#but as beautiful as i find orthodox judaism

[monath]

not to complain or anything but even just wanting to convert to judaism is not easy

as i've explained in another post the reform congregation i've messaged said they only convert people who have jewish partners. i will probably write them another email to ask if they're serious about that but if they truly are, then my options for finding another congregation are slim

where i live we have a few jewish communities. they're all orthodox, except for the reform one that i already messaged and a conservative one. the issue is that they're all really far away (2+ hour drive when using public transport, car is not possible for me)

the closest two are the reform one and an orthodox one (both around 40 minute drive with public transport). i think orthodox judaism is great in many ways, but i'm not the optimal candidate for it (gay, not quite cisgender)

so unless the orthodox congregation near me LOVES that i will have to use public transport on shabbat to get to shul and that i'm queer, my only options are to hope that the reform congregation was just playing or that the conservative congregation 2+ hours away will let me convert 🙂

or i pray that i coincidentally fall in love with a jew and marry them but i doubt that that will just happen because what are the chances lmao

#i dont really care what denomination i convert into they all have their pros and cons #but as beautiful as i find orthodox judaism #i dont think i would “fit” you know #jumblr #jewish #jew in progress #jewish conversion #jewblr #judaism #jewish convert

[saint-ambrosef]

Thinking that the Orthodox are somehow less conservative is hilarious to me. In academic writing (which is what I'm familiar with) the Catholics are all, "yes, inculturation is important, we must be wary of triumphalism, gotta be careful of bad patriarchy and anti-Judaism, respect the beauty of other denominations and religions (Orthodox sacraments are valid and beautiful!!!)" while the Orthodox with no hesitation will go, "ah, yes, the demise of true Christianity in the West started when the uncultured barbarians who converted were not smart enough to understand the Greek philosophy they needed, pffft as if Catholic sacraments are valid (or anyone else's for that matter), Orthodoxy is manly compared to the sissy West," etc.

On the other hand, given the Catholic Orthophilia I've seen, probably the most Catholic result would be if Orthodoxy won the poll.

I did see a lot of mentions in the notes of Catholics voting for Orthodoxy because they have a more traditional aesthetic. Which is a weird argument to me. I mean obviously it is an unserious poll but it does reflect a general mindset I've witnessed in more devout Catholic circles, where they sort of dismiss or ignore the liturgical and aesthetic traditions of the Latin church and oggle over Orthodox traditionalism, like "Wow if only we had this".

Which, don't get me wrong, Orthodoxy does have deeply beautiful liturgical and aesthetic traditions that deserve appreciation. But it's weird to me when Catholics act like we don't have an equivalent? We do, it's just a bit hard to find sometimes in America where we have a lot more influence from Protestant culture. Sometimes the "Orthophilia" (as you call it) seems to arise out of Catholics who have just never experienced the more traditional expressions of church culture.

[nonegenderleftpain]

I'm going through a faith crisis, found one of your posts answering a similar question, and I just figured. I would send one.

I was raised vaguely Christian, I went to church and bible camp in the summer and all that, very very Christian area. We have five churches and only got a dollar store 5 years ago. It's Christianity or nothing around here.

Around the age of 11-12 I think, I learned about judaism and jewish people, and I became interested, but one of the first things I remembered seeing was something basically saying you can't convert so I stopped there, because I felt bad.

I got interested in Islam for a while, but it wasn't for me after about a year of learning off and on.

Then I learned about the Satanic temple, and I consider myself a satanist. Everyone in my life knows I am a satanist, I am passionate about it, I'm an agnostic, though leaning much more athiest.

However, recently, I'm not sure why, but my interest in Judaism sparked again And frankly it's bringing me to tears. I've been crying for a little over an hour now while looking into Judaism and becoming so interested and frankly falling in love with it.

But again, where I love, there's only Christianity. The nearest synagouge is miles and miles away, I can't drive and frankly I'm almost sure my parents will not accept me in this way and drive me to a synagouge anyway.

I'm at a lost for what to do. I feel bad asking jewish people for help, I know it puts you in a weird position I'm sure, but if anything I just want to know, what do I do?

That's a very hard situation to be in, and I'm sorry you're stuck in it. I was raised Catholic, in a town where there were no other options, just like yours. I didn't even meet a Jew until I started college. I also converted to Satanism after leaving xtianity, and I understand the fear of not being accepted. Most of my family doesn't know that I've converted, despite it being well over a year now. I feel less safe being open with them about my religion than I do being open with them about being trans. I feel your struggle and you are not alone.

As for what you should do, there are several things I would suggest. The beauty of today's internet is that many, many temples stream their services online. This would allow you a first step - a means of sitting in and observing, seeing what service is about and being in that space as a guest. See if the closest synagogue to you has their services streamed and request a link for them.

The next step (and one I suggest you take at the same time as seeking out access to online services) is to reach out to a rabbi. Rabbis are teachers, not priests - they are educated Jews who go to rabbinical school to learn halacha, theology and history. Sitting down with your local Rabbi (I speak with mine online since I am unable to drive often and we are both very busy) and explaining your situation to them and your interest in Judaism will gain you the community connection you need to move forward and take down the barriers between you and accessing a temple. I would suggest reaching out to a Reform congregation, as that's what I know most about, but that's not really necessary - agnosticism is very common in all sects of Judaism short of the ultra-orthodox, and belief is not a requirement for conversion.

The third step I'd suggest is getting your hands on a few books on Judaism. I always suggest "To Life!" by Rabbi Harold Kushner and "Choosing a Jewish Life" by Anita Diamant as a jumping off point. If you're down for heavier reading, "Jewish Literacy" by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin is an incredible book. It's well over 600 pages, but it is broken down into very digestible and intriguing chunks that make it easy to read. Jews are the people of the book, and there is not a more universal Jewish experience than study. You Rabbi will absolutely suggest more books, but these three are pretty universally loved.

Trying to find your way into the Jewish people is a hard road, especially with the rise of antisemitism worldwide. There's a lot to learn, and you will never know everything. You are painting a target on your back, and you will need to be very aware of that. If a rabbi turns you away, it will be because of tradition and concern for you choosing to become a Jew in a time so dangerous for us, not because they do not want you there. Be persistent and polite, and ask them what they need from you. They will know much better than I will.

It is not an easy path to take or decision to make. I feel the consequences of my choice daily in everything I do - good and bad. I've dealt with racialized violence as a white person for wearing my kippah outside and giving what is considered a racial indicator to antisemites. But I can also say that it has been worth it in every way. I have found a community, my soul has found rest at Sinai, and I know myself better than I ever have before. I don't know if I believe in Hashem, but I believe in the Jewish people. And I believe in you.

Behatzlacha, friend.

#jewish stuff #lovely anon #the ask and the answer but not the book #jumblr #jew by choice

[teeth-will-be-jewish]

About

Hi, I'm Maws! he/him or it/its

I've fallen in love with Judaism over the years and the closer I got the more certain I became that it is where I was always meant to be. So now I'm just trying to find my way home.

I hope to convert Orthodox one day but I'm gay and trans so I've decided to not make the search for a rabbi harder than it needs to be.

My boyfriend is Modern Orthodox and the first thing I wanna do after I convert is marry him but I'm not converting to be with him, I'm converting to come home, and I happen to have already found the person I want to share that home with. Not to mention, I may never have found the courage to believe I deserved to come home if not for his support. Every day I thank Hashem for the circumstances that allowed us to fell in love and I hope I also show gratitude to my boyfriend for in turn helping me find Hashem (to be clear he was NOT proselytizing, I was asking and almost begging for it).

Please tell me things, infodump, tell me about Torah, tell me a Talmud story, tell me all your Jewish opinions I love learning and my favorite way to learn is listening to people talking about something they care about. There is so much beauty in this world in knowledge and diversity and passion let's share it and oh gosh I need to stop rambling I've been writing this for an hour and I only meant for it to be something short to put as my description. Final fact about me is I can't shut up.

