I don’t see why. My last name is Blum. I’ve known
plenty of Jewish Bergs, Sterns etc. The Holocaust was a
terrible tragedy. But, the Talmud teaches that we can not
punish the children for the sins of their parents. It
would be a great accomplishment to have a larger number of
Jews living in Germany than lived there before the Holocaust. To rebuild all the temples the Nazis destroyed and to fill them with congregations would be both a memorial to the six million and a message to the world “It’s 2001. We’re still here. Where are the Nazis? Where are the pharohs? Where are the Assyrians?”
Seondly, correct me if I'm wrong on this, but isn't Yiddish based largely on German? A Yiddish lehrer (teacher) once told us that he could travel to any where in the world and find Jews who spoke Yiddish. He called it the international language of Judaism.
When my mother first came over here from Russia in 1917 (it was Russia now - she was actually from Minks, so she was really from what is now Belarus - but I digress), she did not know any English - as apparently I don’t from the wording of this sentence. Anyway, she had no problem communicating with her neighbors since they all spoke Yiddish, which is a form of German.
Jomo Mojo, you’re absolutely right…but I have to say, use of “ch” for that gutteral sound is so ingrained in me, that it’s actually how I spell my name. Maybe in a generation or two the spelling will shift, but I don’t think I’d do a very good job at making that transition myself.
Really any gift will go, just make sure it’s not of some other religion. Usually, around Rosh HaShannah and Yom Kippur, a typical greeting may be “La Shannah Tovah” (prounounced LAH SHAH NAH TOE VAH) Most Jewish People are not that different from others, so don’t overdo it.
F— em if they get offended at what you give them. This crap has become ridiculous.
Think about how many religions there are in the world. Something you do is going to offend at least one if they take themselves that seriously. Rather than adapt to every nuance of every religion in the world in your actions, we should endeavor to not take offense at what others say innocently.
If you’re a Jew and somebody invites you over for dinner and it’s a big friggin ham, the fact of the matter is they showed generosity in inviting you into their home and to their table. For them to show offense because thier archaic beliefs say food the the hoofed oinking animals is a no-no is ridiculous.
If it seems I have a bias against Jews, that’s not entirely true. I have a bias against strictly folowed beliefs whether the adherants are White, Black, Oriental, Occidental, or Accidental. I think we’ll all agree that 911 was the epitome of sincere religious belief and the result of faith.
We can’t keep this adapt to everyone’s beliefs crap up. if your little nugget of religious fervor in your mind is offended by what somebody does, the problem is between you and your little nugget, and is not their problem.
IAAJ (watch for the Ask the Jewish Chick thread coming to a forum near you :D).
I’d rather receive a non-food secular gift than a food gift or a non-food religious gift, and that’s what I tend to give. The simple reason is that people do have different tastes and there’s nothing like receiving a food product you don’t like or can’t eat.
So, a nice plant (but make mine silk, because I kill them) or a gift certificate to a local business is a nice idea.
Thank you one and all for your info. I have learned a lot.
We decided on a dozen red roses.
**TheThill[/b, they told us in conversation 3 times they were Jewish. and He wore a Chai Necklace.
I do think maybe you are right though. It seems like the other neighbor has taken a dislike to them. (insert rolling eyes at this behavior) So maybe they were testing “the waters”.
