HEY JEWS

A relative who was coming to DC for that Israel rally tagged me and a whole bunch more relatives in his Facebook post, and I just removed the tag.

I heard some speculation that a heavy % of the attendees were Christian zionists. IDK if that's based on anything or not.

The people I know who went are my fellow Jews fwiw

well, I don't think I know any Christian Zionists personally, so if they went I wouldn't know

My daughter went. She told me there were definitely people like that there, including a couple of speakers with some dubious backgrounds/baggage that made her uncomfortable. But she also apparently met a lot chill, reasonable people, with diverse viewpoints. Mostly Jews, as far as she could tell, though it's not like they were carrying signs. Well, I mean, a lot of them were, lol.

FWIW she considered it a march against anti-Semitism, though I did explain to her that was not the specific driver.

My co-worker's mom attended as part of a group from her Jewish retirement community in Montgomery County.

https://www.thecut.com/2023/11/get-me-out-of-the-group-chat.html

This kinda seems more to be a story far more about how algorithmic social media and phone-based text communication seems to be singularly damaging to all human interaction, I’d posit

I'm just wrestling with the fact that tons of my fellow Jews are talking quite openly about how they feel unsafe, don't feel like they can wear things that display their Jewishness, are discussing taking their mezuzot down, etc. -- and I just can't relate. Sure, there have been demonstrations against the war in Gaza in my city; that doesn't make me feel like somebody's going to beat me up coming out of shul or trash my house because there's a mezuzah on the door. There's a police officer outside our shul for services, which I do not think there should be, and I feel like the presence of the officer is reinforcing for the fear -- "things have gotten so bad we had to have security stationed outside the synagogue" -- but *did* we? Yes, I get that there have been incidents. But they are really rare! Even if less rare than before! I don't worry about my synagogue getting attacked any more than I worry about a student shooting up my kid's school.

So some part of me wants to say this publicly, because I don't think it's great for people to think all American Jews are feeling this sense of direct personal peril. But I also *don't* want to do this, because the people who are scared are people I value, respect, and like, members of my community. I just can't see myself publicly saying anything like this, when it would amount to telling thoe friends, in public, "your authentically held feelings are wrong." I mean, yes, technically, I would only be saying "I don't share those feelings." But there's no way to do that without dismissing them.

Not sure what I'm going for here, just wanted to have a place to say this.

I feel you

And, like... people ARE feeling free to spout all kinds of antisemitic shit, from Elon Musk on down, and I don't want to act like I think that's OK or not a problem -- it's just that the *kind* of problem it is isn't "I'm worried about my family's physical safety in the middle of the United States of America."

Haven't heard this much from Jews I know, besides my mom deciding to get worried that the so-called Day of Jihad would somehow pose a danger to her on BC Ferries. I wonder if people are getting any abuse for wearing a yarmulke in public, haven't heard any stories but I could imagine it happening.

I went to a work conference last week and kept getting sympathy when I talked about my background or my extremely Jewish name. It felt undeserved - there are a lot of people in the world under a lot more danger and suffering than I am.

That's for sure. At the same time, I think a lot of Jews have internalized (like a lot of minorities) a sort of latent threat can feel more or less prominent, depending on the context/trigger. I think the half-life of Trump hasn't helped.

Just went down a super dark rabbit hole of translating comments on an Instagram video of some hassidic Jews dancing (mostly in Russian - maybe from Chechnya, Dagestan, etc?). Definitely no distinction whatsoever made between Judaism and Zionism and some really horrific shit being said. I guess the likelihood of that impacting me is extremely minimal and best just to not go down the rabbit hole.

Big moment for the whole religion:

Argentina's President-Elect Javier Milei is converting to Judaism https://t.co/gMddyBbluS pic.twitter.com/yuH7Y0uZD5

— Joe Weisenthal (@TheStalwart) November 28, 2023

Is it me or does he seem actually mentally unstable?

mentally unstable like a fox.

BF Skinner taught pigeons to walk in figure-8s after an hour or so of simple positive reinforcements. It's not hard to understand that the more Milei is rewarded for his bizarre behavior the more bizarrely he'll behave. Much of Trump's behavior can be explained the same way; he's been rewarded so lavishly it's no wonder he now acts like he's a god on earth.

Haven't there been at least two GOP congresspeople falsely claiming Judaism or Jewish descent recently (Santos and I don't remember the name of the other one)? Is this some new trend on the right?

this lady? https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/02/anna-paulina-luna-jewish-grandfather-nazi

I think Julia Salazar pulled a similar stunt on the left (but can't remember the details)

Much of Trump's behavior can be explained the same way

I just can't bring myself to post on that toxic Israel thread, but I was inspired to post here by something that sarahell posted there:

It is unfortunate imo that a lot of younger American leftists don’t have the most solid grasp of history and I feel like they are actually ignorant of how others interpret some of their terms and slogans.

