r/Judaism

Hi so I live in Florida and I have a lot of black and hispanic friends but I am ethnically Jewish and I practice it, they do not even practice the torah or talmud, but they theres 2-3 of them that I know from school and they keep saying that I am not actually Jewish and my family isn’t either even though if we aren’t, we still practice being a Jew, so I don’t understand, and then they went on about in a call on facetime how black people are actually the real jews and some groups of asians like indians and thats why they have the most populous regions and biggest populations,

they were talking about asians went to south america and the Jewish lineage is truly there basically they were referring me to the black hebrew israelites so i can ask but I never did because it didnt sound true and they have no connection to the levant so I asked them about the levant and they said that israel is not the true levant and that the middle east is not the actual fertile crescent, they keep telling me about it every day and I told them it isn’t true but theres nothing I can say to convince them, I think I am going to end up stop talking to them or just the two that keep bringing it up when we are in calls, There are no way there are black Jews correct? Besides only some populations along the nile river which has kept and followed the holy books, but sub saharan africa did not have much Jewish lineage? It just is so stupid, but the weirder parts are about Asia and south America and I asked for like proof and they are providing it except theres no way to prove any of those people are true Israelites or Gods chosen people, even if they are the most populous..

EDIT: SHE PASSED!!!!!

If you could pray for her it would mean a lot. Honestly I think I’m more nervous than her. It’s been such a long and meaningful journey and I’m so proud of all the work she’s put it.

Comparatively, and I'm looking for interesting perspectives

Visiting New York rn, I live somewhere with very little in terms of kosher eateries and I want nothing more than a real doughnut, but I can’t seem to find kosher doughnut places when I search online (at least ones that aren’t IKC, and I’ve heard that hechsher is unreliable/controversial). Bakeries come up but I can’t tell from pictures/online menus if they actually have doughnuts or not. Pleasee help a yid out and drop recs 🙏

I’m feeling rather conflicted and would appreciate advice from anyone who has been in a similar position.

We’re members of a shul where there have sadly been instances of bullying, data breaches and poor governance (bullying was by people in leadership positions and not followed up on) that the leadership have ignored. I, and several others, have as a result stopped going there.

A friend from the same shul is submitting a formal complaint to the Charity Commission and has urged me to do the same. I do agree there is a problem with the leadership that is stopping people from attending that needs addressing but also feel bad about the stress this will put on individuals (I think a lot of it is incompetence / reluctance to stand up to one particular individual rather than poor intent). At the same time, do I have an obligation to speak up if there will never be a change otherwise? I have copies of emails documenting issues so it would not just be a matter of he-said-she-said.

For context, there are no other local shuls that people can easily go to and the issues are therefore stopping people who would otherwise do so from attending services regularly.

Edit: I just realised people outside of the UK may not know what the Charity Commission is. It’s the authority that governs registered charities, which includes most religious bodies. It has rules in place to ensure all registered charities have appropriate safeguarding measures, uses assets in line with the stated charity objectives etc. If they find a charity to be lacking they can require policies are put in place or, at the extreme, ask for a change in trustees.

Is there any Halacha against working out before Shacharit?

I’m somewhere on the “observant but definitely not frum” spectrum (strictly shomer kashrut at home but will eat vegetarian out/eat in non-kosher kitchens, largely shomer Shabbat but don’t keep it perfectly, attend shul on Friday/Saturday and for all Chagim/weekday minyan when I can, don’t keep or plan to keep niddah). I’m talking to a girl who was raised reform and is very spiritual but not particularly observant. I really like her, but I worry about long-term compatibility. For those who have been in a relationship with someone who has a different level of observance, how did it go? What did you learn from it? What made it easier to navigate? If your relationship was/is successful, what do you think contributed to the success of your relationship?

What do you say to someone who constantly says you’ve been kicked out of 109,110,etc. countries now? It’s a constant comment everywhere now it seem. It’s infuriating.

