Jewish Life Digital Edition November 2013 | Page 12

FEATURE

BEING A JEW IN A

NON-JEWISH WORLD

IT’S NEVER A SIMPLE MATTER TO LIVE AS A JEW LIVING
outside the borders of Israel, where your religious and national identities coincide.
Since the majority of Jews in the world live
in countries which are predominantly Christian, Jews will mostly experience a ‘disconnect’ at some point or other in their lives.
And some brave individuals seek out situa-

10 JEWISH LIFE

ISSUE 68

tions where they will be completely different from people with whom they live or
work, or both.
On the other hand, many observant
Jews have created very successful Jewish
communities, with shuls, schools, kosher
eateries and shops that sell kosher food, in
many large cities across the globe. But

maintaining your Yiddishkeit and living according to Torah values, no matter what,
takes courage, dedication, discipline and
work. The challenge for all of us is trying to
maintain our Jewish identity in less-thanperfect circumstances, despite feeling isolated or facing seemingly insurmountable
challenges.

PHOTOGRAPHS: BIGSTOCKPHOTO.COM; SUPPLIED

LIVING AS A JEW WHEN NO ONE ELSE AROUND YOU IS JEWISH ISN’T
ALWAYS EASY, BUT WITH SACRIFICE AND COMMITMENT, THIS IS POSSIBLE,
EVEN IN THE STRANGEST OF SURROUNDINGS BY RUTH REHBOCK