One of the most interesting aspects of Judaism for me is its fluid definition. Not only the idea that people who are Jewish integrate it into their lives in different ways but that they are also each forming their own individual definitions of being Jewish. I think how other Jewish people perceive Jews with different practices is important when attempting to understand Judaism as a people. From the interviews conducted by myself and other students, I found that community seemed to be a universal theme when discussing what Judaism meant to the interviewees. The Jewish community was defined as a type of haven where everyone was accepted and everyone understood and followed the same values. But what if a certain Jewish community did not consider another community to be legitimately Jewish? I was curious, so I asked those who I interviewed what they thought of those who practiced differently whether they leaned more toward the orthodox or liberal side of the spectrum. While most considered being Jewish as “self-defining”, they all seemed to still have their own criteria in order for Judaism to be  legitimate in their eyes. These criteria differed from having certain knowledge about Jewish text and culture to simply having a Jewish mother. I wondered then, if everyone had different “requirements”, is there really an entire Jewish community? Or perhaps they only exist at the local level.

Lowenstein’s distinction between the great tradition and the little tradition sheds much light on the idea of a possible united Jewish community. He says the great tradition was “written in books and enshrined in the laws of the Jewish religion, [and] was the uniting factor. The great tradition had an advantage that was particularly important for the Jews-it was portable” (Lowenstein 2). The little tradition is basically everything else and is obtained through culture and family, including things like, music, food, and language. This dichotomy between great tradition and little tradition did help to understand how the Jewish community can be united but there are still many complications in these distinctions. For example, Karaite Judaism cannot be fully included within the great tradition since it does not consider the Talmud or the Mishnah as binding or authoritative sources. This demonstrates that there are communities that are not defined by the standard of the great tradition but still consider themselves to be part of the Jewish community even though they main not be considered so among other Jewish societies. So then are they actually Jewish? Pseudo-Jewish? Or should they be categorized as a branch stemming away from the larger Jewish society? I don’t really know how to answer these questions or if answers even exist. I guess it would all come back to the fact that universals rarely exist in a world where people are moving from one place to another, adapting to their surroundings, borrowing and giving ideas to other communities. But since all religions, not only Judaism, change over time, how can one group really claim legitimacy over another?

As I stood in Temple for the past twenty-four hours, I had time to reflect, a common act during this time of the Jewish year. I thought about my relationships with people over the last year, and all the goals I had accomplished, but also about my Jewish identity. This made me think of our class and all the different Jewish experiences that exist. And I came to the conclusion, that at the end of the day, I am one hundred percent a Reform Ashkenazi Jew.

One of my favorite parts of Yom Kippur is the prayer Avinu Malkenu, which is chanted about ten times between both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The tune is a very familiar one to me, one I find myself singing during the ten days between the two holidays. The first time the congregation sings it together I always get chills, thinking of all the other congregations that are also singing that same tune. However, how many Jewish congregations/ communities are really singing that same tune? Yes many other communities are saying or chanting that prayer, but would that prayer with a different tune have the same affect on me? Lowenstein discusses the traditional prayers of Yom Kippur and how many, especially the famous Kol Nidre, is part of the Ashkenazi Jewish music tradition.

As I looked at the bimah and heard the cantor chant the special prayers for Yom Kippur, I realized how much of my Jewish experience is influenced by Europe and Christianity. Both my parent’s families are from Europe, however I think it is Reform Judaism that has influenced it more heavily. At the services today there was an organ, responsive English reading, and a sermon by the Rabbi. The Temple had pew-like benches, stain glass windows, and the clergy were on the bimah surrounded by lights. Reform Judaism was created in order for the German Jews to not feel so unique among their Protestant Christian neighbors. Again questions entered my head, would I feel more comfortable in a church than an Orthodox or even Conservative synagogue? Would I feel like a complete stranger in a synagogue in another country that is not influenced by Europe, such as Yemen?

But this does not only apply to me, there are many other Jews who share a similar background with myself. Jews are supposed to share common traditions, rituals, and customs, however has the experience of the European Jew and Yemenite Jew grown too far apart? Have the years experiencing different cultures created two separate religions?

Lowenstein discusses the idea of “great and little traditions.” He believes that the “great traditions” maintain the continuity of the religion, for example all Jews read the Torah. However the “little traditions,” are shaped by the surrounding culture, like the melodies of prayers. But I think the “little traditions” are not that little. The “little traditions” can change a tradition dramatically, making the tradition or ritual a whole new experience and completely different from the same tradition in another place. “Little traditions,” are not an afterthought, but create the character that composes Judaism. The “little tradition” of an Hassidic Jew wearing a black or fur hat characterizes many Jews, especially in the United States. If a Yemenite Jew walked next to a Hassidic Jew in Brooklyn, would other people on the sidewalk know they are both Jews?

“Little Traditions” compose the majority of an individual’s Jewish experiences. They encompass food, music, attire, and many rituals. If anything, the traditions of the Torah and the prayers are less important to many Jews than the cultural aspects, such as food. Judaism is unique because every Jewish experience, even if it is within the same city, is different. This is why I think Lowenstein should not call the cultural traditions, “little traditions,” because they play a much larger role in people’s Jewish identities. The “little traditions” are the traditions that will create the rituals and customs that Jews connect to. In my mind these “little traditions” are the “large traditions” that create the difference between a Yemenite Jew and myself. In the end, I do not think my Yom Kippur would be the same without the European, Ashkenazi tune that I know for Avinu Malkenu.