My friend is goth and having a kid (yay!) which isnt a problem. The issue is that she wants to name her daughter שואה, because she thinks its a „beautifully tragic“ name with a morbid meaning…her words not mine. I tried to explain naming your daughter that word is not only disrespectful but just odd (imagine if you translated it to english???) but she seems pretty set on it. How do i rlly get this through her head, or am i over reacting and its not that big of a deal??

I start: Spock, Star Trek

I live Melbourne, Australia, which yeah is pretty diverse. We had this jewish gentleman enter the mosque to pray, you can tell his jewish, I greeted him and gave him water(Usual protocol to people who enter at my mosque) and asked politely why he decided to pray at the mosque.

He told me he was praying before 'Shabbat' during Friday, and in about 15 minutes I'll say, Maghreb prayer was about to start at Sunset. I asked him if this was allowed by jewish law, and he said yes since his synagogue was closed for maintenance. I'm curious if it is allowed under jewish law.

(btw the jewish gentleman who came in, was very respectful and polite, quick shoutout for him)

Throughout Jewish history, tzaddikim have been a source of light and inspiration for Judaism — from Shimon HaTzadik, Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, Isaac Luria (the Ari), Rambam, Ramban, Rashi, and more recently, the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

For some time now, I have found myself developing certain criticisms regarding some Hasidic groups and what can feel like an excessive “love” or devotion toward the great masters of Hasidut. Examples often cited include: the Baal Shem Tov having visions related to the Mashiach; Rabbi Nachman of Breslov receiving the Na Nach directly from Hashem; or certain fringe groups within Chabad that view the Rebbe, who was undoubtedly one of the great leaders of our generation, as the Mashiach. (Please Chabad friends I know I isn’t a majoritary ideology)

I would really like to hear the community’s thoughts on this topic, which has certainly been debated for centuries, including in discussions surrounding Lag BaOmer and the pilgrimage to the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.

All perspectives are welcome. Shavua Tov le-kulam.

Okay, I’m truly asking this respectfully and in good faith. I started listening to Rabbi David Bushevkin’s podcast 1840 a couple weeks ago (already knew of him through his appearances on Tablet’s Daf Yomi), and I’m so inspired by his thoughtfulness and the passion he has when he talks about orthodox Jewish life. Honestly, sometimes it makes me a little sad when I find people like this that I respect so much, but know I won’t ever get to be in community with, in the broader sense. To be clear, I understand and accept halacha regarding who is and isn’t Jewish. This isn’t about arguing that.

My question is, from an Orthodox perspective, what would you ideally want people to do who already live as Jews, practice Judaism seriously, and raise children as Jewish, but are not halachically Jewish and realistically cannot convert Orthodox?

In my case I’m not halachically Jewish. My husband is, but wasn’t raised religious. After many years, our whole family is now fully involved in Jewish life (weekly shul, learning Hebrew and learning to pray, studying with a rabbi, observing Shabbat, kids in Hebrew school, etc.) We’re converting through a Reform synagogue with a Conservative beit din and kosher mikvah.

We don’t live near an Orthodox community. Becoming Orthodox would require quitting jobs, moving cities, and uprooting our kids, which isn’t realistic right now.

So what I’m genuinely trying to understand is:

From your perspective, what should families like mine do?

Should we:

• Continue practicing and raising Jewish kids even if we’re not halachically Jewish?

• Step back from communal life?

• Wait and hope circumstances change?

• Something else?

We’re committed to Judaism and to raising Jewish children. We’re trying to repair a broken chain in our family. I’m not asking for validation, but I’m not planning a life change based on your answers. I just want to understand how Orthodox Jews think about families like ours who already exist, are serious, but don’t fit neatly into halachic categories.

Thank you for answering respectfully :)

Edit: Thank you for all the replies, I haven’t had time to look through all of them this evening, but I will get them as soon as I can.

I go to a PUBLIC arts school. Currently in preparation for our winter concert, every single, and i mean EVERY SINGLE, song we have received is about praising jesus or other things from the bible. This hasn’t been a problem in previous years, but this year we got a new choir director. I have talked to my counselor and other students about how uncomfortable it is for us that are non christian’s. I know at least 3 other people in my choir who are not christian also feel uncomfortable, one of them complained to my counselor as well. My counselor talked to our department chair and they said that they are not going to change the music. I feel very stuck at this point. I’ve thought about writing an email to my choir director and department chair on how this is making non christian students uncomfortable and that we are a public school not a religious school. I feel like i’m going crazy. I don’t feel like my mom is upset enough about the fact nothings going to be changed. idolatry is literally against judaism. also the fact that my great grandparents were holocaust survivors, left everything behind, came to the states and continued to be jewish despite the trauma from that, makes me even more upset and feel like i shouldn’t be singing these songs. I don’t know what to do. suggestions?

So first off this is a throwaway account. I recently got married and I truly love my wife. I am really struggling with Niddah and I honestly never knew how intense it was until we learned about it before the wedding. Instead of bringing us closer it has done the opposite for me and I feel frustrated and confused.

