Hi, I'm Jewish

Just thought I'd mention that, lest we forget that DU has people who aren't Christian, or for that matter, that this is a political message board, not a Christian/Religion message board.

I know its the holiday season and all, but give us Jews some love too. We don't push our religion out front for discussion and debate, but quietly go about ruling the world through the media and big business.

Oh, and standup comedy. ;)

I really think we should broaden out the debate a little more about religion. I feel left out. But I guess that's not so unusual, I'm used to being a Jew on Christmas.

:(

Wish you'd post your picture more often. :D

(A Magic Rat west coast fan)

PS: I also agree w/ your sentiment regarding recognizing other the religions here at DU. :hi:

I think Hanukkah is Christmas envy. A lessor holiday that has become more in a "Christian Nation".

All we get are eight little lights in the window, and of course, all our neighbors look like their creating airport runway strips compared to us.

Oh well, I guess I'll have to settle on being a member of the chosen people.

I'll wave to you guys in your lighted houses from my spot in heaven. :D

Eight little lights, increasing the light each night, remember it's quality not quantity that courts.

When my kids were little I decided I would celebrate more Jewish rituals than I had so they wouldn't have Christmas envy. Though I'm not very religious, we light Shabbat Candles, we put up a SUkkah every year which we decorate lavishly, with twinkly start lights on the roof. That way the kids have customs of their own to enjoy and they don't have to envy anyone else's, They enjoy being with their Christian friends for Christian holidays, we almost always include Christian friends in our holiday celebrations, including our Seders.

The more we share and enjoy each others customs, the better we will know each other and get along.

You just have to use your imagination!

How about a 9'illuminated Menorah on the front lawn?

How about a couple of lighted dreidels on the roof?

And every angle of the house outlined by blue or gold twinkle lights?

That'd fit right in with your most candle-power enhanced neighbors!

they put out on their front yard. Think it was blue and white lights...

We have a Chanukah House. It is incredible. It is located right across the street from my old synagogue. They decorate all-out for every Jewish holiday but nothing compares to what they do for Chanukah. They took statues that I guess were elves, and turned them into Maccabees with new costumes, accessories, etc. They created huge animated dreidels that turn, they pipe music through speakers, they cover everything in blue lights, it is incredible.

They are a Chassidic family and also put a huge menorah in their front yard and welcome anyone and everyone for the lighting each night.

It is amazing.

Debbi

Isnt that sort of worshipping false idols? Do they have a golden calf too?

:)

You gentiles are nothing but copycats.....

Chappy Chanuka , Lantsmann........

are jewish. i actually once said that to a WASP at a dinner party where she was going on about the jewish conspiracy and asked me for my opinion.

she still didn't get it, and her husband kicked her under the table.

funny, when you think about it. Hannukah is the season of miracles, of faith and the importance of believing in an idea that is larger than all of us. Fitting for this post (and (pre, for that matter) election disaster.

may the candles burn fiercely, landzmann. and lets keep the righteous gentiles in our parayers, and remember that they are the majority of gentiles in this stop on the diaspora.

shalom

whalerider55

In 1960 I was an entering Freshman at Michigan State. I met and courted a farm fed beauty from a small town in Iowa, who, on our second date, leaned over and whispered to me,"you are from NY so you must have know some jews." I started to give the same answer that you noted, namely that I knew several, my mom, my dad and my sister among them. Before I could however she asked, with stunning sincerity,"is it true that they have horns?"

There was no third date!

Alechem Sholem

she's now a secretary at Liberty COllege, and practices turning the other cheek when Jerry Falwell breaks wind without apologizing.

most bigotry is based in ignorance, simple ignaorance. although venal bigotry is really making a comeback.

whalerider55

I went to a nerd school for high school, and was basically shunned by most of the folks there. The only one who always treated me kindly, even though she was one of the "in" crowd was a Jewish girl. In my young mind, she was practicing the teachings of Jesus far more than my Christian classmates. Now I realize that the teachings of love and tolerance are found in all religions, and aren't the sole property of any of them.

Another interesting side note: a lot of my Sufi brothers and sisters are Jewish-and Murshid Samuel L. Lewis, founder of the Sufi Ruhaniat Society and father of the Dances of Universal Peace was Jewish.

