Week 1: NYC Religions

 This week in New York has been filled with briefings, interviews, and culture. Two cultures that stand out to me are the Hasidic Jewish and Sikh cultures. 

Hasidic Jews

We went to Crown Heights to immerse ourselves in the Hasidic Jew experience. Crown Heights is a Hasidic Jewish community. When we walked up to a house, I didn't know what to truly expect. The interior was filled with wall-to-wall photos of family and ancestors and the dining room had a table fit for a family of 20. 

The men wore a kippah and a black shtreimel on their head. They grew long beards and wore black suit with a button up shirt. On the pants is fringe, also referred to as tzitzit in Hebrew, which represents God and acts a reminder of Him and His commandments. Women, on the other hand, wore dresses and skirts. Married women wore wigs to stay modest and to keep their beauty sacred. You could barely tell that women were wearing wigs. They said this is because God still wants them to be able to be beautiful. Sacred doesn't mean ugly. 

One of the Rabbi shared with us that he believes people are born to the religion that they are meant to be with. He said because he was born Jewish, he was meant to be Jewish, because I was born LDS, I was meant to be LDS. He didn't encourage us to convert, but encouraged us to serve God. The best way to dos so is by serving others. He feels a strong importance to spread God's word by example and inviting people to learn more about his religion. 

His wife brought us into her kitchen to show us how she keeps kosher, which is a Hebrew term. They have specific food they are able to eat and ways to prepare it. It's more than just about health, but about reverence and adherence to God. For example, her kitchen had two of everything; two dishwashers, two (technically three) sinks, two ovens, two stoves, two microwaves, and one refrigerator. This is because milk and meat can't be cooked together. However, they only have one refrigerator because it doesn't deal with cooking.

In order to find milk and meat that is kosher, there are specific Rabbis that are trained to go to the place they prepare the meats and milks and approve the process the meat and milk are prepared. You can find kosher foods in everyday markets by finding labels with K or OU. 

Sikh

For Sunday church, our professor took us to Flushing, NY to meet with a Sikh leader. Flushing is one of the most diverse places to live in the world. 

The first thing we had to do was wash our hands, take off our shoes, and cover our hair. This was to show respect their God. Sikh was originally formed in India, and unlike most India religions, they believe in one God. Women are treated as equals, and the Sikh's believe in the equality of all mankind.

One we were all ready, they took us to their room that they worship. We bowed to The Guru Granth Sahib as a sign of respect. The Guru Granth Sahib is a holy scripture and referred to as the last, eternal Guru. It follows the lineage of 10 other Gurus. After bowing to the Guru Granth Sahib, we were given parshad to represent the blessings we receive for visiting the guru. When you visit the guru, you can't back empty handed.

The Sikh religion has Five K of which they have to follow and keep with them at all times. The first is kesh (uncut hair), keshki (small turban), kirpan (dagger), kanga (hair comb), kachera (uniform shorts), and kara (iron bracelet). 

Someone asked the Sikh leader if he has experienced more violence in New York. He explained a time after 9/11 where his car was damaged by rocks due to him wearing a turban. The terrorist group that caused 9/11 also wore turbans. The Sikh explained that he believed his job was to convert the feeling of hatred into love. He felt that he needed to share with people who the Sikh people were. He passed pamphlets out at the Macey's parade. He shared with us that he wasn't there to convert people, but to show people that the turban means love. He said that we are all brothers and sisters and all friends. 

For lunch, they prayed over the meal and gave us many traditions, vegetarian foods. They were very considered and kept asking everyone if they wanted more. 

Analyze 

You could point out that they all have food restrictions and clothes they wear for religious purposes, but I believe the most important things are their values. Both cultures were different, but the same. The idea that stood out to me the most is the idea that they believe we are all brothers and sisters of a greater being. Despite what one might believe, we are meant to serve one another and show love to everyone. They both don't want to convert people, but to teach their religion to their community. 

Reverend Nate Walker from ReligionandPublicLife.org brought up a powerful point that if we just tolerate each other, then we don't have the need to defend each other's religious beliefs. With the Bill of Right saying "free exercise", it gives us all the responsibility to defend the rights of others. 

The Sikh and Hasidic Jewish community help us understand their religion by doing so, we can an appreciation for differences and gain a deeper understand of the importance of religious freedom.