in an Orthodox service. I've gone to a few when I was a kid, and I felt completely alienated. I just don't think I'd be able to enjoy the service as much. It's all about personal preference. I feel most comfortable in a reform service, but others are most at home at a consrvative or orthodox service. Everyone should worship in a way that feels best to them. What's important is their personal connection with G-d, not their surroundings.
Alright, so yeah, that's my two cents...

o-k.. i consider myself jewish, and i believe in the religion, yet i dont' got to services and i don't really observe the holidays. o.0 so does that not make me jewish?

I'm not entirely sure that's true.

Usually, at least from what I have observed in my own synagogue, if a person was not born to a Jewish mother or raised as a Jew they have to study for a year with a Rabbi and go through a conversion ceremony-type-thing.

Living as a Jew, while it can be a mitzvah, is not always acknowledged as being enough. My father went to services for 12 years, every Shabbat and every High Holiday. Every Purim and Shavuot. He kept kosher and helped my mother to raise my brother and I Jewish. He once told me that on the inside he had stopped thinking of himself as anything other than Jewish, and that converting was just finalizing what had started years before. Still, even with all of that, he was not considered to be Jewish outside of our congregation until he converted.

It wasn't that he wasn't welcome, it was just that for some (like the Orthodox) it is a necessary process. Religion isn't to be taken lightly and should be a commitment.

I'm not entirely sure this all makes sense, so I'm going to fall asleep at my keyboard now. > >;;