:wow:

...was to invite her back to your room, where she could find out just how horny you were!

:evilgrin:

(Sorry...couldn't resist...)

how pervasive anti semitism and bigotry are in society.

I was watching Ali G a while back and one of the skits was him doing Borat from Kazakstan. Well at one point he's in a bar in AZ and he was invited to sing...He started singing "Throw the Jews down the well, so my country can be free".

But that wasn't the shocking part. What was shocking was that the entire bar started singing along with him!

I think the actor that plays Ali G is Jewish. His name is Sasha Cohen.

I have a similar story! My first college roommate was from Tuscarawas County in southern OH, and I was his first Jew. He asked in all sincerity if he could see my horns (I had rather a lot of hair at the time). So I said "Sure. Wanna feel 'em?" He bit. He felt at my forehead and scalp and said "You don't have any horns." Why you're right, roomie, I DON'T. None of us do. You could practically hear the scales falling from his eyes.

Incidentally, this naieve lad progressed rapidly - by the end of freshman year he got booted from school for dealing acid.

will he do it again this year?

with him?

Drat, Ive got the Menorah and the candles but havent smeared my doorjamb with lambs blood yet! My rabbi is spinning in his grave about now.

Is it true that Jews eat Chinese food on Christmas? Do you eat in the restaurant or take out? *smile*

BTW, when I was growing up, as a black kid in Queens, I was bussed to mostly white schools. I got invited to lots of barmitvahs, but no Catholic confirmations. What was that about???

and into China.

if you want to find the best chinese restaurant in a community, look for the jewish neighborhood; its an article of faith and you could look it up.

a lotta reasons for that, i think. one is that a lot of chinese food isn't kosher, and frankly, i think my borthers and sisters have always enjoyed breaking the rules a little.

my grandparents went to the same chineses restaurant for 45 years- they walaked in with us and we never had to order- their relationship with the owner was so tight that he knew what to bring, and often offered us entrees on the house so that we could give him feedback on them.

as for Bar Mitzvahs, i went to school in a transitional suburb, evolving from catholic to jewish.
and i was never invited to a confirmation, either.
i just assumed that catholics were less ostentatious about partying.

go figure.

whalerider55

a lotta reasons for that, i think. one is that a lot of chinese food isn't kosher, and frankly, i think my borthers and sisters have always enjoyed breaking the rules a little.

my grandparents went to the same chineses restaurant for 45 years- they walaked in with us and we never had to order- their relationship with the owner was so tight that he knew what to bring, and often offered us entrees on the house so that we could give him feedback on them.

...there's a specific reason for that, at least when practiced by Orthodox Jews. By never having to order, you were relying on the hospitality of the "foreigner" to bring you what he thought best. And there's supposedly a passage somewhere in the Talmud that holds that, when interacting with "foreigners," the rules of hospitality trump the dietary laws. So, if you go to a Chinese restaurant, tell the owner to "bring whatever you want," and you get served shrimp in lobster sauce and pork fried rice, you are not only allowed to have that very non-kosher food, but you're required to do so as a part of your religious duties.

old guy asks the Chinese waiter, "do you have any Chinese Jews?"
And the waiter says, "No, we only have lemon juice!"

It's one of those blonde things.

My Catholic Confirmation consisted of my parents, my best friend at the time, my sponsor and her husband, and a meal afterwards at Perkins.

It's not exactly the big to do that Bar Mitzvahs are. I know of SOME people who had bigger parties, but I never was invited to a confirmation party... even being Catholic. They just were not done in my neck of the woods.

In the south there are very few parties related to religious rituals, but my sister married a New Yorker and they had a HUGE party at my niece's baptism??? Go figure???

On edit: Why is it that, after reading your post over carefully, you only notice an error AFTER you push the post button???

strictly a family thing, nothing bigger.

from the 1960s. I thought I wasn't being invited to confirmations, because the Catholics were prejudice and the Jews weren't. Maybe it was the "Nigger go home" signs that the Catholic kids painted on the school walls and handball courts that made me misunderstand the whole bar mitzvah/confirmation thing. (He Sal, remember me? I totally misinterpreted "beat up Nigger day"!)

