Cultural: Yom Kippur and Break the Fast

In my quest to keep myself cultural, and semi religious, I have been getting together my mostly non-Jewish friends and making them be Jewish!

At 530 on Friday evening I had my last meal of a whopper with cheese value meal, thinking that the food would be so bad for me that I wouldn't want to eat all day! Obviously that didn't happen. Went out Friday night and didn't touch a drink or food. Woke up around 1030 and headed to the Berkeley Hillel for Yom Kippur services. I find that I see going to services as getting credit. While I sing along with lots of the songs and I read the English version when I don't know the Hebrew, I am not sure how important going to services is, if I don't really understand it? I'm really struggling with this. I mean I love being Jewish and all, but I like the tradition and the culture, but there are some core beliefs about Judiasm and an all fearing G-d that I simply cannot fathom? I am really struggling with this as I try to really decide where I want to put my beliefs!

Anyways, I then spent the rest of the day making food and preparing for my Break the Fast/My brother's birthday Par-Tay! Miquila and Aimee came over early to help and it wound up going well! I even got Miquila to fast with me!(which in retrospect could have been an ultimate failure as we both get SUPER grumpy when we don't eat. Luckily that didn't happen). I had a bunch of both Jewish and non Jewish friends come. Miquila and I started with bananas as that's what we were told to do so it wouldn't shock our system. We had bagels, lox, cream cheese, tomatos, cheese, other veges and fruits, and egg/tuna/abrosia salad!! I believe a great time was had by all! I was even called a convener, as I brought together my friend Aimee and this guy that she went to elementary school with!! Crazy?!?! It was a Yom Kippur miracle!!

I'm really liking how I am able to combine my friends and my traditions. I have an excellent group of friends, who constantly indulge me in all that I want to do! I am very thankful for them and love the community that I have been building because of it!!