LOL, the rabbai makes a nice transition to the rest of the ceremony But thats a bright kid, he does not over extend just simply what he feels is obvious to him, and yeah, kudos to him for doing that in front of everyone there (friends and family!)

Nice sift

although, the laughs he gets, make this Bar Mitzvah Stand Up *Comedy

Invocations (comedy) cannot be called by Zonbie because Zonbie is not privileged - sorry.

Agreed, this is definitely *comedy.

Adding video to channels (Comedy) - requested by Sarzy.

Wow, this particular synagog is open minded and lets their young really engage into the subject.

From my experience, my culture tends to look down upon youngsters questioning the authority or what has already been established. Social Hierarchy (especially regarding age, sex and status) is absolute in Korean society.

Koreans also tends to deify successful social figures, and yet they usually ignore how they got to be so successful, as these individuals usually have ignored these social taboos and tends to show very progressive philosophies.

*jewfro

That kid was almost certainly the smartest person in the room.

"If there is a just and loving God, why is there a sea-sponge growing on my head?"

He's a Jew no matter his personal beliefs, so those personal beliefs can be openly shared. Its an extended family; you don't all have to feel the same religious pull to remain brothers and sisters.

If he doesn't believe in God he is not a Jew. If he doesn't believe in the stories of the Torah, he is not a Jew. Judaism is a religion. There is no Jewish race, nor has there ever been. It is simply a faith among others. As for the reference and hope for a god who wants us to treat each other as we like to be treated, I kindly refer to the new Roman god Jesus Christ. He might not like the concept of hell and purgatory though.

Furthermore, if he was really brave he would renounce his faith and become a fellow atheist.

It takes very little courage to shut your eyes, far more to open them.

That's my two cents(EURO) anyway...

beh...unfortunately, smugglarn, according to the Jewish culture (notice I used the word "culture" and not "faith"), if your mom's vajayjay is jewish, then so is you.

Did you hear him pant before he announced "I don't know if I believe in god"... oh man he was bold.

I'm not sure how that guy makes it through the metal detectors at the airport.

[Edit: This was a subtle joke implying that he has HUGE TITANIUM BALLS.]

Kid, do yourself and everyone else a favor. Quit the synagogue and start writing professionally. You've got that spark.

Rottenseed is right. Judaism is the only religion in the world that created this arbitrary rule that if your mother is Jewish, then so are you. Believing in God or not, if your mother is Jewish, then you're stuck that way forever.

David Cross does a really funny bit on his standup cd "Shut Up You Fucking Baby" about this very thing. Even if you're an outspoken Atheist, you're still a Jew. Weird, huh?

If his Jewish mother is anything like my Jewish mother, he almost gave her a heart attack and he'll know it for the rest of his life.

I disagree Judaism being purely a religious thing. You are saying that if you don't believe in the Jewish god, then you're not a Jew? I think you're looking at this from a very black and white (and frankly, very ignorant) point of view.

So what, if I stop practicing the same religion that my family has practiced for generations, I no longer am Korean?

Further more, are you implying that in order to qualify as a Jew, you HAVE to have faith in order to be a Jew? Who the fuck made that up? What, all Jews are god fearing believers? What kind of racist statement is that?

Think about it. Let me give you an extreme example. In the same sense, if a black person no longer listens to rap songs, he's not black anymore?? That's what basically you are implying here.

All Blacks = listens to rap

All Jews = believes in god

Doesn't sound right does it?

Bottom line is, it has nothing to do with your religious belief. God or no god, you're still a Jew.

p.s (Why does my last sentence sound so derogatory? LOL)

"Furthermore, if he was really brave he would renounce his faith and become a fellow atheist."

Um, no. It would not be any more brave just because that's what you want him to do, or even because it's true (IMHO) that there is no god. Rather, it would only be going beyond where he feels the evidence leads him, and thus would constitute a betrayal of his principles. Remember, he said he doesn't know whether or not there's a god.