Hello all, and thank you for reading this post.

I am a 25M from Brazil, with European and Middle Eastern ancestry. Since my teenage years, I was very curious about my upbringing and family culture. For reference, my paternal grandmother's father (non-muslim) came from the Ottoman Empire to Brazil in the 1920's, while my mom's ancestors are German and Italians.

In 2021, I got a genetic test from my family as a birthday gift, the provider company being Genera (I think it is the largest of its kind here in Brazil). This genetic test revealed that I have 8% Sephardic and 7% Ashkenazi Jewish. Since then, I have been going after stories, documents and whatever other resources I could find to track this ancestry down. My mother also took the test and she has no Ashkenazi ancestry (but does have Sephardic), so it comes from my paternal side.

Anyway, this has stuck with me since 2021 and, since last year, I reached out to one of my city's synagogues (reform Jewish) and found out that they have a course called Shorashim, that has the goal of providing education on Jewish culture and customs, both for people who want to convert for whatever reason and for those genuinely interested. I talked to the rabbi and even participated in the Hannukah lecture but, ultimately, I did not move forward with the course.

The reason for that is because I have a good friend who is Jewish and holds all customs and rites with his family. During this year's Passover, he invited me and my girlfriend to his family's Seder and it was a great time, where I got to understand and feel, in practical terms, what it is like to be in this environment. And, honestly, it felt amazing. Not only because of the warm welcome we got from all of his family and family friends, but also because of the cozy food, the meaning and stories about freedom and endurance... but, in the end, as I heard his family talk about celebrating Passover with their grandmothers, cooking gefilte fish since they were kids and just really living all of that since basically always, I couldn't help but feel like I was being an intruder to someone else's culture and traditions, as I obviously had never done any of that before.

Actually, this feeling of not belonging is exactly why I didn't move forward with the Shorashim course. When I attended, I noticed that most of the students were there for very clear, immediate reasons, like preparing for marriage with a Jewish partner. I felt like I wasn't on the same "vibe," and out of respect for their space, I thought it would be better to keep researching my genealogy and reading on my own before embarking on a formal journey, so I wouldn't feel like a fraud or an intruder.

My friend's family is Ashkenazi and mostly secular/agnostic, yet very deeply connected to their Jewish identity. The Seder was beautiful, they even handed us a Haggadah to follow along, kept the prayers brief, and focused heavily on the values of community, fighting for human rights, and historical resistance. The food was fantastic (I really loved the fried gefilte fish with chrein and the kneidlach), and I felt a profound connection to the values being discussed at that table.

However, because my ancestors had their Jewish identity silenced or lost generations ago, I have a deep fear that stepping further into this culture means I am appropriating something that isn't mine to claim. I want to honor my roots, but I am terrified of offending people who actually grew up living this culture by trying to insert myself into it.

I would love to get some input from this community regarding these feelings:

To the converts: How did you deal with this "imposter syndrome"? How do you reconcile the fact that you don't have those childhood memories or family traditions with the process of building your Jewish identity now?

To the born Jews: How do you perceive someone in my position, someone with distant, recently discovered ancestry trying to reconnect or even convert? Does it feel like cultural appropriation, or do you view it as a legitimate return?

Thank you all so much for your time and guidance :)

According to the tohara there is a described specisis of kosher grasshoper . But many jaidh community doenst have a fsther to son tredation of how eating them. What if this would become very popular food in the future would you consider that?

My daughter and I want to embroider the atarah for her bat mitzvah tallit together, but most of the tallitot I can find without one are like the really basic Chabad or Sephardic beige ones. Does anyone know where I can buy a pretty one for a young girl without it?

I am Jewish (F26) through patrolinial liniage, but trying to learn and reconnect 🙏 I have interest in the reform movement

I think my dream is meeting people with similar thoughts in this city ! Or people who are curious like me

Edit: thank you for your inputs