שלום!‏

#I'll edit this tomorrow except I probably won't because I'm a mess #Final bonus fact is I have ADHD

[poormeowmeowcollector]

Did you convert to Judaism? I remember a post a few years ago but don't remember if you ever did

There was a time I was considering it, and I'm still not opposed to if I have the opportunity but converting to Judaism is something that requires a lot of time, which I need to spend on my university. Also, I doubt if converting is free of charge and I do not have the funds to even consider it. And finally, I reside in Greece and the Jewish population here is not known for the size.

Generally, I believe wholeheartedly that Judaism is (from what I've gathered from the wonderful Jewish creators I follow here and on other platforms) a beautiful religion and one that fits my soul better than orthodox Christianity (Greece's main religion). But, unfortunately, I cannot find the time, the funds or the people for entering (should I be allowed obviously, because it's a closed religion).

Maybe I'll start considering again if I get the opportunities, but for now simply learning is more than enough.

Disclaimer: the fact that I've come to appreciate Jewish culture and religion does not mean that I personally think Palestinians don't deserve to live. There's a thing called "all people are equally worthy of appreciation and respect and you should fight for the rights of all people". Thank you very much.

#anonymous ask #if I phrased something badly I apologise #it's too early in the morning

[deathbutwithfuzzyanimals]

Looked through a Catholicism blog for a bit for some reason and now am feeling very happy about the more Jewish view of “yeah there’s some stuff in the afterlife that might happen but life is for the living, enjoy it while you can, it is God’s gift to you”. It must be so sad to be living to die.

#Im not like orthodox or anything close #Im also a reconstructionist so idk what the conservatives have to say on the subject #but i always find the idea of living for your death so sad #like why would you worship a god who would place you in this world #full of love and hate #beauty and horror #and let you exist here only as a way to test your faith #is the exchange really to live your life in hell to spend your afterlife in heaven? #no thank you #catholocism #christianity #judaism #afterlife

[beguines]

"All things are common among us but our wives...". So wives are 'things'? It's a test in life to me that biblical scriptures are so perfect except for their view on women as part-human part-things. Do you have many thoughts on this? Peace.

That's actually a quote from Tertullian, a second century Carthaginian Christian apologist. It certainly isn't the only misogynist thing he wrote, unfortunately. I find Tertullian interesting more for the documentation of history he produced than his ideology.

As for the Bible, I think it's a historical document that frames the story of humanity as a narrative through one particular, limited lens. I do not think it is the infallible word of God or that it's all that central to the Christianity—for centuries it was inaccessible to the majority of Christian laypeople. Misogyny is far from the only Biblical fault—we see the beginnings of Christian antisemitism in scripture as well as verses condoning violence and passages about gender and sexuality in Paul, for example. Personally, I have a few approaches to difficult scripture: educating myself about the historical and material context, reading through different translations and interpretations, and/or disregarding its validity as a flaw within a work written by flawed people.

Jewish interpretations of the Hebrew Bible (the primary differences between the versions of the scripture used by Jewish and Christian people are arrangement and division of books, numbering of verses, and the base text/textual tradition used for translation, such as Masoretic vs. Septuagint, in addition to the apocryphal elements utilized largely within the Orthodox and Catholic faiths) are very good for grappling with passages that can be challenging. Jewish theologians and scholars often have a familiarity with the language and culture of the time period that many Christian theologians lack (and are often disinterested in educating themselves about). They provide context and alternative translations that allow different views to flourish. There's a wealth of different interpretations as Judaism has fostered a much more dynamic relationship with God and scripture than Christianity has. There's countless posts on this site from Jewish people who discuss translational errors/differences, explain the importance and reasoning behind various laws, and provide a much more robust and comprehensive reading of various passages. In the face of Christian antisemitism, I think it's very important to delve into Jewish theology—particularly outside of a desire to use it to simply better understand one's own Christianity—because it's a beautiful, important faith tradition that we have a longstanding history of misunderstanding, devaluing, and oppressing. In terms of Pauline scripture, Diana M. Swancutt has a very interesting interpretation that takes into account the sociohistorical context of the time in her essay "Sexing the Pauline Body of Christ: Scriptural Sex in the Context of the American Christian Culture War". I've posted some excerpts on my blog if you're interested. These are just a couple examples of how we can be guided by those more knowledgeable than ourselves.

In terms of the Bible as a whole, anything that contributes to the oppression of others is clearly not divinely inspired and is a piece of scripture I can easily discard if I can't elsewise make sense of it when examining context or translational errors/differences. I do believe that parts of the Bible are divinely inspired—much in the same way that any human creation can be—but my faith rests in God, in love and the living creation, not necessarily in the things that humanity produces. In the end, the aspects of the Bible that are "problematic" don't create much tension for my personal faith. Of course the Bible is flawed—we wrote it. I understand how these aspects of scripture can be distressing for some people, especially those raised in traditions that place emphasis on Biblical inerrancy. But apologetics have never been an area of interest for me—I don't want to dedicate a substantial amount of my time to an attempt to justify every passage from a historical document that was written millenia ago. I'm much more interested in the ways we think about God, Jesus, and the world, and how our faith can be used to help secure freedom and justice for oppressed (and ultimately all) people. I don't find it personally valuable to allow difficult or harmful scripture to occupy my time outside of trying to understand the sociohistorical context, and acknowledging and fighting against the use of it to justify the oppression of others. It is the duty of Christians both to combat that oppression however we can and understand how our faith and its scripture have contributed. For my personal faith, however, they have little bearing. I do not expect a document written by human beings to be free of even our worst flaws.

#ask #anon

[laineystein]

40 little things I love about Israel (AKA the Israel the media won’t show you):

1. Beach libraries! Bus stop libraries! Colorful, well stocked, pop up libraries everywhere!

2. In Israel, the swings at a playground are spaced in a circle (instead of a line) so children can look at one another. It encourages interaction and community - very Jewish!

3. There were mice/bird issues in Israeli neighborhoods so the government released cats to combat the issue. When they realized it had gotten out of hand, vets started spay/neutering and vaccinating all of the stray cats so they’re all well taken care of.

4. There are flowers everywhere!

5. Beautiful graffiti! A lot of it uses the natural texture/shapes of structures to make art. So colorful!

6. A lot of neighborhood streets are themed. There’s a neighborhood in Ashdod that is named after strong Israeli women - my favorite!

7. The respect for the military. We give to those currently serving, we have holidays for those who have fallen in service, and our rehabilitation centers for those injured in service are top notch.

8. There is art - sculptures, mosaics, paintings - everywhere! We even turn useful things (benches, trash cans) into art. Or exercise equipment…like outside…at the beach. All art.

9. Makhtesh! (Mountains that were washed over with water causing them to collapse into themselves, causing massive crater-like valleys)

10. Trees! Someone is born? Plant a tree. Someone passes? Plant a tree. Just want to plant a tree? Plant a tree.

11. Promenades! Also referred to as “teyelet” in Hebrew. Pedestrians, bikes, flowers, cafes. Not sure where to go? Find the promenade and start walking. You’ll figure it out.

12. Jews are from all over the world - and they bring their food with them to Israel. Moroccan? Italian? Yemeni? Russian? Syrian? Slavic? Polish? German? French? Brazilian? Spanish? We have it ALL.

13. Similarly - Kosher? Pareve? Vegetarian? Vegan? Gluten-free? Israel’s restaurants typically have options for each and/or are very amenable to making changes when they can.

14. Super diverse geography! Mountains? Deserts? Beaches? Forests? Cold weather? Warm weather? YUP.

15. Public transportation is very efficient. You really don’t need a car. It’s also extremely affordable so there’s really no reason *not* to use it.

16. This one will blow your mind: religious tolerance! Does Israel have a lot of Jews? Sure! It also has Muslims, Christians, Atheists, etc. Israel prides itself on being very knowledgeable/aware/respectful of different religions and beliefs and caters toward each in the government, education, military, etc.

