Converting to Judaism

is possible but it is not easy. It requires time and commitment and an appearance in front of what I believe is called a Bet Din - a Jewish court. 

I talked about this once with a Jewish friend. D... was telling me how one of his concerns was that eventually Judaism may even die out because of intermarriage with non-Jews. Yes, I suppose it is possible. I assume if your mother is not Jewish then you will need to go through the process of conversion even if your father takes you to the synagogue each week. Being Jewish requires a commitment.   

I mentioned this yesterday when the question of "who is indigenous" was raised. That is another question which needs to be answered. There is nothing "racist" about asking this question. It is simply a question which needs to be addressed.

Almost every government form in this country - and a great many other forms as well - ask a question like "aboriginal or Torres Strait islander" or "identify as aboriginal" or some other form of the question. It was a question which was never asked when I was a mere kitten, indeed I do not remember it being asked for most of my adult life. It seems to have somehow become important in the later years of the last century. Suddenly there are a great many more people who "identify as aboriginal". They claim to be "First Nation" people.

There is a problem with this - not least that there never was a "First Nation". The indigenous population of this country at "white settlement" was as diverse culturally and linguistically as anywhere in the world. They did not speak as one. They did not live peacefully among themselves. Had they done so it might have been much more difficult for others to settle here. 

And, like it or not, there has been a great deal of intermarriage between the "original inhabitants" and the "settlers". The heritage of many people who now "identify as aboriginal" is now so mixed that nobody notices their heritage as they pass on the street.  At the same time it is some of these people who are the most outspoken about the need for "reconciliation", "a treaty", "truth telling", "the Voice", the "stolen generation" and more. They make claims about the "disadvantage" they suffered in the past and the disadvantages they continue to suffer today.  They are demanding special privileges, extra financial assistance, the "preservation of language and culture" and much more. 

Disagree with any of this and you will be labelled "racist" - and I know I will be. Is that really the case though? Who and what are we really supporting here? 

Yesterday someone tried to say that all this was rather like trying to maintain Judaism. I can't see that. Identifying as Jewish is not the same as identifying as indigenous. There are strict rules governing the former even though there is also diversity. There is Hebrew, there is the Torah, there are rituals which are common even while there are differences between Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews. There is much more which brings the Jewish community together. 

There are no such rules governing the latter. The common thread seems to be "disadvantage" and "righting the wrongs of the past". I am not sure it is quite the same but I am willing to be otherwise informed.