So doing what you want him to do wouldn't be brave. It would be foolish.

^Hey, I like this new guy.

^you never said that about me

If you look at Judaism in terms of faith in the Judeo-Christian god and the practice of what's taught in the Torah (whether taken literally or as parable), then it's ABSURD to think that if you don't believe in god, you can still be Jewish. This comes from the Christian's "accept Christ as your savior" mentality where it's an apparent choice.

If you understand Judaism as a culture (not a race of its own), it'd be easier to understand one's ability to disavow God and still be a part of that culture in ritual, but not in belief.

Contrast --->http://www.videosift.com/video/Atheist-comes-out-of-the-Closet

Nice. It's good to see hope.

I have heard that Jews are allowed, if not encouraged, to question their beliefs much more than any other religion. The laughs from the audience are proof that this group, at least, is not shocked to hear this young man's words.

@ legacy0100: I have heard it described as Judaism for the religion, Hebrew for the race/culture, but I don't know if that is right. I'm not a part of that group so I couldn't say for sure. But saying someone is a Jew is not the same sort of classification as calling them Korean or Black. There is a blending of religion and culture that is very pervasive and complex, so the labels are not as clear.

Tofumar, his titanium balls would have to be quite big indeed to set off an airport metal detector.

Wave 13 has officially raped the beach. I think my fish is done!

Neat that they (seem to) encourage questioning your beliefs - if this had been somebody giving a speech in any Christian church I've been to, you can be sure that there wouldn't have been any laughs.

Also, yeah... culture is not the same as religion.

Balls indeed! This kid is a future stand-up comedian or Hollywood writer (and I'm not just saying that because he's Jewish.)
He says near the end that he doesn't "think that we need to believe in God to act that way (good to each other)" - such wisdom out of the mouths of babes.

This was pretty much my bar mitzvah speech many, many years ago. o/` mem-o-reeeees o/`

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag.(show it anyway)

It reminds me of what someone said about Mexico.

In Mexico, everyone is Catholic - including the atheists.

Judaism is a religion just like Christianity and Islam, and the fact that you "inherit" it doesn't necessarily change the fact that that it's a religion. It can, however, become a part of a country's culture.
In my country there are plenty of traditions and holidays that originate from the religious belief system which has been dominant here for over 1100 years. Most people who get their children baptised, however, do so to ensure their children will be allowed to pursue a religious career if they find themselves believing in Christianity, and also it will allow them to be buried in graveyards along with their family. This leads children to be counted as Christians even though they have no faith.
There are of course other reasons for baptising ones children, but they're irrelevant for this discussion. I'm merely pointing out that it's possible to be affiliated with a religion without believing in its god, but it's a completely administrative affiliation.

Just because you don't believe in what your family has believed in for generation doesn't mean you're no longer Korean, because their religious affiliation is just a part of the culture. Would anyone and everyone who believed in something different from what your family believe in count as non-Koreans? No, of course not. I think the term Korean implies that you're born and/or raised in Korea, and nothing more.

Being black is a physical attribute and has nothing to do with cultural or religious heritage, or personal preference in music. That analogy is wrong, plain and simple.

>> ^legacy0100:
I disagree Judaism being purely a religious thing. You are saying that if you don't believe in the Jewish god, then you're not a Jew? I think you're looking at this from a very black and white (and frankly, very ignorant) point of view.
So what, if I stop practicing the same religion that my family has practiced for generations, I no longer am Korean?
Further more, are you implying that in order to qualify as a Jew, you HAVE to have faith in order to be a Jew? Who the fuck made that up? What, all Jews are god fearing believers? What kind of racist statement is that?
Think about it. Let me give you an extreme example. In the same sense, if a black person no longer listens to rap songs, he's not black anymore?? That's what basically you are implying here.
All Blacks = listens to rap
All Jews = believes in god
Doesn't sound right does it?
Bottom line is, it has nothing to do with your religious belief. God or no god, you're still a Jew.
p.s (Why does my last sentence sound so derogatory? LOL)

As a goyim I do not have an exclusive insider's view on this subject. But growing up in a heavily Jewish town with Jewish friends gave me a glimpse of what Jewish life was like (which was...basically the same as anyone else really. Yes, they eat lasagnas. Yes, they wear GAP khaki pants).