17. Museums! So. Many. Museums. Indoor, outdoor, UNDERWATER. All the museums!

18. Free in vitro-fertilization programs! (Healthcare in general is amazing)

19. There will be rosemary and sage that just grow wildly near the road? And you can pick it and cook with it? And we do? Often.

20. Such varied communities of Orthodox Jews. Hasidic Jews are such a small subset in the Orthodox community. They all have different traditions and appearances. It’s really wonderful.

21. Simchat Torah is a party in the streets. Honestly, all Jewish holidays just hit differently in Israel.

22. Salads. Colorful salads! Savory salads! Sweet salads! For those of you who are weary of Salad culture, Israel will change your mind. We eat salads at nearly every meal.

23. We have the best coffee. That’s it. We just do. (Our coffee and cafes are so good that Starbucks doesn’t survive in Israel. Who needs it?)

24. Lemonana. Or lemonade with mint. Just trust me.

25. The Dead Sea. Come see it/experience it before global warming makes it disappear!

26. Prisoners can vote in elections! We even have polling places in prisons to facilitate this. We actually put polling places in many places to ENCOURAGE voting by all Israelis.

27. The siren on Yom HaShoah. How the entire country of Israel comes to a stop no matter what they’re doing.

28. The views. There’s always a mountain you can stand on to see the ocean, the skyline, the desert.

29. There’s always new and old parts to cities and they somehow blend together really well. Israel is full of so much history and the Israeli people continue to build on that without disrespecting the past.

30. Sheirut Leumi AKA an alternative to compulsory military service that allows young Israelis to serve Israel in different ways ie. working at Independence Hall, explaining Israel’s history to tour groups, and any other visitors.

31. So many options to volunteer! Food pantries, hospitals, nursing homes - giving back to the community is a key tenet in Judaism and is common in Israel. (Our bus stops have monetary donation boxes!!)

32. The shuk aka the massive open-air market in Jerusalem. Google it. It’s magical. (There are a lot of shuks throughout Israel but the most well known and largest is in Jerusalem.)

33. Banks are like works of art? They’re architecturally stunning? It’s like being transported back in time. Even newer banks are built in older styles.

34. So many parks and botanical gardens. And they’re all FREE!!!

35. Halva. I could eat pounds of it.

36. The sunsets. Nothing compares.

37. Universities are fun to visit? All are welcome. They often have tours open to the public and they’re designed with that in mind.

38. Our money has braille on it! And we have a theatre that is dedicated entirely to the deaf and blind communities. How cool is that?

39. Light shows. We like to light up buildings and we hold events showcasing lit fountains and other light adorned structures. I don’t know but it’s a big thing.

40. Kosher everything! Kosher glue on stamps! Kosher food fed to animals at the zoo! Kosher McDonalds!

#Israel #Jerusalem #Tel Aviv #Judaism #Jumblr #Ashdod #Israel things #this is everything off the top of my head #trust me when I say that it’s a wonderful country and it has so much to offer #I’m sorry the media has lead you to believe otherwise #Israel is my home and I will protect it until the day I die #so I get I’m a bit biased #but read this and tell me it doesn’t sound magical #my heart my home

[divinum-pacis]

Divinum Pacis’s  Reference Guide- UPDATED 2021

Let’s face it, schooling is expensive, and you can’t cram everything you want to know into 4+ years. It takes a lifetime (and then some). So if you’re like me and want to learn more, here’s an organized list of some books I find particularly insightful and enjoyable. NEW ADDITIONS are listed first under their respective sections. If you have any recommendations, send them in!

African Religions  🌍

African Myths & Tales: Epic Tales by Dr. Kwadwo Osei-Nyame Jnr

The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead: Prayers, Incantations, and Other Texts from the Book of the Dead by E.A. Wallis Budge

Prayer in the Religious Traditions of Africa by Aylward Shorter (a bit dated but sentimental)

The Holy Piby: The Black Man’s Bible by Shepherd Robert Athlyi Rogers

The Altar of My Soul: The Living Traditions of Santeria by Marta Moreno Vega (autobiography of an Afro-Puerto Rican Santeria priestess)

African Religions: A Very Short Introduction by Jacob K. Olupona

Buddhism ☸

The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation by Thich Nhat Hanh

The Dhammapada by Eknath Easwaran (collection of Buddha’s sayings)

Liquid Life: Abortion and Buddhism in Japan by William R. LaFleur 

The Tibetan Book of the Dead by John Baldock (the texts explained and illustrated)

Teachings of the Buddha by Jack Kornfield (lovely selection of Buddhist verses and stories)

Understanding Buddhism by Perry Schmidt-Leukel (great introductory text)

Essential Tibetan Buddhism by Robert Thurman (collection of select chants, prayers, and rituals in Tibetan traditions)

Christianity ✝️

The Story of Christianity Volume 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation by Justo L. Gonzales

The Story of Christianity Volume 2: The Reformation to Present Day by Justo L. Gonzales

By Heart: Conversations with Martin Luther's Small Catechism by R. Guy Erwin, etc.

Introducing the New Testament by Mark Allen Powell

Who’s Who in the Bible by Jean-Pierre Isbouts (really cool book, thick with history, both Biblical and otherwise)

Synopsis of the Four Gospels (RSV) by Kurt Aland (shows the four NT gospels side by side, verse by verse for easy textual comparison)

Behold Your Mother by Tim Staples (Catholic approach to the Virgin Mary)

Mother of God: A History of the Virgin Mary by Miri Rubin (anthropological and historical text)

Systematic Theology by Thomas P. Rausch

Orthodox Dogmatic Theology by Fr. Michael Romazansky (Eastern Orthodox Christianity)

Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska (very spiritual)

The Names of God by George W. Knight (goes through every name and reference to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the Bible)

Icons and Saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church by Alfredo Tradigo (for those who like art history AND religion)

The Orthodox Veneration of the Mother of God by St. John Maximovitch (the Orthodox approach to the Virgin Mary)

East Asian Religions  ☯️

Shinto: A History by Helen Hardacre

Tao Te Ching by Chad Hansen (a beautiful, illustrated translation)

The Analects by Confucius

Tao Te Ching by Stephen Mitchell

Shinto: The Kami Way by Sokyo Ono (introductory text)

Understanding Chinese Religions by Joachim Gentz (discusses the history and development of Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism in China)

Taoism: An Essential Guide by Eva Wong (pretty much everything you need to know on Taoism)

European (various)

Iliad & Odyssey by Homer, Samuel Butler, et al.

Tales of King Arthur & The Knights of the Round Table by Thomas Malory, Aubrey Beardsley, et al.

Early Irish Myths and Sagas by Jeffrey Gantz

The Prose Edda: Norse Mythology by Snorri Sturluson and Jesse L. Byock

Mythology by Edith Hamilton (covers Greek, Roman, & Norse mythology)

The Nature of the Gods by Cicero

Dictionary of Mythology by Bergen Evans

Gnosticism, Mysticism, & Esotericism

The Gnostic Gospels: Including the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene (Sacred Texts) by Alan Jacobs and Vrej Nersessian

The Kybalion by the Three Initiates (Hermeticism)

The Freemasons: The Ancient Brotherhood Revealed by Michael Johnstone 

Alchemy & Mysticism by Alexander Roob (Art and symbolism in Hermeticism)

The Gnostics: Myth, Ritual, and Diversity in Early Christianity by David Brakke

What Is Gnosticism? Revised Edition by Karen L. King

The Essence of the Gnostics by Bernard Simon

The Essential Mystics: Selections from the World’s Great Wisdom Traditions by Andrew Harvey (covers Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Greek, Hindu, Buddhist, and Taoist traditions)

The Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manly P. Hall (huge book on esoteric and occult religions)

