Baruch haba!

Shavua tov and welcome (baruch haba) to my blog. This is a place to share some thoughts (some serious, often not so serious. You thought "God hates pigs" was serious?!) on being Jewish and "religious" in the 21st century. To start off with, why the quotes around "religious"? Firstly, because I dislike the term - as you will know if you have more than a passing acquaintance with Judaism, and maybe even if you don't, Judaism emphasizes action (mitzvot - commandments, or good deeds) over "purity of faith"; doing these actions is called "observing the mitzvot" and so I prefer the term "observant". Secondly, because I should mention that as I converted with the Reform Beit Din and take public transport to synagogue on the Sabbath, Orthodox Jews would consider me neither observant nor Jewish. To those of you who are still here - Orthodox or not, Jewish or not: Enjoy the ride!