Actually the other religious community that was very welcoming was the German Lutherans. They were totally cool with integration and bussing (Hi Tara Weimhofer and Kirsta Frike! Thanks for the weekend in the Poconos!) Too bad the German Lutherans and the Jews didn't speak to each other! Something about bad blood between the two groups from something that happened back in Germany!

I always thought that David Steinberg's family was so cool and not prejudice because they had those weird numerical tatoos on their wrists!$@%

none of it in my experience. Our neighborhood was largely Catholic or Jewish, and I went to Catholic schools... so a great deal of my socializing was with classmates, leaving me a bit sheltered in retrospect, I guess.

On the other hand, the sort of behavior you described would have seemed incredible to me, too.

When my Jewish husband and I announced our intentions to marry, both sets of parents were thrilled. Mine were only put out at the hint that we might have thought they'd have ANY problem with it. Intolerance was certainly not part of the way I was raised.

So, short answer, I don't think you weren't receiving those confirmation invites b/c of prejudice. Confirmations are a big deal in a religious sense, but from my experience, they're not a big community celebration. They tend to happen at once with a group of kids the same age, for one thing (so why have a party for your friends, when they'll be with their family that day, too?). It's a quieter, family event usually.

Bar mitzvahs, while certainly a tremendously important event from a religous perspective, are also a big cause for celebration, and usually include lots of family (not just immediate) but lots of the bar/bat mitzvah's friends as well. They're a big deal, and a big, joyous celebration, and the more the merrier.

Hell the German JEWS dont speak to the Russian Jews......I remember , back in the Bronx, this guys daughter , a German jew, ,married a Russian jew and the father put up a headstone for her and refused to acknowledge that she still lived!

Having been brought up catholic in the sixties, I can attest to the fact that catholics weren't prejudiced against blacks, it was pretty much ANY non-catholic, regardless of race or color. I hope that makes you feel a little better.

Oh, and if you were irish catholic, like myself, you didn't even have to like italian catholics, or polish catholics. Being irish meant that you had the "in" with God. According to what I heard in my house frequently, you had Jesus, Mary AND Joseph in your camp!

a hall. :party:

On the other hand, Mardi Gras/ Carnival belongs to us Catholics! :party:

(I'm Catholic, not Jewish, but my husband's a musician and has played bar mitzvahs.)

If you look at some of the polls asking religion, most people identify themselves as atheists.

I find it very political, which is why I come here day after day.

I guess I don't understand the sentiment behind your post. I thought you were saying you felt their was a Christian bias on the site.

...was that a lot of what has been happening here on DU over the past few days falls under the category of sniping between Christians and atheists, and the point was that some here don't fall under either category.

mad props to my Jewish brothers during the Festival of Lights! Shalom!

...it's hard to be a jew on Christmas. :)

"A Lonely Jew on Christmas"
-Sung by Kyle

It's hard to be a jew on Christmas.
My friends won't let me join in any games.
And I can't sing Christmas songs,
or decorate a Christmas tree,
or leave water out for Rudolph cause there's something wrong with me.
My people don't believe in Jesus Christ's divinity.

I'm a jew, a lonely jew on Christmas.

Hannakah is nice, but why is it that Santa passes over my house every year?
And instead of eating ham, I have to eat kosher latke*.
Instead of "Silent Night", I'm singing "hu, hach, do hachvi.".
And what the @#$% is up with lighting all these @#$%ing candles, tell me please.

I'm a jew, a lonely jew-
I’d be Merry, but I’m Hebrew,
On Christmas.

:D

:hi:

I believe the holiday starts Dec. 8. I know it isn't a major Jewish holiday, but it is one that I still explain to people (taught kids about it when I was a teacher), and how the story of the Machabees (sorry for misspelling, I no longer have my notes)is one of tenacity and courage.

My pagan friends celebrate the Solstace or Yule with big bonfires and a party.

Sufis I know of honor the poet Rumi on his Urs Dec. 17 with poetry readings and the Sema, the ceremony of the "whirling dervishes".

But these celebrations are all overshadowed by Santa and the Christian traditions in the mind of the public.

the true meaning of Christmas - the birth of Santa Claus! :P

Have you never heard of Hannukah Geldt?....Hey, another stereotype furthered....awwwrrright!

