The International Student Chaplaincy regularly organizes various spiritual activities for TU Delft’s student community. At the request of Iranian students who wanted to learn more about Judaism, the Chaplaincy recently organized a lecture on the Jewish religion by Marianne van Praag, who is studying to become a rabbi.
Van Praag has been a teacher for 25 years and worked as a tour guide in Israel before starting her rabbinical training program.
The home of the International Student Chaplaincy Delft is a large canal house on Voorstraat 60. The meeting room . where services, bible readings, peace meditations and dot painting are held – is decorated with several quite weird paintings, all of which have faith as a major theme.
For Marianne van Praag’s lecture of Judaism, tea, coffee and cookies were all in good supply for the ten students in attendance. And indeed, about half of them were Iranian students, who were also joined by students from other parts of the world.
It’s said that a good Jew will always answer a question with another question. Van Praag (50) is obviously a very good Jew, because her politically correct opening preamble about the importance of communication and young people sharing things is immediately followed by a question: “Who has ever met a Jew?”
Few of those present raise their hands. Jews apparently are a rarity nowadays. Van Praag immediately begins explaining why Jews have become such a rarity, giving a brief description of Dutch Jewish family history during WW II. Apparently, after the war and the Holocaust many Jews in Holland went into denial, denouncing completely their Jewish identity. They also did this in order to protect their children from the possibility of experiencing the same horrors they had.
Van Praag herself wasn’t raised religious and says she doesn’t believe in god, which she admits is rather odd for someone studying to become a rabbi. Nevertheless, about three years ago, when the Levisson Institute started its rabbinical education program, Van Praag decided that she wanted to become a rabbi.
She told the dean of the institute, Rabbi Lilienthal: “I want to be a rabbi, but I’m not a believer.” “Who is asking you?” was his reply. Marianne knew then she was in the right place. She also knows how to summarise things, as she proceeds to roll off 3,500 years of Jewish history in a ten-minute chat.
Van Praag concluded her lecture with the mashal (story) of Rabbi Hillel and Rabbi Shammai, which is one of the best known stories from the Talmud, a book that collects the verbal interpretations of the Torah. In the old days, Hillel and Shammai were very good friends, but they rarely agreed on religious matters. Hillel was gentle and compassionate, while Shammai was known for his strictness.
One day, a goy (non-Jew) came to Rabbi Shammai and said he would convert to Judaism if the Rabbi could teach him the whole Torah while he (the goy) was standing on one foot. The strict scholar, who was also an engineer, became angry and drove the imbecile away using his builder’s measuring stick. The stubborn man then went to Rabbi Hillel with the same request. Hillel’s answer was simple: “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour. Now go and study.” Marianne: “The answer however is not as simple as it seems. The whole Torah on one foot is a trick . one has to study for the rest of one’s life to comprehend it.”
Chosen people
After Van Praag’s lecture, the floor was opened to questions from the audience. The questions the students asked were quite diverse, ranging from the practical, like whether a Jew can change religions or how one can become Jewish, to more fundamental issues, such as why Jews want to go to Israel, how Van Praag is able to combine her belief in the historical-religious story and her disbelief in god, what the basic beliefs of Judaism are, and why the Jews are regarded as the ‘chosen people’?
According to Van Praag, Judaism is as diverse as any other major religion, despite its limited number of practitioners. All Jews however tend to agree on several basics tenets: there is one god with many names, the Torah was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai, and there are Ten Commandments. Jews can denounce their religion and convert to other faiths, but in the Orthodox community this can lead to serious problems. Marianne: “Judaism has its fanatics just like any religion, but fortunately they are a small minority.”
Any Jew nowadays is unavoidably asked about Israeli politics and policies. Can Israel’s policy towards the Palestinians be defined as a Holocaust? Marianne: “Such a comparison is totally wrong. Deliberately exterminating millions of people was a Holocaust. One can disagree with some actions of the Israeli government, but they absolutely do not qualify as deliberate mass-murder.”
Van Praag is also able to give a brief history of modern Israel within five minutes, telling about the many wars waged. Jews have been prosecuted throughout history and must have a safe haven, a country to defend the Jews wherever they are, she says. Unfortunately, in the Middle East, widespread brainwashing is occurring. Many people are convinced that Jews always attempt to rule and suppress other people, that those are the goals of Judaism and that this is the real reason why Jews are persecuted.
“The attempt to put the blame for all the problems Muslims experience on Israel is wrong,” Van Praag states. “The Jews see themselves as a chosen people, that much is true. But they are not chosen to rule others, but rather to accept extra obligations and duties, to be witnesses to God’s presence.”