Freemasonry for Dummies by Christopher Hodapp

Hinduism 🕉

The Ramayana by R.K. Narayan

7 Secrets of Vishnu by Devdutt Pattanaik (all about Vishnu’s various avatars)

7 Secrets of the Goddess by Devdutt Pattanaik (all about Hindu goddesses, myths and symbolism)

Hinduism by Klaus K. Klostermaier (good introductory text)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is by Srila Prabhupada (trans. from a religious standpoint)

The Mahabharata, parts 1 & 2 by Ramesh Menon (super long but incredibly comprehensive)

The Upanishads by Juan Mascaro (an excellent introductory translation)

In Praise of the Goddess by Devadatta Kali (the Devi Mahatmya with English & Sanskrit texts/explanations of texts)

Beyond Birth and Death by Srila Prabhupada (on death & reincarnation)

The Science of Self-Realization by Srila Prabhupada

Krishna: The Beautiful Legend of God (Srimad Bhagavatam) by Edwin F. Bryant (totally gorgeous translation)

The Perfection of Yoga by Srila Prabhupada (about “actual” yoga)

Islam  ☪️

The Handy Islam Answer Book by John Renard (a comprehensive guide to all your questions)

The Illustrated Rumi by Philip Dunn, Manuela Dunn Mascetti, & R.A. Nicholson (Sufi poetry)

Islam and the Muslim World by Mir Zohair Husain (general history of Islam)

The Quran: A Contemporary Understanding by Safi Kaskas (Quran with Biblical references in the footnotes for comparison)

Essential Sufism by Fadiman & Frager (select Sufi texts)

Psychological Foundation of the Quran, parts 1, 2, & 3 by Muhammad Shoaib Shahid

Hadith by Jonathan A.C. Brown (the history of Hadith and Islam)

The Story of the Quran, 2nd ed. by Ingrid Mattson (history and development of the Quran)

The Book of Hadith by Charles Le Gai Eaton (a small selection of Hadith)

The Holy Quran by Maulana Muhammad Ali (Arabic to English translation, the only translation I’ve read cover-to-cover)

Mary and Jesus in the Quran by Abdullah Yusuf’Ali

Blessed Names and Attributes of Allah by A.R. Kidwai (small, lovely book)

Jainism & Sikhi

Understanding Jainism by Lawrence A. Babb

The Jains (The Library of Religious Beliefs and Practices) by Paul Dundas

The Forest of Thieves and the Magic Garden: An Anthology of Medieval Jain Stories by Phyllis Granoff

A History of the Sikhs, Volume 1: 1469-1839 (Oxford India Collection) by Khushwant Singh

Sikhism: A Very Short Introduction by Eleanor Nesbitt

Judaism  ✡

Hebrew-English Tanakh by the Jewish Publication Society

Essential Judaism by George Robinson (this is THE book if you’re looking to learn about Judaism)

The Talmud: A Selection by Norman Solomon

Judaism by Dan & Lavinia Cohn-Sherbok (introductory text)

The Jewish Study Bible, 2nd edition by the Jewish Publication Society (great explanations of passages)

The Hebrew Goddess by Raphael Patai

Native American

God is Red: A Native View of Religion, 30th Anniversary Edition by Vine Deloria Jr. , Leslie Silko, et al. 

The Wind is My Mother by Bear Heart (Native American spirituality)

American Indian Myths and Legends by Erdoes & Ortiz

The Sacred Wisdom of the Native Americans by Larry J. Zimmerman 

Paganism, Witchcraft & Wicca

Magic in the Roman World: Pagans, Jews and Christians (Religion in the First Christian Centuries) 1st Edition by Naomi Janowitz

The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation: Including the Demotic Spells: 2nd Edition by Hans Dieter Betz

Wicca for Beginners: Fundamentals of Philosophy & Practice by Thea Sabin

The Path of a Christian Witch by Adelina St. Clair (the author’s personal journey)

Aradia: Gospel of the Witches by C.G. Leland

The Anthropology of Religion, Magic, & Witchcraft, 3rd ed. by Rebecca L. Stein

Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions by Joyce & River Higginbotham

Christopaganism by Joyce & River Higginbotham

Whispers of Stone by Tess Dawson (on Modern Canaanite Paganism)

Social ☮

Tears We Cannot Stop (A Sermon to White America) by Eric Michael Dyson (concerning racism)

Comparative Religious Ethics by Christine E. Gudorf 

Divided by Faith by Michael O. Emerson (on racism and Christianity in America)

Problems of Religious Diversity by Paul J. Griffiths

Not in God’s Name by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (on religious terrorism)

The Sacred and the Profane by Mircea Eliade (difficult but worthwhile read)

World Religions  🗺

Understanding World Religions by Len Woods (approaches world religions from a Biblical perspective)

Living Religions, 9th ed. by Mary Pat Fisher (introductory textbook)

The Norton Anthology of World Religions: Hinduism, Buddhism & Daoism by Jack Miles, etc.

The Norton Anthology of World Religions: Judaism, Christianity, & Islam by Jack Miles, etc.

Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices by Mary Boyce

The Baha’i Faith by Moojan Momen (introductory text)

Saints: The Chosen Few by Manuela Dunn-Mascetti (illustrated; covers saints from Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and more)

The Great Transformation by Karen Armstrong (the evolutionary history of some of the world’s greatest religions)

Roman Catholics and Shi’i Muslims: Prayer, Passion, and Politics by James A. Bill (a comparison of the similarities between Catholicism & Shi’a Islam)

God: A Human History by Reza Aslan (discusses the evolution of religion, specifically Abrahamic and ancient Middle Eastern traditions)

A History of God by Karen Armstrong (similar to Aslan’s book but much more extensive)

The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions by Keith Crim

#religion #world religions #reference #judaism #christianity #islam #hinduism #buddhism #jainism #sikhism #paganism #witchcraft #wicca #library #divinum-pacis

[girlactionfigure]

There's something I need to get off my chest.

I'm an Ultra-Orthodox, Chassidic, Hareidi Jew. I live in Jerusalem, in an area that is exclusively Ultra-Orthodox Hareidi for street after street, suburb after suburb, for miles and miles. In all of these neighborhoods where the roads are blocked off and no cars drive on Shabbos, each black-hat-wearing family has many many children and literally no TV’s. I personally only ever wear black and white clothes, my wife only dresses in Chassidic levels of tznius (modesty), and my boys and girls all attend mainstream Hareidi Chassidic schools where the main language is Yiddish. My kids don’t and never will have smartphones, nor have they ever been on the internet at all. Period. They don’t know what social media is and they’ve never seen a movie — not even Disney animation. 

Having lived exclusively immersed in this culture for the last 21 years, I think I'm sufficiently qualified and well-researched enough to state that the consistent depiction of Hareidim and Torah Judaism by mainstream media, from Netflix to the daily news, is somewhere between delusion, slander and the literal equivalent of racism. If you consider yourself less closed-minded than how you imagine we Hareidim to be, then permit me to share a few personal details about my family, and other families in our neighborhood, to see how well your mental narrative matches up to reality:

- Besides learning Torah each day, most of the men in our neighborhood work full or part-time.

- Many women in our area work. Some even manage their own business or company. These are not special or “liberated” women — it’s so normal here it’s not even a discussion point.

- My wife is a full-time mother by choice, who despite attending an Ivy League College,  finds it a profound and meaningful thing to dedicate her life to. If she didn’t, she’d go get a job. Mind you, she also attends Torah classes each week, works out with both a female fitness coach (who’s gay) and a frum Pilates instructor, writes and edits articles for a couple global websites and magazines, and personally mentors a number of women. None of this is seen as unusual. 

- Kids in our community go to Torah schools where they learn (surprise!) Torah. They are fluent in three languages from a young age and the boys even read and understand a fourth (Aramaic). All the kids learn grammar, math and science. Weekly after-school activities have included music (violin, drums, piano), Tae Kwon Do, swimming, art, woodworking and robotics. The girls' school teaches tools of emotional intelligence. The principal of the boys' school doesn't hesitate to refer to kids to OT if needed. I practice meditation with my children multiple times each week. None of our kids think the world is literally 6,000 years old. They devour books about science and think it’s cool. They know dinosaurs existed and don’t find that existentially threatening. They have a telescope with which they love to watch the stars. 