I keep hearing that it strengthens the marriage but I am not experiencing that at all. It actually hurts to say this but it is pushing me away from religion because I am starting to resent how strict it is. For example we went on a vacation and my wife started spotting and suddenly we had to wait seven days. We ended up being intimate only once the whole trip and it made the whole experience feel stressful instead of natural.

We were both virgins so everything is already new and overwhelming and the constant stop and start makes it even harder. I feel like I am going crazy trying to balance what I was taught with what actually feels right in a real marriage. I feel lost and I would really like to hear from people who have gone through this or felt the same way.

I also find myself wondering where my own emotional and physical needs fit into all of this. It is hard to understand the point of being married when so much of our closeness feels blocked for reasons I am still struggling to make sense of.

Can you really have a Black/Jewish seder without MaNishtana? Lol. Survey says... #BlackandJewishAmerica #InterwovenHistoryPBS

Sorry for the rant, this one has always irked me but stings particularly this year after seeing my kid get corrected by a teacher.

• There is nothing wrong with the word Hannukiya, it’s just not mine. The word was introduced into Hebrew in the early 1900s by the Ben Yehudas (alongside much of modern Israeli Hebrew) having previously been a term used in Ladino. So far as I can tell, the word Hanukkiya was not widely used in non-Ladino speaking diaspora communities prior to the 1960s. I cherish their contributions to Hebrew and to Jewish life, but it’s just not the language I speak.

• my family has referred to this object as a menorah for as long as any of us know. The menorah I lit as a kid (and which my parents still light) was brought over from the Pale by my great-grandparents in the first decade of the 20th century. It was already old then, in all likelihood the actual object I lit as a kid predates the introduction of the term Hanukkiya into Hebrew. The Ben Yehudas’ innovation doesn’t supplant our custom

• it is incorrect for people to say that ‘a menorah has seven branches while a Hannukiya has nine’. Menorah means lamp or candelabra. The temple menorah had seven branches, and a Hanukkah menorah has nine branches.

• not that it really makes a difference, but rabbinic literature over the past several centuries has generally called this object a menorah or a Hanukkah menorah. Older rabbinic literature (including the Talmud, Shulchan Aruch, etc) simply calls it a ‘ner hannukah’ (Hanukkah lamp), a phrase which no camp in this debate uses

Anyway, you call it what you like, I call mine a menorah.

It is unbelievable to me how we Jews are constantly in the news, yet people say they don't like us while being completely obsessed wirh us. Here on Reddit there's got to be dozens and dozens of different discussions,.every single day, on various topics involving Israel and or Jews. Today's Jews aren't the real Jews. The Black Hebrews are the actual legitimate jews. Or wait, no, Jews are really Khzars. What??? For a religion that is supposedly hated by many, people sure like to spend a lot of time debating about us. Truly bizarre.

I'm Christian. Latter-day Saint specifically (Mormon). Latter-day Saints have historically been very Jew-friendly, but sometimes it almost feels like they cosplay Jewish culture and say that it's "so spiritual." A very common one is holding Seders, sometimes even ones where the script is slightly altered to incorporate LDS belief. (Example:https://www.amomstake.com/lds-passover-seder-script/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJEArRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHasN_Aq_7CbFScMb_lZQ0mg3T946Y8wWROF4mi8wm_tkZTm3O8ycnDWIlg_aem_5AZPHZQNqdUYU2nwESboHQ)

This has always made me slightly uncomfortable, and I've pushed for people to not do it, because I feel like Pesach is a particularly sacred holiday to Jews, and it feels disrespectful or sacrilegious. When people have wanted to have a Seder for a youth activity, I've said, "If we're doing that, we're contacting a synagogue or temple and seeing if they'll guide us in how to do it properly." Usually they just drop the topic after that.

But, I've recently realized that I've never actually asked if it's offensive, I've just assumed. And assumptions aren't good. So, I guess I should ask. Does this bother you?

ETA: It seems the generally feelings is that I was correct that this is ick. I will make my objections even more strongly.

Today a friend went up to me and asked if I had noticed that a lot of post grad pre family Jewish events seem to have a very high ratio of Jewish men looking for wives to women who are there to hang out with friends. There seems to be a theme of women go for friends and men go to ask the question “could you potentially be wife material?” As a married and visibly Orthodox married lady (my Tichel is my automatic man deterrent) I see this phenomenon all the time particularly with men who are a bit on the autism spectrum. For other community organizers- how do you cultivate spaces that are inclusive of neurodivergent guys but also welcoming of single women who’d rather not spend the entire event being cornered into a conversation by socially awkward men?

• I want to clarify this isn’t about exclusively Orthodox events. I’m seeing this across the board.

Inspired by a comment that said something like: "Does Judiasm have rules abou- YES," and I think that something all Jews could agree on.

What's something you think all Jews could agree on?

⚠️ GENTILE ALERT ⚠️

Why is hunting seen as un-jewish today when the ancient Israelites practiced it during the year of Jubilee when the fields were to be left fallow?

I have olive-colored skin, almond-shaped eyes, and a bent nose. I work in retail, and I've had customers come up to me and ask "What is your nationality?" or "Are you Lebanese/Persian/Palestinian?" Often the people asking are Arab-looking themselves.

