Welcome to Gaia! ::

Not me, that's for sure... And if you could, change the thread's title to something with meaning, not just "hello".

Former lubavitchers.

Had a ecumenical meltdown in 1996. (remember I'm 30)

And by ecumencial meltdown I mean something happened that made me feel that judiasm as a faith and as a religion had up and turned its back on me at a time when I really really needed it.

I cast off the burdens and obligations of judiasm. Even going so far as to consume a bacon double cheese burger on Yom Kippor.

Yeah that lasted for about 5 or 6 years.

Now I've made my peace with G-d and what it is to be a jew.

Now my practice is one of Transitional Non-Congregational Judiasm. I call it Reconservodox Judiasm.

I figure if all the sects of Judiasm had their own interpretations and their own priorities to what it is to be jewish, why couldn't I?

That's why I read the talmud, I read the main body, not the interpretative margins. I made my own decisions about everything and figured what my priorities were.

I'm not Lubavitch myself, but one of my dearest friends is Lubavitch. They're an Ashkenazi-based movement, though you'll find non-Ashkenazim among them as well. They focus on outreach -- not trying to get non-Jews to become Jewish, but trying to get Jews to see the beauty and value in their own heritage, and maybe increase their observance just a little bit. Good folks.

People think of Lubavitch and other Chasidic groups as "the Jewish version of the Amish" because as a whole, they tend to dress very modestly, to the point that many look similar to either Amish or to fundamentalist Mormons. The men tend to wear dark suits (though not in all branches of Chasidism) and black hats; the women tend to wear dark dresses that disguise their figures so as to be deliberately unenticing (though again, the colors and styles vary from group to group).

The difference comes with the relationship to technology. The Amish way is that they don't accept new technology unless (1) it can save a life, such as those who have a genetic illness that requires them to sleep under blue (electric) lighting, or (2) they've examined and discussed all possible ramifications and have agreed that the use of the technology by their entire community will not weaken the family structure or the faith of the individual.

Lubavitch and other Chasidic groups don't mind the use of technology, for the proper ends. You'll see Lubavitchers with cellphones -- for calling the rabbi with questions, for checking up on their relatives, for calling just before sundown on a Friday to wish their families a good Shabbos. You'll see them with iPods, and if you ask, they'll tell you that they're listening to a famous rabbi give a shiur (a talk on some aspect of Jewish law) or maybe the latest by Matisyahu. They'll use air conditioners, television sets (for watching the news; and some won't have these at all because there are so many programs or commercials that don't conform to the laws on modesty), microwaves, computers (mostly for their businesses, or for emailing family, or for researching and discussing points of Talmudic law with other Jews across the world), electric lights and appliances, and so on. They'll drive cars, though there are a few small branches that prefer that women not drive in a car alone (because of the possibility of carjacking, which is... strict, but actually practical).

I don't recall her saying ugly. I'm almost positive that if you put your mind to it, you can dress modestly and fashionable. Of course, I'm the kind of person who doesn't like putting much effort into to fashion, so my modestly dressed outfit would be pants and a band t shirt with a thermal top underneath. But no, women who are used to dressing frume and who know where to shop, probably have better luck than I looking cute and well put together. Even with a dark color palate....

Well, they dress like that as to not stand out and attract attention to their body form... Though I personally feel that there are better ways to "not stand out", than wearing all black, which happens to be a color which pops out to the eyes in any crowd.

Though of course, they don't stand JUST for modesty, they stand for a whole bunch of things.

It's not that modesty has to mean not standing out. It means not standing out specifically because one has a nice rack, cute backside, or "legs for days," as is said. If you stand out, that's fine, but it should be for something worthwhile. Your body is meant to be kept undefiled, and part of defilement is when strangers can look at it and go "I want to sleep with that person" because they can only see you as a physical entity, or "I'd never sleep with that person" because they see you as only physical, and as not worth the time or energy it would take to get into your pants.

Sometimes blunt honesty is better than skirting around the subject, though. blaugh