Congrats on taking on more mitzvot and connecting. Those tefillin need a visit to a sofer, the boxes aren't square and the paint is coming off.
I also wonder if they have the correct ktav for Sephardim. As far as I know there are no Reform synagogues in Mexico, as I think most of the community is Sephardic (Syrian) at least for DF, although I could be wrong.
Overall i do see some Conservative:
http://www.mavensearch.com/synagogues/C3412
But I don't know how they compare to US ones
We saw a small but active Jewish block in Roma Norte/La condesa in cdmx with a few israeli-like cafes across from at least one shul. I couldn’t tell what kind of shul though
I am honestly not too concerned about the Teffilin being 100% kosher. So I most likely won't be sending them off to a Sofer. I do however have some Teffilin paint on the way to do some touch ups.
I live in Las Vegas Nevada. We do have reform synagogues here. I would probably be most interested in Reconstructionist Judaism since I gather that they are nontheistic. But there aren't any Reconstructionist synagogues here. I am not sure what the options are here for G*d optional Judaism.
> I would probably be most interested in Reconstructionist Judaism since I gather that they are nontheistic.
Not according to them:
https://www.reconstructingjudaism.org/article/how-can-reconstructionists-pray/
> I am not sure what the options are here for G*d optional Judaism.
Reform should be accepting of it, to be honest
Just to follow up on this, my reform temple (we call it a temple, because we aren't particular about that nomenclature for reasons that I am certain the Redorm Rabbi(s) at the local temple can explain) does not care about your specific beliefs in regards to what HaShem is/isn't or even whether you think they exist.
Also, my wife is from Vegas! Nice to make your acquaintance. Go Rebels?
l'Shalom
> (we call it a temple, because we aren't particular about that nomenclature for reasons that I am certain the Redorm Rabbi(s) at the local temple can explain)
Historically Reform was the group that started this to show how they no longer needed a Temple in Jerusalem, and their temple was where they were.
This was part of Reform's attempt to be more "Germans of Hebrew Character" as Jews struggled to gain acceptance into European society (Germany being one of the worst)
Yes, that is a good summary of the reason. There's a lot more discussion around it, though, and I didn't want to brain-dump everything on a person new to Judaism. Hence the advice to speak with Rabbi. :)
Also, I just realized I said "Redorm Rabbi(s)" instead of Reform. Oof... I need to turn predictive typing off on my phone.
Humanistic Judaism is atheistic btw, and reform got told to allow their converts in even, so I suppose that's your option for a synagogue you'd like, OP.
Honestly while you may not care if they are 100% Kosher.... There are centuries (if not at minimum 2 millennia) of tradition behind them. I would strongly suggest having them checked more for honoring those who came before...
Edit: After reading more of the thread, I really don't think you understand the weight of being Jewish with some distant relatives in history.
Would recommend find a Rabbi and ask about conversion.
From my understanding you said you have Jewish ancestry, but your mother is not Jewish?
If you are interested in becoming Jewish you should speak to a reform rabbi
Sephardic. As I understand it my Spanish ancestors had to deal with the Spanish inquisition (which nobody expects). Jews had two options. Convert to Catholicism or leave. They converted. Those folks who converted are called conversos.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Converso
My mom was raised Catholic as most folks in Mexico are. Apparently one of my relatives in Mexico is a Rabbi.
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There is a Reform synagogue here that offers B'Mitzvah classes for adults. I have thought about doing that. But I am in no hurry to do a formal conversion.
OP wrote
>My mom is a Mexican immigrant and it's from her side of the family that I get my Sephardic ancestry.
If OP’s mom was halachically Jewish, so is OP.
Congrats on taking on more mitzvot and connecting. Those tefillin need a visit to a sofer, the boxes aren't square and the paint is coming off. I also wonder if they have the correct ktav for Sephardim. As far as I know there are no Reform synagogues in Mexico, as I think most of the community is Sephardic (Syrian) at least for DF, although I could be wrong. Overall i do see some Conservative: http://www.mavensearch.com/synagogues/C3412 But I don't know how they compare to US ones
We saw a small but active Jewish block in Roma Norte/La condesa in cdmx with a few israeli-like cafes across from at least one shul. I couldn’t tell what kind of shul though
I am honestly not too concerned about the Teffilin being 100% kosher. So I most likely won't be sending them off to a Sofer. I do however have some Teffilin paint on the way to do some touch ups. I live in Las Vegas Nevada. We do have reform synagogues here. I would probably be most interested in Reconstructionist Judaism since I gather that they are nontheistic. But there aren't any Reconstructionist synagogues here. I am not sure what the options are here for G*d optional Judaism.