:evilgrin:

the media
big business
the entertainment industry
Paris Hilton

and our endowdedness, even after being snipped! :evilgrin:

that she should be thankful to the moile who snipped me, because he got it down to a managable size.

I can understand how that whole custom came to be. When we traveled through the desert they dragged on the sand, leaving tracks that were easily followed by the Egyptians.

Its good to be da chosen people!

the folds, as it were, and that I'm sure must be very uncomfortable.

...would one of you please arrange for my film (www.messagesthemovie.com) to get picked up for distribution?

;-)

Because I'm atheist. Jews aren't the ones trying to force their religion down my throat, so I ignore you at Christmas time and blast away at the group trying to stifle my existence. Thus, the squeaky Christians get all the grease.

Gread post, MR. I know what you are saying. It's similar to how out of place I feel this time of year, though I am sure it is much more extreme for Jews. Atheists have our sensibilities insulted, but we aren't really left out of anything. That's not as bad as having a belief and having it degraded by being ignored.

Judaism discourages new converts and the Rabbis are told only to agree to bring convert someone if they ask 4 times according to tradition. Judaism is a religion that respects the religious beliefs of others and would never try impose its views upon others.

I can attest to this. In fact, it was very frustrating to me since I was damn sure what I wanted but had to keep asking and asking.

sigh.

Good memories.

That some religious Jews do try to convert secular Jews.

Santa isn't mentioned in the Bible. He is the Messiah to those of us who worship Home Electronics. Have a Happy I-Pod Day !!

That's good, Happy I-Pod day to you, too!

The Jesus stuff just flares up at Christmas. Everyone from politicians to local radio DJs have to opine about Jesus, and perfectly good movies wind up with some religious plot. I'll never forget renting "The Sun Also Rises" a few years back, after reading the book. The ending of that book is one of the most brilliant, subtle and shockingly insightful in American literature, but in the movie they changed three lines around, added one more, and turned it into a sappy religious message completely at odds with the point of the book.

Okay, I'm better now. It's okay. Happy I-Pod it is. Thanks, Buck, I needed that! :-)

Merry Christmas :) ? :-(

until the divorce...

RL

;-)

Jewish by choice in a mixed marriage.

We celebrate every December holiday we can get our hands on. With a pagan daughter that means Solstice too.

December is fun and filled with fattening food at our house.

Nice to meet you, I'm Pagan.

Like another poster here, we celebrate every December holiday we possibly can.

Julie

Of course, I haven't been to services in 20 years, but who's counting?
I was baptized at the same church where Mike Farrell and Ariana Huffington have their anti-war meet-ups.

And to get one up on the wretched cliche, "Some of my best friends are Jewish," I have to say that my best friends have always been Jewish. I have no idea why this is, but it's an honor to be chosen by the Chosen.

So rock on, my Jewish brothers and sisters! :yourock:

In that my grandparents on my moms side were Jewish catholics in Poland...and hid the Jewishness that we discovered in a family tree made recently.

like a Magic Rat!

I noticed a lot of threads here recently that seemed better suited to the Religion and Theology forum, though I admit I'm not up on what GD is supposed to be "for" since the change to GD and GD Politics.

Did anyone ask the mods to move them? I thought about it but was skimming through DU on a busy day. . .

OTOH, sometimes there will be a spate of atheist threads in GD. . . Or a spate of anti-Christian threads. :-(

Maybe Jewish DUers should start more Jewish threads?

Seriously, think of the observances this season, Ramadan, Hanukkah, Christmas, Winter Solstices..to name a few. There is some discussion of light.

Even though I was raised Xian, I like Hanukkah best because it was energy efficent!!

Is it Chanukkah or Hanukkah?

Oh well, have a happy happy happy happy Hanukkah! I'm reminded of the Adam Sandler song.

"chalk." Imagine (this sounds gross) trying to clear your throat (or trying to get up phlegm, I guess. That's how the 'ch' is pronounced. It's hard to actually phonetically write out). Good question.