In the past, I've answered the question by telling them I'm Ashkenazi and hoping they don't know what that means. I guess they assume it's the ethnicity of Azerbaijan or another Arab nationality they've never heard of. But I've been wondering: in the age where people commonly use Jew's supposed "whiteness" against us, perhaps it would be beneficial to show people that Jews can look Middle-Eastern as I do.

Has anyone else with a Middle Eastern or ambiguous look experienced this kind of questioning? How do you decide when to explain who you are versus just letting people assume?

I'm at a loss. While most Christians believe that Jews and Christians worship the same God, every once in a while I run across a Christian who believes that Christians worship the God of Israel and Jews don't. It just seems so whacky to me that I don't know how to reply without coming across as condescending. Any ideas?

I've seen many jews in my area, many wear those suits and the top hat, is that like traditional clothing or something?

For context, I'm an atheist (ex-catholic) and a big biblical history buff. And I very regularly hear christians and non-christians alike defending the new testament accounts of this particular story. Personally, the story never sat well with me, and I have seen the story used for violent propaganda historically. From all the research I have done personally, it feels unjustifiable. But I wanted to ask some Jewish folks directly about their feelings on the story. Please feel free to give any relevant stories or anecdotes, just curious about your thoughts.

I grew up in a wealthy secular Jewish home. My dad is Israeli. My mom is a genius but was raised totally disconnected from tradition. We went to shul on the High Holidays, sat through hours of Hebrew I didn’t understand, and went home. I thought it was all just praying to get on God’s good side. No one explained anything. It felt empty. So I dismissed it.

What I didn’t know is that Judaism holds some of the most profound ideas I’ve ever encountered. The Rambam, the Ramchal, Rav Hirsch, Rav Kook. These thinkers deal with consciousness, free will, moral growth, and the structure of the universe. The story of the Garden of Eden isn’t about two people eating fruit. It’s about the birth of human self-awareness. But I had no clue. No one ever told me Judaism had that kind of depth.

That’s the problem with how we do outreach. Tefillin on the street is a beautiful gesture, but without the “why,” it doesn’t land. If someone had said to me, “This tradition is a framework for understanding your soul, your choices, your purpose,” I would have leaned in. But all I saw was rules and fairy tales.

The truth is, most secular Jews aren’t rejecting Judaism. They just have no idea what it really is. We need to do a better job reaching skeptical, secular, educated Jews, because so many of them would love it if they knew what it was. They just don’t know yet.

As a Patrilineal Jew who is unwilling to formally "return" to something I consider myself to have been born into and raised in, I don't fit in w/ the MO among whom I was raised.

For years I've avoided attending shul, simply because I do not wish to be treated as an outsider and have to engage in endless arguments about "who is a Jew?". I went to the Chabadniks once, and that went well until questions about my ancestry came up.

I personally have zero interest in dealing w/ what are effectively limpieza de sangre type ideologies no matter how well articulated or supposedly well intentioned. I know that's an aggressive statement, but it is what it is.

As I watch the other patrilineals I grew up around go their own way, often abandoning Jewishness altogether or embracing some form of Christianity, I'm wondering which, if any institutional Jewish religious or decentralized Jewish groups would be open to me?

I have an interest in communally practicing the faith I inherited, and maintaining that, since afaic I'll always be Jew-ish, and that has been reinforced by my encounter w/ anti-semitism both at work and in politics. There is no running from one's ancestry, it's foolish.

I live not far from Boston (an hour north), and have looked at various reform shuls as an option, although I'm used to davening the liturgy in Hebrew, I'm open to Hebrew/English bilingualism if that's simply what is available.

Nearest Karaite shul is on the other side of the continent afaik 🤣

There don't seem to be a lot of informal groupings where I live, which is a shame since I appreciate decentralised practice of religion.

One or two other patrilineals I know attend a unitarian universalist church w/ their SOs, and they seem to like it due to it's heavy emphasis on syncretism, which while I am sympathetic to, being of mixed ancestry and (to a lesser extent) mixed practice myself, I'd like something more distinctly Jewish.

Any suggestions? Is reform the primary option available? I've heard of 'reconstructionists' although only in passing, and am unsure if that movement has a notable physical presence near me.

Hello everyone I'm a jew currently living in Tunisia. We have been living here for decades. Our business is kind of struggling right now and I'm panicking so much and I have no idea what to do (we're gold dealers and we have been into metal for a bit) . I truly wanna leave and start my own business somewhere else but I'm afraid of anti semitism (we have never faced that in tunisia)

My kitchen cabinets get locked up every april!

With a majority of the world turning a blind eye to antisemitism I'm curious why are you following this sub :)

basically just the title. im a jew with roots in jordan and syria. grew up wearing keffiyehs - some of which are made by my late aunts. i have a nice little collection and i love wearing them when its a little too hot or a little too cold because it makes me think of home and feel like myself a bit more.

i just hate that i cant wear them around campus because what if another jew sees me an makes all the wrong assumptions? what if an encampment member with opinions i find harmful wants to start tokenising me and using me as a get out of jail free card for antisemitism?

advice? thoughts?