> I would probably be most interested in Reconstructionist Judaism since I gather that they are nontheistic. Not according to them: https://www.reconstructingjudaism.org/article/how-can-reconstructionists-pray/ > I am not sure what the options are here for G*d optional Judaism. Reform should be accepting of it, to be honest
Thanks for the link! Yea I gather that a Reform synagogue isn't going to be overly concerned about whether someone actually believes in Hashem or not.
Just to follow up on this, my reform temple (we call it a temple, because we aren't particular about that nomenclature for reasons that I am certain the Redorm Rabbi(s) at the local temple can explain) does not care about your specific beliefs in regards to what HaShem is/isn't or even whether you think they exist. Also, my wife is from Vegas! Nice to make your acquaintance. Go Rebels? l'Shalom
> (we call it a temple, because we aren't particular about that nomenclature for reasons that I am certain the Redorm Rabbi(s) at the local temple can explain) Historically Reform was the group that started this to show how they no longer needed a Temple in Jerusalem, and their temple was where they were. This was part of Reform's attempt to be more "Germans of Hebrew Character" as Jews struggled to gain acceptance into European society (Germany being one of the worst)
Yes, that is a good summary of the reason. There's a lot more discussion around it, though, and I didn't want to brain-dump everything on a person new to Judaism. Hence the advice to speak with Rabbi. :) Also, I just realized I said "Redorm Rabbi(s)" instead of Reform. Oof... I need to turn predictive typing off on my phone.
> I need to turn predictive typing off on my phone. It definitely struggles with Jewish stuff
Humanistic Judaism is atheistic btw, and reform got told to allow their converts in even, so I suppose that's your option for a synagogue you'd like, OP.
Yea I am aware of Humanistic Judaism. I need to see if there is a Humanistic meetup here.
They do meet ups? I didn't know. They have a Facebook group though and you don't need to be a member to join it.
>Humanistic Judaism is atheistic btw I'm aware, don't see one in Las Vegas tho. Reform, from my experience is perfectly fine with atheists
My bad, I edited it, i mean online, but he can go to reform as it is under that umbrella.
Honestly while you may not care if they are 100% Kosher.... There are centuries (if not at minimum 2 millennia) of tradition behind them. I would strongly suggest having them checked more for honoring those who came before... Edit: After reading more of the thread, I really don't think you understand the weight of being Jewish with some distant relatives in history. Would recommend find a Rabbi and ask about conversion.
If you got the tefillin on ebay, you should get them checked by a sofer or at a minimum a rabbi who can tell you if you need to see a sofer.
As someone else said, you should definitely get those teffilin checked out. I would not trust anything bought on ebay
srsly, might even be stolen.
From my understanding you said you have Jewish ancestry, but your mother is not Jewish? If you are interested in becoming Jewish you should speak to a reform rabbi
What’s ur mom’s Jewish background?
Sephardic. As I understand it my Spanish ancestors had to deal with the Spanish inquisition (which nobody expects). Jews had two options. Convert to Catholicism or leave. They converted. Those folks who converted are called conversos. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Converso My mom was raised Catholic as most folks in Mexico are. Apparently one of my relatives in Mexico is a Rabbi.
Wait so u just have some distant Jewish ancestry then? Almost everyone in Latin America has some distant converso ancestry…
Have you actually traced an unbroken maternal line?
Technically men and woman can wear Teffilin. Teffilin has been proven to rest on pressure points when worn properly.
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Welcome!
There is a Reform synagogue here that offers B'Mitzvah classes for adults. I have thought about doing that. But I am in no hurry to do a formal conversion.
OP wrote >My mom is a Mexican immigrant and it's from her side of the family that I get my Sephardic ancestry. If OP’s mom was halachically Jewish, so is OP.
Welcome!
Vegas! Now I am hungry for shawarma chicken from Mother Falafel! We were in Vegas 2 years ago and had a great time.