People who know me well know that I am a secular Jew, raised in a secular family. I self-identify as a grateful agnostic. We attended temple in my childhood for a few years in Chicago and Kenosha, however, Judaism is more like a country our family came from, like Belarus, Poland, Romania, and the south side of Chicago - another facet of what shaped my beliefs, but not someplace I live currently. The ecumenical spirit of Hyde Park and the educational legacy of Robert Maynard Hutchins and the University of Chicago probably have more impact on me today. One aspect of Judaism that has influenced me has been the emphasis on service, mainly through the example of my parents. My parents donated time and money to nonprofit institutions that served the larger community where they lived. My father tithed back part of his income to the Catholic hospital where he worked and was instrumental in improving health care services for the county. He served on boards that dealt with drug use, drunk driving, and air safety. My mother worked with agencies that provided support for people with disabilities and for New Americans as well as volunteering for a variety of nonprofit organizations, including the school system, local museums, and senior organizations. Both of them had a soft spot for organizations involved in animal welfare. If an organization did good, they did not really care what the religious affiliation might be. This article resonated with me.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 17:30:06 +0000
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