Jew in a Blog

problematic narratives….

i haven’t totally collected my thoughts, but it always seems like people who “discover” their jewish heritage (which only counts if it’s the maternal side, of course!) are privileged  in narratives over plain old converts.  

Another thing to think about is, what if this author had been ignorant of their Chinese heritage, rather than their Jewish side? That is, some Jews can pass entirely as gentiles, while the same cannot exactly be said for other ethnicities. I’d be lying if I didn’t say Judaism was important to me in part because I’m seen as Jewish.  My Jewishness is unavoidable, whether I remind myself about it or someone else does.  Call me masochistic, but I’d like to actively identify with my heritage if it’s going to be done for me by anti-semites.  If no one knew this author had “Jewish blood”, would they have discovered their Jewishness? 

(Source: jewishbeijing)

What you should know about Judaism

docloudscomeinpurple:

There are a lot of myths and misunderstandings about Jews floating around out there. I thought I would use my personal experience to clear some up :)

1) There is no such thing as a kosher pickle 

2) We are not technically an ethnic group. There is evidence of common ancestry among European Jews, but that could be a result of the fact that we generally don’t proselytize. Theoretically, you reading this right now could become a Jew. Don’t get too excited. 

3) The Hora is a lot harder than it looks. I’ve seen it go wrong in a variety of ways. 

4) We don’t rule the world

5) Going with that, there’s no World Zionist Conspiracy. And on the off chance that there is, then I’m very upset because no one let me in on it. 

6) There is no Jewish equivalent of Santa Claus. Judah the Macabee doesn’t go from house to house on Hanukkah leaving presents under the Menorah

7) The secular calendar adds an extra day every few years. The Jewish calendar adds an extra month. 

8) Watching Fiddler on the Roof does not constitute a solid background in Jewish history and culture. Nor does watching Schindler’s List. 

“Ethnicity” is an anthropological term and is actually quite accurate for describing Jews, a people who have intramarried for thousands of years.  Maybe you’re thinking of “race”?