Michael Afanasyev, BSc from Russia/Israel, studies aerospace engineering.
Marianne van Praag (Photo: Sam Rentmeester/FMAX)
Van Praag has been a teacher for 25 years and worked as a tour guide in Israel before starting her rabbinical training program.
The home of the International Student Chaplaincy Delft is a large canal house on Voorstraat 60. The meeting room . where services, bible readings, peace meditations and dot painting are held – is decorated with several quite weird paintings, all of which have faith as a major theme.
For Marianne van Praag’s lecture of Judaism, tea, coffee and cookies were all in good supply for the ten students in attendance. And indeed, about half of them were Iranian students, who were also joined by students from other parts of the world.
It’s said that a good Jew will always answer a question with another question. Van Praag (50) is obviously a very good Jew, because her politically correct opening preamble about the importance of communication and young people sharing things is immediately followed by a question: “Who has ever met a Jew?”
Few of those present raise their hands. Jews apparently are a rarity nowadays. Van Praag immediately begins explaining why Jews have become such a rarity, giving a brief description of Dutch Jewish family history during WW II. Apparently, after the war and the Holocaust many Jews in Holland went into denial, denouncing completely their Jewish identity. They also did this in order to protect their children from the possibility of experiencing the same horrors they had.
Van Praag herself wasn’t raised religious and says she doesn’t believe in god, which she admits is rather odd for someone studying to become a rabbi. Nevertheless, about three years ago, when the Levisson Institute started its rabbinical education program, Van Praag decided that she wanted to become a rabbi.
She told the dean of the institute, Rabbi Lilienthal: “I want to be a rabbi, but I’m not a believer.” “Who is asking you?” was his reply. Marianne knew then she was in the right place. She also knows how to summarise things, as she proceeds to roll off 3,500 years of Jewish history in a ten-minute chat.
Van Praag concluded her lecture with the mashal (story) of Rabbi Hillel and Rabbi Shammai, which is one of the best known stories from the Talmud, a book that collects the verbal interpretations of the Torah. In the old days, Hillel and Shammai were very good friends, but they rarely agreed on religious matters. Hillel was gentle and compassionate, while Shammai was known for his strictness.
One day, a goy (non-Jew) came to Rabbi Shammai and said he would convert to Judaism if the Rabbi could teach him the whole Torah while he (the goy) was standing on one foot. The strict scholar, who was also an engineer, became angry and drove the imbecile away using his builder’s measuring stick. The stubborn man then went to Rabbi Hillel with the same request. Hillel’s answer was simple: “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour. Now go and study.” Marianne: “The answer however is not as simple as it seems. The whole Torah on one foot is a trick . one has to study for the rest of one’s life to comprehend it.”
Chosen people
After Van Praag’s lecture, the floor was opened to questions from the audience. The questions the students asked were quite diverse, ranging from the practical, like whether a Jew can change religions or how one can become Jewish, to more fundamental issues, such as why Jews want to go to Israel, how Van Praag is able to combine her belief in the historical-religious story and her disbelief in god, what the basic beliefs of Judaism are, and why the Jews are regarded as the ‘chosen people’?
According to Van Praag, Judaism is as diverse as any other major religion, despite its limited number of practitioners. All Jews however tend to agree on several basics tenets: there is one god with many names, the Torah was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai, and there are Ten Commandments. Jews can denounce their religion and convert to other faiths, but in the Orthodox community this can lead to serious problems. Marianne: “Judaism has its fanatics just like any religion, but fortunately they are a small minority.”
Any Jew nowadays is unavoidably asked about Israeli politics and policies. Can Israel’s policy towards the Palestinians be defined as a Holocaust? Marianne: “Such a comparison is totally wrong. Deliberately exterminating millions of people was a Holocaust. One can disagree with some actions of the Israeli government, but they absolutely do not qualify as deliberate mass-murder.”
Van Praag is also able to give a brief history of modern Israel within five minutes, telling about the many wars waged. Jews have been prosecuted throughout history and must have a safe haven, a country to defend the Jews wherever they are, she says. Unfortunately, in the Middle East, widespread brainwashing is occurring. Many people are convinced that Jews always attempt to rule and suppress other people, that those are the goals of Judaism and that this is the real reason why Jews are persecuted.
“The attempt to put the blame for all the problems Muslims experience on Israel is wrong,” Van Praag states. “The Jews see themselves as a chosen people, that much is true. But they are not chosen to rule others, but rather to accept extra obligations and duties, to be witnesses to God’s presence.”
Michael Afanasyev, BSc from Russia/Israel, studies aerospace engineering.
Marianne van Praag (Photo: Sam Rentmeester/FMAX)
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