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Let Us Reason Together
When you love something, you don’t let it off the hook.
That’s the way I feel about Judaism. I love my tradition, but I can’t turn a blind eye to the areas where it
falls short. Instead, as a committed feminist and progressive thinker, I want to challenge Judaism to face its
shortcomings and deal with them. Conceived thousands of years ago, traditional Judaism is a patriarchal religion
that carries all the baggage of that historical period. I can’t take part in a tradition that to such a large
extent denies women so much, and yet I am drawn to Judaism. I treasure the continuity, structure and lessons
that it offers. I end up stuck in the middle. I could leave the religion in favor of my liberal sensibilities,
or I could attempt to integrate Jewish tenets with feminist ideals. I’ve chosen to stick it out.
Four years ago, as a first-year student, I found these contradictions hard to reconcile, but my experiences with
Judaism at Northwestern changed all that for me. Jewish students with a variety of backgrounds and observance
levels study together, hang out together and learn from one another. I have been exposed to people and ways of
thinking that I had never encountered before. It is an environment that lends itself to self-discovery.
This open and dynamic atmosphere provided a forum in which I could challenge Judaism and challenge myself.
Through conversations that I’ve had with friends, professors, the Fiedler Hillel staff and people that I’ve met
at Shabbat dinners, I began to understand that Judaism is steeped in contradiction, and that’s all right.
I posed questions that were troubling me to my peers: How do you combine progressive inclinations with a desire
to remain rooted in tradition? Does maintaining my religious identity require abandoning critical analysis? I
found out that I was not alone; other students were struggling too. Engaging in an internal conversation with
religion is like taking part in any other relationship: It requires embracing complexity and accepting that
there are no simple answers. My Jewish experiences at Northwestern helped me grow into my Judaism. I understand
now that living with it is a constant struggle, and there’s no end in sight. And that’s the way it should be.
In fact, that’s the best part.
The same pluralism and diversity that characterize the community in which I tackled my intellectual religious
concerns helped me figure out how to integrate Judaism into my daily life. Jewish life at Northwestern offers so
many ways for students to connect with their Judaism and each other. I’ve tried them all. I first got involved
with the Jewish community on campus through a social action program that Hillel offered called Exodus, which
explored urban issues in Chicago. I learned a lot and met incredible people.
Since Exodus I’ve participated in Israel advocacy, taken advantage of educational opportunities and directed a
Jewish theater company. And as I complete my term as Hillel co-president, I know I’ve only scratched the surface.
But what makes Northwestern truly special is that I am surrounded by other students who have interests just as
diverse and the drive to explore them to the hilt.
The on-campus Jewish community has played a major role in my own development — Judaically, intellectually,
personally. As I continue to invent my Jewish identity, I will be building off the foundation that my experiences
at Northwestern have created.
Sarah Lipton-Lubet of Evanston is a senior in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. She plans to study
law at Yale University.
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