Waiting for a Jew- James Boyarin

Boyarin states clearly in the first line of his essay that his mission is to find his Jewish identity. “My story begins in a community, with an illusion of wholeness” (Boyarin, 146). His description of a community that is entirely connected explains his perceptions as a child. Growing up and moving out of his small Farmingdale community “shattered this illusion” as well as his perception of the ideal community. The benefit of such a community for Boyarin was the fact that it made him feel joined to a group of people, making him feel “whole”.

child’s world is not exclusively Jewish, nor am I brought up to regard it as such” (Boyarin, 146). Although Boyarin did not grow up in an entirely Jewish fashion, religion revolved around most aspects of his youth. “The Jewish Community Center- with its various functions as a social and meeting hall, synagogue, and school- is nevertheless a focus of our family’s life” (Boyarin, 147). His family was very involved with the events at the Jewish Community Center in Farmingdale. The holidays were especially meaningful to Boyarin. “The shul is full of movement, impatience, noise and warmth” (Boyarin, 149). A community according to Boyarin gets its strength from the support of others. Belonging to a community benefits its members on various levels. Socially, it provides the opportunity for members to meet other people with similar interests. Psychologically members gain a sense of security and belonging. The cost of this includes possible dependency on community involvement, which happens to be Boyarins case.

It was not until reaching the Eighth Street Shul that Boyarain regained some sense of belonging to a community. He began to feel drawn to community that was supporting his psychological need of acceptance. He knew that he was needed, and when he wasn’t present, his community missed him. A community can be compared to a family. When a family member is not around, the family is not complete or “whole” any longer. The community at the Eighth Street Shul benefited Boyarin because it brought him back to his “illusion of wholeness” that he longed for. A non-member can never truly understand the importance of a co

Some topics in this essay:
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