This morning I saw this WSJ (ugh) opinion piece called "From Which River to Which Sea? College students don’t know, yet they agree with the slogan."

https://archive.ph/1tn2C

Not saying it's some be-all definitive statement, or that the author isn't worse than Hitler, or that the methodology has genocidal blood on its hands, just underscores sarahell's observation.

Anyway, Happy Hannukah!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQPXGJIN8yQ

It is unfortunate imo that a lot of younger American leftists don’t have the most solid grasp of history and I feel like they are actually ignorant of how others interpret some of their terms and slogans.

unfortunate yes, as there is a lot of things about our society that are unfortunate. but it's a far worse look for adults to read malice into ignorance than it is for kids to be ignorant. if there is widespread ignorance regarding middle east politics and geography isn't that actually most unflattering for those tasked w/ education, rather than those who have failed to be educated? what have older american leftists been up to if young american leftists don't have "the most solid grasp of history" ... perhaps this is illustrative of why the american left is not generally considered a hugely successful contemporary political movement...

I think in this case maybe it has something to do with how/where they are taught and who is doing the teaching. I doubt most young people are learning about the Israel/Palestine conflict in school, because I doubt it is taught outside of specialized classes, which means most people are probably learning about it via the internet/social media, and we all know how that often works out.

There's a line from a Robert Christgau Big Country review that's always stuck with me: "Regaled with martial rhythms, I always feel safer knowing exactly what the war's about."

but it's a far worse look for adults to read malice into ignorance than it is for kids to be ignorant.

this nicely sums up something I've struggled with putting into words. I was making an argument to a friend where I suggested the intent matters and words and phrases are ever-changing and if "from the river to the sea" means Palestinians and Israeli jews live together in equality and not, you know, "push all Jews into the sea" then I'm willing to take them at their word and further accept that that is the meaning of the phrase. That neatly ignores the fact that sure, there are people for whom it does mean get rid of Jews, and also doesn't wrestle with the full history of the term and the intent from when it was coined (of which I am no expert despite reading at least 2 articles and/or watching youtube videos on the subject). His response was that it if you do accept the history/have the memory that the phrase means Jews out of Palestine, it's a bit much to let progressive leftists get away with ignoring that history of the phrase, especially when that is a group who is usually pretty particular about language.

And I do think he has a point. But I also think that's a different battle? For a different time? I don't know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQPXGJIN8yQ

― omar little, Thursday, December 7, 2023 2:09 PM bookmarkflaglink

lol. Happy Cha-noo-ka to all.

Chag sameach yall

(I want to hear how Smokey pronounces that one)

Latke times is good times in bad times amitite

I mean I believe all of humanity can get behind fried potatoes except maybe paleo ppl and honestly I can’t be bothered with them anyway

Wife made a batch with kosher dill pickle sandwich stackers mixed in.

Oh that’s a delicious sounding hack!

Just took a family trip to a couple of cities in Europe, with plenty of illuminating Jew stuff. Of course Amsterdam has the Anne Frank house, and Berlin is like a living history museum (despite being mostly long-razed sites of atrocities), but Prague was the most eye-opening. We took a tour of the Jewish neighborhood, which has one of the (or maybe the?) oldest intact (and still used) synagogues in Europe, from the 13th century, whose survival may have simply been a matter of good timing/fortune. If I understood our guide correctly, the Jews in Prague were modestly religious and very assimilated, and while anti-Semitism existed, it wasn't quite as full throated as it was elsewhere, so when the Nazis took over (and took away the Jews, who were of course Jewish enough) the locals sort of just held onto all the homes, synagogues, and possessions. To what purpose, I don't really know, but everything from 300 torahs to tons of religious items were catalogued and stored, discovered after the war, left untouched by the Soviets and then in many cases restored over time despite the near absence of Jews (only some 1500 remain in Prague). Pretty remarkable.

That synagogue is the one with the Golem of Prague in the attic.

would you call the experience of visiting Prague "good"? Not that I've been to Europe yet in my life but I'm pretty sure I would be too disquieted by the knowledge of how many Jews aren't there anymore to have a good time. Not sure why I assume that about Prague more so than Berlin, possibly just racist against Bohemians.

Resting place of Rabbi Loew, creator of said golem. Iirc his grave was covered with slips of papers featuring requests for the golem.

