Learning from Plurality
Recently, two AVODAH New Orleans Corps members were interviewed for Repair The World’s blog. Repair the World is a website that features service opportunities for Jews of all ages and backgrounds.
Jordan Aiken and Rachie Lewis have had very different experiences with Judiasm. Living together has given them the opportunity to learn from each other, and to learn more about themselves.
The following is excerpted from Lisa Koenig’s interview with Jordan Aiken, who works at the New Orleans Women’s Shelter, and Rachie Lewis, working at the Orleans Public Defenders office.
Avodah Corps members live together over the course of their year of service. What were your first reactions about living with such a religiously diverse group of people?
JA: I was excited about it, but definitely intimidated. I figured that I would be the outsider Jew because I didn’t have a lot of background knowledge. But my housemates, and New Orleans’ larger Jewish community have been super supportive.
RL: Before I got here, I felt like I would have to compromise some Jewish observances to live in this house and play around with standards I’d set over my life. But my mindset has really shifted over the year. I had always let halacha (Jewish law) play the trump card in every situation, but I began to realize that other values and mindsets can also be valid. I’ve gotten so much more out of this experience than I would have if I was on top of every Jewish detail.
I still keep Shabbat pretty strictly, and sometimes spend Shabbat in Metairie (a nearby suburb), where there are conservative and Orthodox shuls. The Avodah house has a pretty diverse range of observances, but Shabbat is on everyone’s radar screen. I like how Jordan talks about a “Shabbat state of mind” – being attuned to it, even if you’re not following the exact laws.
You two have started studying Jewish texts together. How did that come about?
JA: I was interested in exploring what it could mean to have a more permanent Jewish identity, and decided I really wanted a bat mitzvah. I realized this could be the perfect year for it, and asked Rachie if she’d be my teacher.
We started with the Hebrew alphabet and reading through the Torah. At times I felt really frustrated and angry about what we were learning – both because it was unfamiliar, and because I felt there was so much pressure about how I am supposed to react to particular stories. But it’s been fun to work through them with Rachie because she brings an incredible amount of background knowledge, and I bring fresh eyes to the texts. We’ve developed this great, hybridized method of learning the material.
RL: I try to convey to Jordan that I get as much out of the experience as she does. I’ve gone through so much Jewish education that didn’t encourage students to make their own judgments about what they learned. It was this simplistic approach to something that isn’t at all simplistic. Seeing Jordan react to certain stories has helped me realize how deep and sometimes problematic some of the content is. It forces me to step back and think again about the ideas that had been presented to me.
Want to learn more? Read the complete interview here.
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