What Makes You Jewish?

By the title you might think this is a blog post on what makes a person Jewish, which is only half right. The other half is whether or not I, Jenna Paige Solomon, consider you a Jew. 

****I would like to emphasize that these are MY PERSONAL OPINIONS and in no way at all what actually makes you a Jew.****

Coming from a very Jewish community like the North Shore of Chicago, I hear very often people saying they are Jewish at my school and many others in the area. My guess would be that around 60 percent of my school in particular considers themselves Jewish. I believe that around 10 percent of that 60 are actually Jewish. 

To me being Jewish does not mean that because your mother is Jewish, you are by default Jewish. To be considered Jewish in my eyes, you must have been called to the Torah for an aliyah during your Bar/Bat Mitzvah and you must have continued your Jewish study after to the point where you become confirmed or you graduate high school. I believe that if you do not go to high holiday services every year, you are not Jewish. If you do not observe Shabbat every once in a while (that most definitely includes a youth group event like NFTY or a temple youth group event) I do not consider you Jewish. If you do not have a basic understanding of the holiday you get off for school, I don't think I can consider you Jewish.

Though it may seem like I have very high standards, its an important topic to me and I feel like some people say they're Jewish without even realizing what that actually entails and without knowing anything about their religion.