In the same trip I also visited krakow and saw its Jewish quarter. It didn’t have as much luck I think.

xpost Prague was great. It's a beautiful city, left intact after WWII, and felt very welcoming. For example, I believe Czechia has accepted more Ukrainian refugees than any other country, some 200,000+, and has been very considerate of them; they tried to limit people from lighting off too many fireworks on NYE with them in mind (plus in light of the mass shooting a couple of weeks ago). Also, as far as Jew-stuff goes, our guide made a point of noting that Prague might be the only place in the EU, if not the whole of Europe, where you occasionally still see an Israeli flag being flown in solidarity. Our guide also said that some of the few Jews left there have been rediscovering their faith; being secular/non-religious has been I guess a tradition in Czechia going back to the 1800s, nominal Jew and nominal Christian alike, but younger generations of Jews have been embracing old traditions.

The most disquieting moment of the entire trip was back in Berlin, when we gathered at the meeting point for our walking tour of the former east (where we were staying) in time to hear one of the guides shouting "anyone here for the concentration camps stand over there, people for the concentration camps, over there!!"

My most disquieting moment of this old family trip? After Krakow and a visit to Auschwitz taking a sleeper train to Prague only to be woken up on the middle of the night by people banging on doors and shouting in polish. I think. We were at the border.

For example, I believe Czechia has accepted more Ukrainian refugees than any other country, some 200,000+, and has been very considerate of them

Well yes because invasion by Russia is something within living memory for them and a sense of solidarity with its fellow victims is strong. Sadly though otoh current govt got to power partly over fearmongering related to the syrian refugee crisis. So the welcoming part is selective, as in most places.

Well yes because invasion by Russia is something within living memory for them and a sense of solidarity with its fellow victims is strong.

Slight digression here, but this hasn't really been apparent in Slovakia in the same way (and maybe a more mixed picture in Bulgaria, Hungary, and parts of East Germany)

Which is kind of a topic all to itself but attitudes to Russia (and to Ukraine) in formerly occupied or invaded states can be fairly varied

Our guide also said that some of the few Jews left there have been rediscovering their faith; being secular/non-religious has been I guess a tradition in Czechia going back to the 1800s, nominal Jew and nominal Christian alike, but younger generations of Jews have been embracing old traditions.

I think I read somewhere it's the least religious country in Europe? The beer is ludicrously cheap in Prague, if you're at all a boozehound.

Yeah, it's pretty cheap. I think the country also drinks more beer than any other country in Europe. Per a quick google:

The Czech Republic remains the leader in per capita beer drinking for the 29th year. In 2021, the average Czech drank more than 184 liters of beer.

I think that stems in part not just because it's cheap, but also because it's pretty basic. Low-alcohol pilsners and lagers and the like. But for sure refreshing and ubiquitous!

Re: religion, yeah, I think our guide told us that over 90% of young people there (under 30) don't identify with any religion, and the country as a whole might be hovering around 70% athiest. I should note, per my anecdotes, that our guide pointed out how that nonreligious tradition hasn't negated anti-Semitism through the ages, but that it was nonetheless one of many mitigating factors in the treatment and tolerance of Jews over the centuries. Some interesting deets here (including the fact that the Jews in Bohemia had a historically high rate of intermarriage, near 50%):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust_in_Bohemia_and_Moravia

think that stems in part not just because it's cheap, but also because it's pretty basic. Low-alcohol pilsners and lagers and the like. But for sure refreshing and ubiquitous!

These are some of the greatest beers on the planet and far superior to the pastry stout monstrosities being whipped up in the states.

Let alone the default lagers people drink here.

would you call the experience of visiting Prague "good"? Not that I've been to Europe yet in my life but I'm pretty sure I would be too disquieted by the knowledge of how many Jews aren't there anymore to have a good time. Not sure why I assume that about Prague more so than Berlin, possibly just racist against Bohemians.

― G. D’Arcy Cheesewright (silby), Thursday, 4 January 2024 23:15 (yesterday) link

I found visiting Berlin oddly therapeutic, even though my German family left way way before the holocaust. We also only did one Jewish-related thing (I don't even remember exactly what it was but some kind of old synagogue that had been turned into a museum). I was way more interested in the East Berlin cold war stuff tbh.

My wife lived in Berlin for part of the 80s, as a preteen, and this was the first time she had been back since the wall fell. We didn't have much time, so spent it all in the east side, which was less familiar/more interesting to her. She and her mom used to cross at Checkpoint Charlie to go shopping in the East.

okay what's this tunnel thing in Brooklyn? I'm not understanding