- The women in my family (like the men) only dress modestly according to Hareidi standards. The girls don't find this burdensome or oppressive. Period. They aren't taught that beauty is bad. They're certainly not taught to hate their bodies, God forbid. Each morning when they get dressed, they are as happily into their own fashion and looking pretty as any secular girl is. They just have a different sense of fashion than secular culture dictates. (Unfortunately for me,  it's no cheaper.)

- The local Hareidi rabbis we receive guidance from are deep, warm, sensitive, supportive and emotionally intelligent. If they weren’t, we wouldn’t go to them.

- My boys assume they will grow up to learn Torah, as much as they want to, and then when they’re ready, get a good job or learn a profession to support whatever lifestyle they choose. My girls assume they’ll be wives and mothers (which they can’t wait for) but they're also warmly encouraged to train in whatever other profession they desire. (My 9-year-old daughter, chatting with her friend in the living room, just commented, "I want to be a mother and a teacher and an artist." Her friend replied, "I'm going to be a ballet teacher.") All options are on the table, and their future seems bright.

- We love living in modern Israel, feel proud and blessed to be here, and frequently count and celebrate its blessings. Everyone in my area votes. Sometimes not even for Hareidi parties. I pay taxes. (And they’re expensive!)

- As a Hareidi person, I’m glad we have Hareidi representation in the government — though I don’t always love or approve of how the Hareidi politicians act, or what they choose to represent. For the record, I'm equally dubious about secular politicians, as well. 

- While I don't spend much time in Tel Aviv, I do have a few close Hareidi entrepreneur friends who have founded high-tech start-ups there, and are — Boruch Hashem! — doing very well.   

- We don’t hate all non-religious people. Our kids don’t throw stones at passing cars on Shabbos. I doubt they even know anyone who would do that or think that it’s ok. We frequently talk about the Torah value of caring for and being compassionate towards everyone. As a family, we proactively try to find ways to judge others favorably (even those people who throw stones at passing cars on Shabbos.)

- We invite all manner of religious and secular Jews to join our Shabbos meals each week and the kids are open, happy, and confident to welcome everyone. (No, we're not Chabad.) One of the many reasons for having such guests at our table is to teach the kids this lesson.

- While we would technically be classified as right-wing and we don’t at all buy the modern “Palestinian” narrative, we certainly don’t hate all Arabs, nor do we have any desire to expel them all from the land. We warmly welcome anyone seeking to dwell here with us in peace and we are pained and saddened to see the suffering and loss of lives of all innocent Arab families and children — as would any decent human being.

- Of the few local families I know whose kids no longer identify as religious, none at all chose to disown their kids. The very thought, in such lovingly family-dedicated communities, is hard to imagine. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, I'm just saying it's not as common as it's made out. Rather, these families have tirelessly, profoundly, compassionately committed to maintaining any connection with their children, and to emphasize that, no matter what, family is the most important thing. Because it is.

- We aren't just living our life blindly, dogmatically following empty religious rules; rather, we are frequently engaged with, exploring and discussing Torah's richness, depth and meaning. Our kids honestly love learning Torah, praying and doing mitzvos. They’re visibly excited about Shabbos and festivals. This lifestyle is in no way oppressive or burdensome for them. If you suggested to them it was, they’d laugh and think you were crazy.  

- We Hareidim are normal people: we laugh, we cry, we buy too much Ikea furniture, and we struggle with all of life's daily ups and downs, just like the rest of you. Some of our communities are more healthy and balanced, some are less so; some of our people are warmer, nicer and more open, some are more closed, dogmatic and judgmental; some of our leaders are noble and upstanding, and some are quite frankly idiots…JUST LIKE ANY SECULAR NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE WORLD TOO. But having grown up living a secular lifestyle myself, and today being Hareidi-by-choice, I can testify that in these communities there is generally a greater and more tangible sense of well-being, warmth, tranquility, connection and meaning. We love and feel blessed to be living this life and wouldn’t want any other.

If this description of Hareidi life is hard to swallow, be careful not to push back with the often-used defenses like: "Well, you're just an exception to the rule...", "You're just American Hareidim", "You're baalei teshuvah", "Well, I know a bunch of Haredim that aren't like that at all"....because the truth is, while there might be many Hareidim who aren't like what I described above, it's still an accurate description of literally hundreds of thousands of Hareidim in Israel and the US — a decent portion of all Hareidim in the world. Which is my very point — how come you never see this significant Hareidi demographic represented in the media, television series, or the news? How come we mostly see the darkest and most problematic cliches instead? 

And finally, if all the facts I've listed above about our communities are hard for you to accept as true, then perhaps the image you have in your head about Hareidim is less based on facts and reality and more based on stereotypes, fear, hate, and discrimination — like any other form of prejudice in the world. 

Care to prove me wrong? Well, you're welcome to come argue it out with me and my family at our Shabbos table on Friday night. It would be a joy and honor to have you. 

Doniel Katz

[salixj]

(December 21, 2020 / JNS) It’s one of the few rap videos around that features a lead singer in frockcoat, tallis and shtreimel—paired with a cascade of gold chains (one bearing a Magen David) and leopard-skin scarf—dancing with guys from the ‘hood facing off against others in Chassidic garb.

As such, “Mothaland Bounce,” where our hero proudly calls himself “Hitler’s worst nightmare,” reveals much about the man behind it and what it means to be a passionate and deeply committed Jew of color.

Because for Nissim Black—successful rapper, father of six and Orthodox Jew—the video makes a strong statement about how Jews of color merge their very disparate identities into a (nearly) seamless whole.

(Fans may want to check out Black’s newest rap video “Hava”—a thoroughly Nissim spin on the traditional “Hava Nagila”—its release timed for the first night of Hanukkah).

Black is perhaps the most famous of today’s Jews of color. (Readers of a certain age will recall when singer Sammy Davis Jr. could claim that honor).

Though the term itself has gained traction in the last decade, there have always been Jews of different races. Scan the globe today, and you’ll find Ethiopian Jews and the African Lemba tribe whose men test positive for the Kohen gene, a marker of the Jewish priests.

What’s more, many Sephardic, Cuban, Mexican and Yemenite Jews consider themselves Jews of color. Not to mention the murky waters surrounding pockets of the Black Hebrews found in Israel (largely in Dimona and Arad in the Negev Desert) and around the Diaspora, many of whom claim descent from the ancient Israelites.

The numbers are equally murky. Estimates range from 6 percent to 12 percent—or even as much as 15 percent—of today’s Jewish population being Jews of color. But there is little in the way of standardized definition of who is a Jew; some studies count all the members of a household as Jewish household when only one member actually is. But when researchers Arnold Dashefsky and Ira M. Sheskin held the disparate estimates of Jews of color up to the light of demographic standards earlier this year, they concluded that the percentage of Jews of color “is almost certainly closer to 6 percent nationally [from the 2013 Pew study] than 12 to 15 percent. And this percentage has not increased significantly since 1990, although it is likely to do so in the future.”

It stands to reason that this year of painful racial tensions across North America could trigger an internal debate in African-American Jews, especially those who came to the faith not through birth or adoption, but who, like Black, embraced Judaism as adults.

And embrace it many of them do—with passion, perseverance and a deep appreciation—often overcoming raised eyebrows, insensitivity and even downright racism in the process. With a surprising number of them finding their spiritual home in Orthodox Judaism.

Nissim Black

Damian Jamohl Black, whom the world knows now as rapper Nissim Black, was born into a family of Seattle drug dealers in 1986. His childhood was pockmarked by FBI raids on his home, his dad was taken away in handcuffs, and he was accustomed to assorted incidents of street violence and crime. By 9, he was smoking marijuana, and plants were growing in his room. By 12, he’d joined the family business.

