“We felt Rabbi Stanton has brought a lot of gifts to the congregation, but we felt she wasn’t a good fit for the direction we’re going,” board president Samantha Pilot told the Forward.

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But it’s not a Sephardic/Ashkenazic thing. And Jade, if you come across an unfriendly community, find another one – or better yet, stick it out and help change people’s ignorant pre-conceived notions of what it means to be a Jew!

As for Rabbi Stanton’s ordination, I think it’s wonderful. I hope she is being well-received in her community. G-d knows I have not been.

Being Jewish is multi-faceted. There is Jewish culture, Jewish history, Jewish religion, Jewish identity, Jewish lineage, etc. All of those make up different parts of being jewish.

Ultimately, to be a Jew (religion) means to accept the three covenants between man and god. The first god made with Noach and it is the promise to be a good human: don’t steal, don’t kill, etc. The second was between god and abraham to love and live in Israel and the third between god and moses to keep the torah.

If you do not accept these three then you are a great a fine person and a jew (identity) or jew (history) but not a jew (religion) no matter how many bagels you eat. On the other hand, if you keep them then you are a Jew (religion) no matter what the circumstances of your birth.

Bottom line: you can feel jewish, call yourself jewish, eat cold sweet smelly ashkenazi food, feel guilty all the time, parade on fifth avenue for israel and cry on holocaust memorial day and these things make you jewish in some ways or another but they do not make you a person of the jewish religion. When orthodox jews talk about being jewish they talk about being a part of the jewish religion. when you talk about being jewish you talk about thinking woody allen is funny. we’re not talking about the same thing.

Muffti doesn’t put a whole lot of stock in this religion stuff but he does like to see these sorts of barriers come down, especially between two communities that haven’t always historically gotten along very well. So, yeshar-koach Alysa,

I appreciate that. I guess I just worry about a time when there will be temple so exclusive that no one can get in. That troubles me. It troubles me that there are those amongst the Frum community that don’t consider me a real Jew. I’d like to think that there is room for all of us and that G-d loves all of us. There is room for Rabbi Stanton. We should welcome her to the community!! We should not quibble with one another. We should unite, not divide!!!

I hope I used enough exclamation points!! Hehe

And Eli? Though I do have my ideas, the last thing I want to do is misunderstand you, so could you please tell us what the “this” is that “makes Jewlicious 0% kosher”?

And yes, Kol Hakavod to Rabbi Stanton!

Focusing on the the litigious nonsense of what does and does not constitute are “real” Jew, rather than concentrating on G-d is a grave mistake.