But all I've got to say is that whatever their religious fervor and the seriousness of which they practiced their religion such as whether or not you strictly eat just the kosher food, wear yamulkah every single friggin day, sing songs with heavy 'hhk' sounds etc etc, they were still Jewish, living with Jewish parents and having Jewish cousins.

Judaism is a religion, but being a Jew is a family culture you are born into. Doesn't matter if your eyes are blue or brown, your nose tall as the parted red seas or flat as plains of wartorn Palestine. It's not strictly a race, it's not strictly religion. It's culture.

And as rottenseed says, I believe that the reason why some of you think 'being Jewish' is just a choice is because you're thinking in terms of the Christian's "accept Christ as your savior" mentality where it's an apparent choice.

How odd, to think that people who usually think this way also happen to be against minorities such as gays because they think it's a matter of choice.


^Kreegath

I don't know why you are replying to my comment because I don't particularly disagree with anything you had to say, and my first comment wasn't even directed towards you in the first place.

All I gotta ask is one thing:

>> ^Kreegath:
I think the term Korean implies that you're born and/or raised in Korea, and nothing more.


So by that logic, a person that was born into a Korean family but also born in America and raised in America is no longer Korean? I was born in Korea, but raised in America in a Jewish neighborhood. What the heck does that make me then? A Komerish? Jewmerean?

That was beautiful. It was inspiring to see someone speak their mind in a thoughtful, respectful, honest way.
god bless him.

legacy0100 You seem to be getting very bent out of shape and heated over the fact that many people (myself included) are confused as to what a Jew actually is. I just read a few things which say that, as you said, Judaism is the religion, Jewish is a culture/people/race... see, that's where it's confusing. Being that Jews are an ethnoreligious group, combining religion with ethnicity. And in the case of the Jews it's even more confusing as it's not a case of Jews coming from a country. Yes they now claim Israel as their homeland, but unlike any other 'nationality' you aren't necessarily Jewish if you're born there, and you're not automatically Not Jewish by being born somewhere else.

It's all very confusing for the layman, so don't get antsy at people for not understanding it all.

That philosophy loving-tofu eating-pinko-ivy league-neocon-hemp wearing-liberal-conspiracy theorist has been floating around the sift for a long time. Like the kid who stands next to the pool watching everyone else swim, occasionally shouting to the other kids that they look like they are having fun.

>> ^legacy0100:
^Hey, I like this new guy.

good routine his pauses were excellent.

fun fact- this is near Boston, Framingham. Friend of mine had his wedding there and recognized the place.

I know multiple atheists who still consider themselves Jews and keep kosher.

I want to nominate this kid for president. He'd surely do much better than the ones we've had.

Interesting to see the main argument here not being about atheism and if its right or wrong or the kids balls so much but if the Jewish people should be recognized as strictly a race or religion. I would have to agree that its obviously a religion and not a race. Though I do like the point that its a culture that has a long standing tradition. So to reject certain things in a culture wont always kick you out of that culture (unless you reject some pretty big issues) however if you open that door then every culture in the world can claim the rights of a "race". Like friends of mine that grew up in Brooklyn, they have generations of pride and New York tradition as their culture and its very specific. Even if you move away you are still thought of as one of them forever. No shame in having pride in your culture but its still not a race so dont compare it to being black, white, hispanic, and what not because its not the same. People of any race can be part of a single culture.

>> ^legacy0100:
As a goyim

Goyim is plural. You would be a goy.