Would piglets on a get-well card be considered repulsive by a (secular Israeli) Jew?

In My Humble Opinion (IMHO)
#1

I have got this nice get-well-soon card that I’d like to send to an acquantance who is laid up after a paragliding accident (no lasting damage it seems, but his broken vertebrae and wrist will still need lots of rest and rest isn’t what he is good at)

Only, the card’s motive is some cute and cuddly (well-scrubbed) piglets, and the intended recipient is Jewish (Israeli, grew up in a secular kibbutz, teaches my Friday evening and Saturday afternoon gymnastics groups among others). I doubt kashrut is a huge deal for him, but I don’t know if pig being not kosher might have influenced secular Israeli culture so that pigs might be considered nasty or repulsive (at least the possibility of such an influence of religion into people’s cultural background would not seem far-fetched to me).

So, would a secular Israeli Jew consider (non-stinky, live) pigs repulsive/nasty, more than a non-Jew would?

(and, while I am about it, as a matter of curiosity: how do observant/Orthodox Jews feel about pigs in a non-food context?)

[and yes, I am aware that Friday afternoon (my time) is perhaps not the most suitable time to ask this, given that quite a few of the people in a position to answer would be observant Jews]

#2

I’m almost certain this question has never been asked of Ann Landers or Emily Post. But it’s a damn good one! Sorry I don’t have an answer.

#3

I am a secular Jew and I wouldn’t mind in the least. It’s unlikely that he would either.

Not to pick on you but you did hit on a pet peeve of mine. Unless the question is about some arcane nuance in Jewish law, secular and Reform Jews are just as able and qualified to answer these sorts of questions as anyone else. We don’t have to wait for the Orthodox brethren to flip the light switches back on to get the correct answer. In fact, this question is more appropriately answered by someone who is not so observant.

#4

What if he eats the card?

#5

Among a secular Jew? You might run the risk of having someone think “WTF?” for just a second, but they probably won’t think of it as offensive.

#6

Okay, provided the card doesn’t contain G*d’s name. :smiley:

#7

I’m an American, Orthodox Jew and pigs in a non-food context don’t bother me in the least. Heck, I don’t even mind seeing them in a food context, I just don’t eat them.

The three little pigs are as well known a fairytale amongst Jews as amongst non-Jews.

#8

Oh, and we have no problems with “this little piggie” on our babies’ toes either.

#9

Would Jews be allowed to keep a pig as a pet? Ala “Charlotte’s Web”?

#10

You’re really missing out - there’s nothing tastier than Orthodox Jew fresh off the grill!

#11

:stuck_out_tongue:

Took me a second to see it, but very funny. :smiley:

#12

I’ve eaten my share, though I prefer raw. ;j

#13

When you licked the envelope, did it take of bacon?

#14

Kinky Friedman has a Vietnamese Potbellied Pig ;j

#15

I don’t see why not. We can have dogs or cats (not kosher animals) as pets so why not pigs?

#16

I only keep pets that I can eat in an emergency situation.

#17

In an emergency situation IE eat or starve it is allowable to eat pork.

#18

Yes. However, Jewish law forbids Jews from doing business in non-kosher animals. So, unless I’m mistaken or missed a nuance, the owner would not be allowed to charge for breeding, or to sell piglets.

Come to think of it, it would have to be made clear to everybody that this pig was a pet. Jewish law places an importance on appearance. You’re not supposed to eat turkey bacon, or imitation crab in public because somebody might see you and assume that you are breaking Jewish law and generalize to other pious Jews. If everybody knows that this pig is strictly a pet, then there is no problem.

But, if you want a cloven hooved pet for a Jewish home, buy a goat. From the Exodus to the shtetls, the Jews have owned goats. Buy a nanny goat, and you can suppliment your diet with goat’s milk and goat cheese. Before anybody asks, no you cannot eat the family goat when it dies of old age. Only animals killed in accordance with Jewish law can be kosher.

Back To The OP

It’s the israeli part that concerns me here. Israeli culture may well stress the uncleanliness of the pig. Still, the reasonable interpretation would be that any offense was unintended and that you meant only to convey good wishes.

#19

Cool-so basically, it would be “Free piglets to a good home?” :wink:

Aren’t pigs actually one of the cleanest animals out there? I’ve been told they make very good pets.

#20

Giving them away would work.

The pig’s poor reputation largely comes from appearing kosher. The rabbit chews it’s cud twice, but is never mistaken for a kosher animal. Sp the pig is lazy, gluttonous and a liar. Pigskin clothing, footballs etc are sometimes viewed almost with a phobia.