The only faith Black was exposed to back then was his grandfather’s Islam. His first religious service? A mosque, which he attended until his grandfather went to prison.

But at 13, Black was pulled into Christianity by missionaries. He now says it was the best thing that could have happened to him. “This was the first time I was around people who had normal healthy relationships. No one sold drugs, they had a heart for kids from the inner city, and their summer camp was the most fun I’d had in my life,” he recalls. “Becoming religious saved me from the world of street gangs.”

By high school, he was “the poster child of the missionary center.” That’s when he met the woman who would become his wife. As a Seventh-Day Adventist, Jamie (now Adina) went to church on Saturdays. They wed in 2008 but remarried in an Orthodox ceremony after their conversion five years later.

By 19, Black was making rap music professionally, and his mother died of an overdose. But by 20, Christianity was beginning to feel foreign to him, and he began wondering what the Jews walking in his neighborhood on Saturday mornings were up to. “I went to Rabbi Google and found Chabad.org. And it all began to make sense,” he says. “I told my wife [they were newlyweds] that I didn’t want to celebrate Christmas and Easter anymore. Pretty soon, she was doing her own digging into Judaism.”

The couple’s conversion followed in 2013 and aliyah to Israel three years later. The Blacks now make their home in Ramat Beit Shemesh with their six children, ages 1 to 12. “I wanted my kids to grow up here,” he says, “where they’d see Jews of different shades all praying the same prayers.”

“I’ve checked every box, right?” he says with a laugh. “One rabbi at my yeshivah told me, ‘You have a lot of strikes against you: You’re black, you’re a convert and you’re a Breslov Chassid. And in all these things is your greatness.”

Maayan Zik

Maayan Zik was 13 when her soul woke her up. Growing up in Washington, D.C., with her mom and sister—her parents divorced when she was in first grade, and she didn’t see her dad for another 10 years—she attended Catholic schools and was close with her maternal grandparents, Jamaican immigrants who took her to museums and taught her the value of hard work and education.

Accompanying her Jamaican-born grandmother to church every Sunday, by 13, Zik had “begun to wonder if what my family believes is right for me.” She explored a number of world religions, but when she saw a photo of her light-skinned Jamaican great-grandmother Lilla Abrams, whom family lore says was Jewish, “I realized I had to go way back to find out who I am.”

When she moved to an apartment in 2005 in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., she noticed the previous tenant had a left up a poster of a white-bearded man. “I said to myself, ‘I’m going to find out who you are.’ The man turned out to be the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Two years later, after courses and a summer seminary program, she converted. Thirteen years later, now 36, Zik remains there—with her Israeli-born husband and four children. “This somewhat awkward coexistence that lives inside me” fades into the background when she begins to pray, she says. “Having a personal conversation with God as part of the Jewish people, it’s who I’ve always been; I just didn’t know it.”

Mordechai Ben Avraham

Black and Mordechai Ben Avraham are both African-Americans from the West Coast (Seattle and Los Angeles, respectively), and both found Judaism in their 20s. But their early environment could hardly have been more different.

Growing up in an affluent neighborhood with a successful businessman father and a professor mother, “my focus was on how someday I could make more money than my dad.”

Ben Avraham’s spiritual journey took him from Sufism to the Kabbalah until at 22 he experienced Shabbat in a Carlebach-style minyan. “It was like I was floating in outer space. This is what Jews do? This is amazing! The Torah, the prayers, this beautiful spiritual system God gave to the Jews for people to transform themselves—they literally grabbed my heart.” His conversion was complete in 2013 with his move to Israel three years later.

Now 39, the former TV producer is living in the heart of Jerusalem’s religious Mea Shearim neighborhood, working towards his rabbinical degree and publishing a book on the joys of Torah as a black Jew.

But why would anyone who’s already making a huge leap religiously and culturally choose to embrace Orthodoxy with its full menu of mitzvot, accepting the Torah as Divine and committing to living within halachah (Jewish law)?

“If someone is going to make this big of a change completely based on their need to go beyond, there’s a very real tendency to go what many would consider ‘all the way,’ ” says Henry Abramson, dean of Brooklyn’s Touro College and author of The Kabbalah of Forgiveness: The Thirteen Levels of Mercy in Rabbi Moshe Cordovero’s Date Palm of Devorah (2014), among other titles.

A shared history

Much of this tendency to search spiritually can be traced to African-Americans’ religious experience in America, adds Abramson. “Since the 1960s, we’ve seen the phenomenon of questioning the Christianity foisted on their slave ancestors.”

And though Islam has attracted many of these disenfranchised souls—in part, he says, because the black Muslim culture permeated prisons beginning in the 1960s—Judaism offers another option.

Ben Avraham maintains that, in a spiritual sense, Judaism may feel familiar to those raised in the black church. “Like Judaism, gospel Christianity is an intense personal relationship with God without any intermediaries,” he says.

This is a connection Ben Avraham experiences every day of his life. “Living in Mea Shearim, in a fundamental way, I’m around people who are just like me. I just connect with my Chassidic neighbors.”

A growing fissure

But after the 1960s and ’70s, when Jews fought alongside blacks for civil rights in the United States and in South Africa, “there’s been a growing fissure between blacks and Jews,” says Rabbi Maury Kelman who, as director of Route 613, a New York City conversion program, has welcomed many students of different races into his classes.

And, with last summer’s rise in violence between the African-American community and the religious Jewish community, primarily in New York,” says Black, “lately, it’s gotten uglier.”

‘I cried all the way home’

Not everyone in the Jewish community rolls out the proverbial red carpet for someone of color.

After working up the courage to walk into synagogue on Shabbat, Zik couldn’t miss the two women glaring at her, eventually yelling at her to get out and threatening to call the police before giving chase.

“I cried all the way home, but my friends would not let me give up,” she says. “I also knew from everything I’d read about the Rebbe, with his emphasis on love and kindness, that eventually this would be the right place for me.”

“Unfortunately, like in all communities, you’ll find the occasional ignorant Jew or racist,” allows Kelman, who offers programs on the importance of accepting the convert.

A time of racial tensions

With this year’s heated racial debates and demonstrations following the May 25 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, where does that put Jews of color, with feet in both the African-American and Jewish worlds?

Zik, for one, helped lead a rally in Crown Heights this summer where black neighbors shared their experiences with racism. “It was a reminder,” she says, “that the Torah teaches us to protect the rights of all God’s children.”

And the learning goes both ways, she adds. “When black friends ask me if now that I’m Jewish, do I have money? I tell them about the Jews I know who struggle to pay for rent, food and their kids’ yeshivah tuitions. I tell them that, when I’ve had my babies, neighbors bring us meals and help furnish the nursery. People here always want to do another mitzvah.”

Ben Avraham also says he better appreciates African-American history because he is a Jew. “We can see our own story reflected in the Torah,” he says. “Our two peoples had so many struggles just to survive.”

Adds Black: “Just knowing there are black religious Jews can help the two communities see they aren’t completely separate after all—not to judge each other so quickly.”

Kelman agrees. “Black Jews can be a terrific bridge chiefly because they have credibility on both sides. It’s increasingly important to teach our fellow Jews that we’re a family that comes in different colors, that Judaism is colorblind,” he says. “Once they convert, they’re just as Jewish as any of us—and our diversity only strengthens us.”

‘Something bigger than myself’

By the end of “Mothaland Bounce,” the guys from the ’hood and the Chassids are dancing together with Black as ringmaster.

But it may be “A Million Years” that’s Black’s love letter to Judaism.

In this 2016 music video (with singer Yisroel Laub), Black takes a journey proudly carrying a Torah throughout Israel—archeological digs, mountain caves, a busy shuk (marketplace) and Jerusalem’s Old City—turning heads as he goes. (Don’t miss the moment when Black stops to let some haredi kids lovingly kiss the Torah), finally nestling it inside a synagogue’s ark.