By the way, y'all, I hope this thing about 'owning the entertainment and media industries' was intended as a joke. Granted there are many Jews in the media and entertainment industry (in the past, it's not like Jews had much choice in what they could do when they emigrated to this country, due to anti-semitism), but this is a stereotype and we don't need it propagated on this site. Please don't flame me. As a Jew, it's a peeve of mine. It's like when someone (Jew or not) makes a comment about Jews being good w/ money. Irks the shit out of me.

.

Put on your yamakah,
here comes Hanukah,
so much funnukah to celebrate Hanukah,

Hanukah is the festival of lights,
instead of one day of presents we have eight crazy nights!

When you feel like the only kid in town without a Christmas tree,
Here's a list of people who are Jewish,just like you and me!

David Lee Roth lights the Menorah,
so do Kirk Douglas and the late Dinah Shora,
Guess who eats together at the Carnegi Deli?
Bowzer from Sha Na Na and Arthur Fonzarelli!

Pual Newman's half Jewish,
and Goldie Hawn is too,
put them together
what a FINE lookin Jew!

You don't need to Deck the Halls or Jingle Bell Rock,
cause you can spin a dreidle with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock!
(both Jewish!)

Put on your yamakah,
it's time for Hannukah,
the owners of the Seattle Supersonikahs,
celebrate Hanukah!

OJ Simpson,
NOT A JEW!,
but guess who is?,
Hall of famer Rod Carew!

We got Ann Landers and her sister Dear Abby,
Harrison Ford's a quarter Jewish!,
NOT TO SHABBY!

Some people think that Ebenezer Scrooge is,
well he's not but guess who is?,
all three Stooges!!!

So many Jews are in show biz,
Tom Cruise isn't,
but I heard his agent is!

Tell your friend Veronica,
it's time to celebrate Hanukah!,
O don't forget a harmonica,
on this lovely lovely Hanukah!
So drink your gin and tonicah,
and smoke your marajuanica!
if you really really wannukah,
have a happy happy happy,happy
HANUKAH!

Time to take out those menorahs!
Put on your yamaca
It's time for Hanukkah
So much fun-uka
To celebrate Hanukkah
Hanukkah is, the festival of lights
Instead of one day of presents
We get eight crazy nights
When you feel like the only kid in town
Without a Christmas tree
Here's a new list of people who are Jewish
Just like you and me

Winona Ryder drinks Maneshevitz wine
Then spins a dredl with Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein
Guess who give and receives loads of Hanukkah toys?
The girls from Veruca Salt and all three Beastie Boys

Lenny Kravitz is half Jewish, Courtney Love is too
Put them together, what a funky, bad-ass Jew!

We got Harvey Keitel and flash dancer Jennifer Beals
Yasmin Bleeth from Baywatch is Jewish and
Yes her boobs are real!

O.J. Simpson, still not a Jew
But guess who is, the guy who does the voice for
Scooby-Doo.

Bob Dylan was born a Jew, then he wasn't, but now he's back
Mary Tyler Moore's husband is Jewish 'cuz we're pretty good
In the sack.

Guess who got bar mitzvah-ed on the PGA tour?
No I'm not talking about Tiger Woods, I'm talking about
Mr. Happy Gilmore

So many Jews are in the show-biz
Bruce Springsteen isn't Jewish, but my mother thinks he is.

Tell that old harmonica, it's time to celebrate Hanukkah
It's not pronounced Chanukkah
The C is silent in Hanukkah
So get Hooked on Phonic-a
Get drunk in Tijuanica
If you really really wanna-ka
Have a happy, happy, happy, happy Hanukkah


And update 3:

Put on your yamulke
It's time for Chanukah (sounds good guys)
Once again it's Onakah
The miracle of Chanukah. (give it up for the Drei Dels)

Chanukah is the festival of lights.
One day of presents?
Hell no, We get eight crazy nights.

But if you still feel like the only kid in town without a
Christmas tree
I guess my first two songs didn't do it for you
So here comes number three!

Ross and Phoebe from "Friends" say the Chanukah blessing.
So does Lenny's pal Squiggy and "Will & Grace"'s
Debra Messing.

Melissa Gilbert and Michael Landon never mixed meat with dairy.
Maybe they should have called that show "Little Kosher
House on the Prairie."

We got Jerry Lewis, Ben Stiller and Jack Black.
Tom Arnold converted to Judaism, but you guys can have him back!
(Just kidding Tommy!)

