Forming One's Jewish Identity Today

Many of the beliefs and traditions we hold come from our parents or grandparents, and are based on their experiences with a religion. Many of us grow up attending the services our parents choose to attend, and most of the time begin to associate ourselves with that sect. Even though this is my case, I have explored many areas of Judaism and feel that it is important for everyone to develop their own sense of belonging within the Jewish community. There are so many people who say they are not religious and are basically not Jewish, but still call themselves Jews in order to belong to a specific religion. It is sad that there are so many non practicing Jews in the world, but maybe the reason is that they are not given/seek out an oppurtunity to take what the religion has to offer and try to create a connection with it. Many universities offer Jewish studies courses, which is a great way to start learning about Judaism. Sometimes I feel that people are too lazy or just dont care enough to take the initiative and register for an introduction to Judaism class. This is the time when one really shapes and defines their identity, and I know that Judaism is a large part of mine. I know there are so many, but I wish more college aged students would identify more with Judaism rather than identifying themselves as amost being not Jewish.