I have been to the service and, i was very happy to meet again my rabbi. I apologized not to have shown up for Shavuot to his congregation. I told him that i needed to spend one hour far from my problems, to talk to strangers and i decided to go to the 770 for an hour.
That was the occasion to ask him questions about the difference between the two "churches". Why 770 doesn't have flowers for Shavuot, did they use the same prayer book…?
He explained me that the one we use is for the American Reform. In Israel, it's another one!
He introduced me to a member, a Jewish woman who explained me things, and she introduced me to a man who is a converted: his father is Jewish, not his mother.
There was a bar mitzvah too.
I forgot to mention in my previous post that when i talked to the Israeli lady from a Lubaba city that i didn't remind the name, i lied to her. She asked me if i was Jewish, i said yes, but i told her that i was not Orthodox. She gave me 5 seconds of silence. What was she thinking? I was a bad Jew, what's that, or whatsoever?
She didn't comment, and asked me other questions…
I made the decision to have a Shabbos of 2 days. Usually, i dislike staying in an apartment without breathing fresh air outside. But i needed to live a Sunday like a hermit, read a Jewish book and watch a Jewish movie. And to have a lot of rest.
I started to read slowly and with attention the book (The Great Partnership, Science, Religion, and The Search of Meaning by rabbi Jonathan Saks) sent by a Jewish stranger living abroad, a Lithuanian cousin. :-)
I already talked about this book in a previous post. He has understood my questions and issues, and found the good book which can help me.
And following the reading, i watched a French movie that i really loved. The French title translated is The Metis of God. The American title is The Jewish Cardinal. You can watch it on Netflix.
It's the true story of a cardinal, Aaron Lustiger, born Jewish but converted to Catholicism.
His biography below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Marie_Lustiger
And the trailer below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsycptpSwec
If you are a believer or not, Jewish, Catholic… this movie is very interesting culturally, and religiously speaking… The actors are great French actors. And also the duty of memory about French, Polish history is shown.
In my last year of high school, my teacher of philosophy was Ashkenazi, and i never forgot how mad he was when he was talking about Monseigneur Lustiger. He couldn't stand that he got converted. At these times, i didn't know the biography of this Jewish Cardinal. He said that he knew exactly what to tell him if he has to meet him. Cold sweats!
I had pleasure to listen to him on TV, and also more when i knew that he was born Jewish.
I didn't imagine that he was fiery, because he remained quiet during his interviews. But he never shut up his mouth. :-)
One of the things he said, and it was a scandal in the Jewish community:
"I was born Jewish and so I remain, even if that is unacceptable for many. For me, the vocation of Israel is bringing light to the goyim. That is my hope and I believe that Christianity is the means for achieving it."
This movie talks about his religious career, and his relationship to his father. His mother was killed in Auschwitz. You will learn why he decided to get converted Catholic at the age of 14 at the end of the movie.
Another subject elaborated, is the covent of the carmelites in Auschwitz, with a reminding of the communist politic in Poland and their relation to religion.
John-Paul II was the pope when Lustiger was appointed Bishop of Orléans.
I never liked this pope, but the movie shows us another face of this pope. He told us that when he was a kid, he had a Jewish friend and used to have Shabbos with him.
Jonathan Saks said in his book that Nazi Germany and Communist USSR ended their reign because of their non belief in G-d, John-Paul II mentions it too. Staline and Hitler didn't survive to their own power and failed.
Is it the non belief or the loss of certain human values that leads us to our own loss?
Jonathan Saks talks about the will of power too.
Too much power kills the power?
Watch this movie, let me know your thoughts please.
Will you be as judgmental as my teacher of philosophy? :-)
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