“Since I was a kid, I was looking to be part of something bigger than myself,” says Black. “I prayed and prayed, and finally, I knew who I needed to be, a Jew, and where I needed to be, the Holy Land. It took time but now God’s answered my prayers. And one thing I know is that to God there is no such thing as color. He sees us for who we are inside.”

As he raps:

“I came from a distance Where everything was different … I called out to You And You showed me that You listened … I gave my all to You And You showed me who I am.”

#Israel #Jews of Color

[bisluthq]

I feel like the argument people are using is why can't he convert? Why does she have to change?

I feel like this gets antisemitic very quickly. If she had kids with him and she didn’t convert, whether he got baptized or not, their children wouldn’t ever be Orthodox Jews. If they chose to take part in the faith of their ancestors, they would one day have to convert. Now the thing with Judaism is it’s an ethnoreligion, meaning it’s not simply a faith but also an important identity marker. A lot of Jews see themselves as culturally Jewish even without being particularly religious - they are proud of foods, stories, traditions. Jews who convert or stop being religious or simply aren’t religious still have that history and still share that identity and still face antisemitism in the world today.

Josh’s children - whether religiously considered Jews or not - would face antisemitism tbh and come from a lineage of that. Their great-grandparents would still be Holocaust survivors. Being Jewish isn’t something they’d escape just because halachically (according to Jewish law) they wouldn’t be Jews.

But they wouldn’t be able to formally participate in those traditions in Orthodox shuls.

If Josh and Karlie - in a conversion free world - wanted to they could have raised them Reform Jewish. But that’s not what Josh grew up as? And again for Holocaust descendants making sure kids actually carry that shared legacy is mostly very important.

Because Karlie converted, her children - whoever they’re from - are Jewish. That’s how it works. Obviously, Levi could grow up and become a Buddhist or an Evangelical Christian or Muslim. But he will also have the option to share in his family’s ancestral legacy and get married in a shul and so forth.

I know a bunch of “half-Jewish” kids who have super messed up identity issues because to the world they are Jewish, but to the Rabbinate they’re not. It’s complicated.

Josh didn’t force her to convert - she wanted to, it appealed to her, and before she started the formal process she spent like 2 years going to lectures and finding stuff out. No Rabbi will let you convert “just” for your spouse.

It’s antisemitic and frankly fucking sexist to imply she didn’t have agency or that she’s not Jewish when she patently is. In Judaism there’s an idea that the souls of converts were present at Mount Sinai when Moses brought down the commandments making converts “holier” than those who are born Jews. So it’s genuinely offensive to even bring this shit up.

It’s not anti feminist, it’s beautiful, and whether she did it inspired by him or not SHE. IS. FUCKING. JEWISH. FOREVER. So are her kids. The end.

#nat talks Judaism #nat talks klossy

[koshervacationindubai]

Where to Find Kosher Restaurants in Dubai on vacation

Every year, thousands of Jews from all over the world plan a vacation (נופש כשר בדובאי) to visit the mystical city of Kosher, located in the center of Israel. For those who already know about the religion, there are a few things that you may not be familiar with. Kosher is one of the two Jewish sects recognized by the Jewish law as having three fundamental principles: observing the laws of Kashrut, learning to read and write, and learning about the Torah and the tradition of their ancestors. These three key principles form the basis of every Jewish holiday and are also reflected in the cuisine of the country as well. Although there are many countries that celebrate Yom Kippur (the seventh day of the Jewish holiday of Passover), nowhere is it as celebrated or important as it is in Israel. This is why planning a Kosher Vacation in Dubai can make all the difference between a fun-filled holiday and a life-changing experience.

Since Kosher is so significant to the Jews, a great part of planning a holiday like this is determining where to go. There are literally dozens of synagogues and Jewish neighborhoods throughout Dubai, and a trip to any of these neighborhoods could easily become the focal point of your entire holiday. In addition to a beautiful location to celebrate, however, a trip to a new kosher restaurant in Dubai could mean some of the best Jewish food you've ever had. The Dutchman of your destination may be an obvious place to begin, but there are many other locations that should be considered as well.

The dutchman of your hotel may belong to a certain sect of Orthodox Judaism, but if he or she is catering to a broader clientele base, they are certainly within the range of any of the kosher restaurants in Dubai. If you are not sure of the identity of your dutchman, you should ask the receptionist at your hotel if they are part of the Abraham Maslowitz Organization. This organization is a non-profit group dedicated to preserving the cultural and religious roots of the Jewish religion. Once you have verified that your dutchman is a member, you can look for their kosher restaurant in Dubai right away.

Of course, it would not be a kosher vacation without a visit to one of the many kosher cafes or snack bars in Dubai. There are literally hundreds of them in the city, and your best bet for finding the right one is to look on the internet ahead of time. Not all of them will be open on the scheduled dates you want to visit, but many do open daily. A quick search of the term "kosher cafe" in Google maps should give you a list of the ones open daily. Many hotels in Dubai also offer catering services at these cafes on a regular basis.

Many hotels offer special Jewish menus for guests who order them. There is a wide variety of kosher dishes including traditional deli sandwiches as well as more modern Jewish dishes like grilled chicken. Some of the restaurants have also expanded their kosher selections. These restaurants usually offer a number of different styles of Jewish food, so you should have no problem finding something you like. Of course, if you are looking for a specific cuisine, you should make your requests ahead of time to ensure there is a kosher restaurant in Dubai close by.

Another kosher restaurant in Dubai that should be considered is Maalot Hillel, which serves authentic, delicious Jewish snacks and delicacies. The food is actually very good; I would highly recommend trying it. The atmosphere is very calm and serene, and the prices are reasonable for what you get. Maalot Hillel also offers a free service of wine and champagne on select nights during your vacation. The wait staff is very courteous and knowledgeable, and the prices for the quality of service are not expensive at all.

There are plenty more dining places that serve kosher food throughout Dubai, including the highly popular Meals On The Grill on the Dubai Mall. This place is always busy, but the food is delicious. There are vegetarian selections as well as meat selections, making this a great option for people who do not care for certain types of food. If you are not looking for Jewish food, you can also visit Shomali, which is an Indian buffet-style restaurant that offers wonderful buffet-style food at incredibly affordable prices.

One of the most important things to remember is that while the prices of these kosher restaurants in Dubai are very reasonable, they are still good value for money. The foods are made from high-quality ingredients and are usually worth the price you pay. In addition to the fact that the food is scrumptious, you will also find that the prices are very reasonable compared to the food you would find at "tourist trap" restaurants back home. If you are planning a kosher vacation to Dubai, make sure you check out the kosher restaurants before your trip. You will be glad you did!

[findblog17]

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Stacty Moskowitz Spigelman's Orthodox Life

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I was raised in a secular Jewish home. At the age of 11 I was introduced to the richness and beauty of a Torah observant lifestyle. I was blessed to have many wonderful, loving orthodox families that welcomed me into their homes and their lives. I began my journey into orthodoxy at age 11… I inte

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Jenna Zadaka's Orthodox Life

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I chose this life. 🌎I traded in my magazines and romance novels for Torah Books & Siddurim.I changed course in University at @uwmadison from studying African Yoruba to Hebrew. Traded my study abroad from Nigeria, to Israel. I gave away my favorite torn-jeans for skirts. I chose to marry

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[docholligay]

Ok so to preface this, I follow a rabbi on here and I was planning on posing this question to him, then saw your recent posts and thought to send it to you as well since you're one the more vocal of the Jews I follow on here: I've been thinking about Judaism a lot, and tossing around the idea of converting. I know there's a lot I need to unlearn, being culturally xtian, but what are some thing you'd recommend I focus on? I also know I need to examine my reasons for why I would want to commit to this; anything I might overlook in that dept? I'm trying make sure I want this for the right reasons, and not, as your tag said, for clout. I'm pretty sure I dont, but I want to make 100% sure I'm doing this right in all aspects.

DO NOT REBLOG

First things first, I would have you ask yourself, in a really reflective way, why you want to convert. 

