“shabbas goy”?
I seem to recall that my Danish grandfather was Jewish. For some reason he changed his name from Issacsen to Elmer right before the Nazi occupation. Go figure…
Last year I had a total epiphany about kosher food. Seeing as how it’s a violation to eat beef and cheese together, I realized that a bagel and lox with cream cheese is the Hebraic equivalent of a cheeseburger…
Thank you, I’ll be here all night.
I’m certain I was Jewish in a former life. Many Jewish friends, love reading, love classical music, always feel guilty, good at “well, I don’t WANT to complain but since you asked…”, love food, scarcely ever drink alcohol, love to laugh and make others laugh.
[sub]sound of one hand clapping[/sub]
Redboss
Well, my family is Jewish but none of us are particularly religious.
I hate to burst your bubble, Zenster, but lox is fish, and fish is not considered meat according to the laws of kashrut, and as such is perfectly welcome on a bagel with cream cheese.
Now, putting pork products on a bagel is morally wrong, so whoever thought of making pizza bagels ought to be sent to Culinary Hell. 
Robin
Why would they need to? I thought Jews believed that people of other faiths would not be posthumously punished for their beliefs.
Maybe they’re just egomaniacs who want as many people as possible to be like tham.
Lubavitchers are very Orthodox and follow virtually every tenet of Judiasm. They are also very aggressive about enforcing them in other people, to the point where they will accost total strangers.
Saul Bellow wrote an essay on this, but I’ll be damned if I can find it.
Robin
Shabbas goy. You know, a goyim who does proscribed things for the orthodox on the sabbath, like turning on lights, lifting necessary things, etc. I wasn’t a very good one, I wouldn’t do heavy lifting, and I wouldn’t wash windows.
I’m afraid you’ve got it a bit wrong.
The Lubavitch don’t actively seek to convert people of different faiths to Judaism. They do, however, seek to find non-religious Jews and make them more religious.
Zev Steinhardt
Zev:
Quote:
I’m afraid you’ve got it a bit wrong.
The Lubavitch don’t actively seek to convert people of different faiths to Judaism. They do, however, seek to find non-religious Jews and make them more religious.
End Quote
This may be the theory, but in practice I’m sure it spills over into trying to persuade the non-Jewish. It certainly happened in my case.
Maybe they didn’t believe you that you weren’t Jewish??
My experience (from observation) is that when a person says that they’re not Jewish, they either apologize for interrupting them (if they’re polite) or just walk away.
Zev Steinhardt
yes I’m a JAP: Jewish Australian Prince (or Princess as the case maybe)
clapping
And Cal, Zev is right about the Lubavichers. If they don’t think you’re already Jewish, they ain’t gonna bother with you.
:: clapping ::
As I have mentioned before, I consider myself to be a Reform Jew, mostly cause my mom isn’t Jewish. I am thinking of converting officially to Conservative Judaism, though. I need to talk to my rabbi. (I teach Hebrew school at a Conservative shul.) I hope I can do this with relative ease…I have studied halacha, Torah, Jewish history, Hebrew, lived in Israel, la la la.
[Mel Brooks]
What? You think I don’t know this? You are not the bubble bursting. Puhleeese, I’ve read at a Seder, I’ve cooked for my Jewish friends. You will please to be so kind as to get crucial!
[/Mel Brooks]
FWIW–the Lubuvitchers aren’t really orthodox, even though their services and many of their practices are the same as those Ortodox Jews have.
The Lubuvitchers are a sect of Chasidic Jews, which means they have some beliefs and practices that many of the Orthodox don’t share. I’ve met many Orthodox Jews who don’t have the best opinion of the Lubuvitchers specifically because of their proselytism.
–Scribble.
And how are we supposed to type while clapping, hmmm?
I’ll just sit here, in the dark, and type with my elbows, not that I’m one to complain or anything, but…
I’ll certainly claim I’m Jewish if someone is saying something antiSemitic near me. (Based on matrilineal descent. My mother, mothers mother etc believed they were Jewish but no-one on that side of the family has practised in my lifetime. And the other side of the family are Christian fundamentalists).
So what does that make me? Apart from stroppy, I mean?
Florida Jew representin yo! Actually atheist but born Jewish. Actually my hebrew name is Zev!
Scribble:
Incorrect. Chasidic & Lubavich Jews are a subset of Orthodox. All Chasidim are Orthodox; not all Orthodox are Chasidim.
Unless a sect declares that there is some guiding principle greater than the Torah, that sect can still be considered within the boundaries of Orthodoxy.
This has, indeed, long been an intra-Orthodox dispute…but that doesn’t mean they’re not within the category of Orthodoxy.
Chaim Mattis Keller
Well, I’m not Jewish, but I (as of Saturday) am living with a Jew!
You can imagine how happy this makes his mother.