Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?
This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.
Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.
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Notes -
Do you consider Israel culturally part of the West? Partially part of the West?
I've been thinking about this, and I think it's an interesting and not necessarily straight forwards question. I think secular Jews and those in the Reform tradition are undeniably Western; one of the core points of the Reform tradition was to integrate Judaism into Western Traditions and vice versa. The Orthodox and Ultra-Orthodox I think are their own distinct, more ancient civilization. My answer to the above question is I think Israel is mostly Western, given the cultural roots of the Reform/Seculars, but not entirely.
Yes. I've had many Israeli friends, and many more Jewish friends who had lived and worked in Israel for a time. There are large parts of Israel where I'm confident that if you dropped me there, I'd navigate with no more difficulty than I have in any other Western city.
The existence of a large (13%) haredi population doesn't invalidate Israel's western status any more than the existence of a small (10%) Amish minority removes Lancaster County from modernity.
Yes, my definition of western is essentially a place I feel comfortable.
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