What do you find beautiful about Judaism, that you can’t get in any other way? Have you been studying Torah? Have you read in depth about what different movements hold as their banners? Would you convert if you were never allowed to weigh in on what is or isn’t Anti-Semitic online? Would you convert if you were never allowed to put it in your about me? Is the visibility of being that minority part of the pull? What IS it about being Jewish that draws you? This is not an easy question, and really if you can snap answer it you haven’t thought deeply enough. 

Judaism done correctly DEMANDS a lot of you. Do you want those demands? How will you work to constantly be picking up more mitzvot? How will you work to climb the ladder of righteousness, or is it merely the lure of something that is quasi-exotic? If this sounds like I’m being rough on you, I am, I have an old-school rabbinical holding that conversion should never be taken lightly, and it should only be when you CANNOT talk yourself out of it for deeply personal reasons that you pursue it. You can learn about Judaism and engage with Jewish ideas without converting. As a convert, having chosen this covenant, you should hold yourself to an even higher standard. 

As far as unlearning cultural Christianity, things I have noticed converts do that they don’t always seem to realize they engage in, because they don’t THINK of them as having a Christian basis: 

Lashon hara (We take this one seriously!) 

Black and white thinking/ moral purity (There is only one answer to this complicated issue and it so happens to be the one I rested at, any other idea should be blackballed and not discussed. This comes from the idea of Sin being a very serious thing and also All Sins are Equal Intention is Meaningless, whereas Judaism has a much different shade to it on transgression and repentance  ) 

Subgroup to this: Assurance. Cultural Christians are SO SURE OF THEMSELVES. What they believe, what they would do in any situation, and if you try to talk to them about it, they’re almost always like, “No, no I know I would do X/I think Y” and this is true on nearly any given topic.

This Person Cannot Be Learned From Because They Did a Bad Thing (Please read the Torah, I’m begging you--this goes back to the Jesus “washing” one’s sins away, Jesus being a TOTALLY PURE person to save us all, etc. It’s not realistic. King David literally had a man killed to fuck his wife, he’s a great hero of Judaism.) 

Examining one’s motivations. This is one of the hardest ones, I think, but Judaism often asks us to ask ourselves WHY we’re doing something. Is it to elevate yourself, or hurt someone who has hurt you? I fuck this one up all the time, but when I do, I am quick NOT to excuse myself. 

But Why Follow Rules if You Don’t Believe in God? The more you get into this, the more culturally Christian atheists will annoy the SHIT out of you with this, because they can’t see a reason to follow Stringencies other than “I’ll fucking spank you” They don’t often see the value of cultural and social touchpoints, the value of boundaries, etc. I believe in God maybe half the time, at best. You’ll find fully Orthodox people who are VERY stringent, and don’t believe in God. Picking up mizvot is about community and dedication as much as it is anything else. 

I’m sure there’s more offhand, but the ones converts generally THINK of are: Thinking of the holidays as Christmastime, no matter what else is going on, what does prayer mean, etc. The OVERTLY religious things, they seem to get easily, it’s the cultural and social ways of thinking that attract so many people to Judaism under a religious lens, but turn them off when they realize there’s a social lens aspect to it as well, and then find themselves on the outs, sometimes, in communities full of Jews by Birth. 

paging @verbforverb with any other observations. 

#Anonymous

[lapis-yam]

With that established, let's move on to the most open-ended question: why? Don't feel like you have to be concise or anything-the longer the better.

I'm certainly anything but concise.

I can't remember the exact moment I became interested in Judaism. It was more of a gradual buildup until I genuinely felt like I could not continue pursuing any of my other goals in life until I contacted a rabbi.

I believe I first became acutely interested in Judaism because I had been making an effort to be a better advocate for Jews. I was very active and vocal in my support of Jews and my contempt for antisemitism and vowing to fight it to the best of my ability and by any means necessary. My interest in being a better ally to Jewish people led me to learning more about Judaism as a culture and as a religion. I started studying Jewish beliefs, analysis of important Jewish texts (Torah, Talmud, etc.). The first value I found that I deeply resonated with was the importance of questioning. Questioning what your told, and even crazier, questioning G-d, was something I didn't think any religion allowed, let alone encouraged. But Judaism was different in that respect, and I deeply admired that. I thought that all/most religions (especially Abrahamic religions) were very rigid and encouraging of blind faith, something I've never been good at.

Then there was the emphasis Judaism/Jewish culture puts on learning. The idea that there's always something new to learn and your education is never truly finished was deeply appealing to me. I love learning, reading, analyzing, studying, annotating. I love it all, and knowing that no matter how much a learn, there's always a deeper understanding you can gain of the Torah, there's always an infamous rabbi you've never heard of before that you should learn about, there's so many holidays with their own traditions and stories and rituals, theres mountains and mountains and mountains of books to read to give you a deeper understanding of any topic you could think of. Every question I had, I was encouraged to seek out the answer on my own, no matter how small. Why do Jews sway back and forth while praying, why can't you turn lights on and off on Shabbat, why is Israel so important to Jews, what's [insert holiday] about, why is circumcision required for Jewish boys, why can't Jews eat pork, why was the Talmud written, when will Mashiach arrive, why, why, why, why? There was always a new question to be asked, something I didn't know the answer to, something I had never thought to ask had I not been encouraged to do so. I have never run out of questions, and I doubt I ever will.

Then there's the encouragement of disagreement. How common it is for Jews to argue honestly caught me off guard in the very beginning. But it soon became one of my favorite things about Judaism. There's always an argument going on. This ties back to the first two. Whenever I would ask a question, I would either be told to search for the answer on my own, or my rabbi would give me his answer. I learned very quickly that I was expected to disagree with him, to argue with him. Otherwise, had I truly understood his answer? This became apparent during Torah study as well. The first Torah study class I went to, the entire class we spent more arguing than actually reading Torah. I was very nervous to participate, bc at the time I could barely follow along, but being encouraged to ask questions, and then have to defend whatever my interpretation of the verse we were reading was, definitely strengthened by ability to comprehend Jewish texts, as well as strengthen my bonds with other Jews. Nothing was passive. I have to be active constantly. I have to argue, celebrate, learn to cook Jewish recipes, learn Hebrew, write, study, etc.

Judaism turned everything I knew about religion on its head. Everything I loved about religion, Judaism had. A monotheistic belief in one creator, a large well of material to learn from, a sense of community, thousands of years of tradition, a beautiful culture, a welcoming and nurturing environment. It was everything my "ideal religion" would have.

As my interest grew, I could not stop researching Jewish holidays, traditions, food, beliefs, ethics, etc. I literally could not stop thinking about my now burning desire to join this "peoplehood", for lack of a better word.

My reasons for wanting to convert were clear to me now. I felt a deep connection to the Jewish people, to Hashem, and to the teachings of the Torah. I wanted to do anything I could to be 100% part of this community.

When I started converting, I reached out to a Reform Temple. The reform movement is seen to be the most "progressive" Jewish movement, and also has a reputation for being the least strict and most "assimilated". I chose to start my conversion with the reform movement because I thought it was my only option. I'm a trans man and I genuinely didn't think I could find an Orthodox community that would be accepting of that fact. I found very quickly that the reform movement was not for me. I personally didn't feel it was as true to the Torah as I wanted. I wanted a community that accepted the word of the Torah and sought to follow it as much as possibly in the 21st century. I didn't feel that the reform movement did that. It seemed like they wanted to "modernize" Judaism, which I didn't like. Judaism is ancient and I wanted to be part of a movement that treated it as such, that respected its roots and tried to follow as closely as possible to the origins. Eventually, I found an organization that helped LGBT Jews and LGBT ppl looking to convert Orthodox find orthodox communities.

I find my views align far more with Orthodoxy and I feel much more "at home" in this movement than I did in reform.

That's pretty much it I think :) Obviously, feel free to ask any other questions you have. I didn't proofread this, so I might be a little unclear.