We may not get to kiss underneath the mistletoe
But we can do it all night long with Deuce Bigalow! (I'm
jewish!)
Oh My God! Sweet Robbie Schneider is here!

Put on the yamukah
Here comes Chanukah
The guy in Willie Nelson's band who plays harmonica
Celebrates Chanukah.
Oooo, good job Schneider

Osama bin Laden--(Booo!)--not a big fan of the Jews.
Well, maybe that's because he lost a figure skating match to
gold medalist
Sarah Hughes, her mama's Jewish!

Houdini and David Blaine escaped straightjackets with such
precision.
But the one thing they could not get out of
Their painful circumcision.

As for Half-Jewish actors, Sean Penn is quite the great one,
And Marlon Brando not a Jew at all ,
But it looks to me like he ate one.

There's Lou Reed, Perry Ferrell, Beck and Paula Abdul.
Joey Ramone invented punk rock music
But first came Hebrew school.

Natalie Portmanukah
It's time to celebrate Chanukah.
I hope I get an Abrtronicah,
on this joyful, toyful Chanukah.

So get a high colonicah
And soil your long johnukahs
If you really really wantukah.
Have a happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy
Happy Chan-u-kah!

Merry Christmas (early) to the non-Jews on this board. "Festivus for the rest of us" for anyone else, eh? :)

yep, my sister married one too! God bless you.
:hi:

Hanukkah starts Tuesday!

liberal Christian married to a mostly agnostic Jew.

I'm more interested in similarities than differences anyway. The things that we share are fascinating to me.

So I'd suggest you jump on in when you feel like the conversation is becoming too one-sided and pull it back into a place where everyone feels comfortable.

ETA: my husband is a long-suffering Nets fan, too. Was last year an anomaly? We get phone calls from the poor Nets ticket salesman like he was family...

with Kidd's knee and all. This year is just brutal. I think we're in for at least two or three tough years, but we have some good young players and a ton of draft picks over the next few years. :hi:

I don't hold Christmas anymore, it is supposed to celebrate a Season of Peace, the world around me seems to embrace sanctioning gradations of violence and calling it Christianity.

How about a pro jewish ,anti Israeli policies jew?

Not pro-Israel, but not anti-Israel either. I have as much affinity for Israel as I do...lets say....Denmark.

Not only that, now DU has special groups to post your religious views to your little hearts content, whether you are a Christian, a non-Christian or many other shades of religion that exist on this planet. I think GD needs to be for politics. The only religious posts I think that are valid in GD are when politics and religion start to become as one, then we should discuss it.

Talk about feeling "left out".

But I've still played some Xmas tunes on my radio show tonight!

Please explain to those DUers who may not be Christian. There are Jews, Muslims, Hindis, and Atheists on this board, and your post is very cryptic.

Love thy neighbor.

is not a jew.....we dont you know...well once a year briefly.

It's hard to be a Jew on Christmas
My Friends won't let me join in any games..
And I can't sing Christmas songs
Or decorate a Christmas tree..
Or leave water out for Rudolph
cos there's something wrong with me..
My people don't believe in Jesus Christ's divinity..
I'm a Jew, a Lonely Jew.. on Christmas.

Hanukkah is nice, but why is it,
That Santa passes over my house every year?
And instead of eating Ham
I have to eat Kosher Lekeesh..
Instead of Silent Night
I'm singing hou-hazch-tou-gavish..
And what the fuck is up
With lighting all these fucking Candles, tell me please?
I'm a Jew, a Lonely Jew..
I'd be merry, but i'm Hebrew.. on Christmas.

Hey Little Boy, I can't help but hear,
You're feeling left out of Christmas Cheer..
But i've come to see that you shouldn't be sad
'Cos this is the one month that you shoud be glad..

Because it's nice to be a Jew on Christmas
You don't have to deal with the season at all..
You don't have to be on your best behaviour, or give to charity
You don't have to go to grandma's house with your alcoholic family..
And I don't have to sit on some fake Santa's lap
And have him breathe his stinky breath on me!
That's right! You're a Jew, a Stylin' Jew..
It'd a good time, to be Hebrew.. on Christmas.

Have a very blessed Chanukkah my friend :)

:silly: