two My parents brought me up believing in the Conservative way of life. I go to a Conservative Temple, so I’m Conservative. When I asked the same question to my Jewish friend from Long Island he responded with: “ My parents buy kosher meat and we eat kosher in the house but I often eat non-kosher when I’m out with friends. I think I’m conserving time when I go to a Conservative temple instead of those drawn out services that are conducted in Orthodox temples.” Both of the responses I received revolved around their parents. I think for the most part, Conservative Judaism is placed upon the person instead of deciding which sect you want to belong to on your own. Growing up in Brooklyn I attended an Orthodox Hebrew school, a Conservative Jewish day camp and belonged to numerous Jewish youth groups. Most of my friends when I was growing up were Jewish. We belonged to the same temple and participated in the same traditions. Brooklyn is made up of a wide range of Jewish sects and groups. In my neighborhood, the most common of all are the conservative Jews. My grandparents came to this country from Eastern Europe after the endof World War II. They escaped only with their lives and their belief in the JewishFaith. They came to this country to escape the persecution of Nazi Germany. What they found were people who were just like them seeking the teachings of the Conservative sect. Growing up in a conservative Jewish household has had a great impact on my life. I was Bar-Mitzvahed in a conservative temple in Brooklyn, which is also the same temple that my parents got married. I attend religious services for the high holidays and obey the laws of Passover, Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah and Hanukah. I do not keep the Sabbath and I do not adhere to the kashert laws. Most people that I know who are of the conservative sect obey and disobey the same laws as I. Youth groups like United Synagogue Youth and the Binai Brith As...
