#and one of them was by a Messianic “rabbi” so there's that

[agirlwithachakram]

I love Reddit. You'll let someone know about a common misconception about a so-called old saying and they'll be like "you obviously feel very strongly about this so why don't you fight in real life instead of hiding behind a keyboard."

[evilwickedme]

I'm going to preface this with you absolutely don't have to answer if you don't want to/don't have the emotional energy - but I was wondering if you had sources for JVP being "not really Jewish"? I ask because as someone who usually says I'm Jewish for simplicity's sake despite my conversion being still in progress, I've definitely been told I'm "not really Jewish" (I recognize that halachically I'm not til I immerse in the mikveh, that isn't what I mean here, I hope it makes sense.) I also have a lot of friends who have been told they "aren't really Jewish" by other Jews because they converted or are patrilineal Jews or follow a different observance level or even because they're anti-Zionists. And since I happen to have a lot of friends and local community members who I know are JVP members and I also know are Jewish, I'm always really confused when I see claims the organization isn't Jewish - bc the folks I know in it are. Like, I personally know 5 members of their rabbinical council, one of the members is even my advising rabbi for my conversion. So I'm trying to determine if my local JVP is just *vastly* different from the rest of the org or if I'm right to immediately be on edge by "not really Jewish" claims and wonder if the person making them will start questioning the sincerity of my desire to convert (or once complete, validity of my conversion) next.

I hope that all makes sense? I'm operating on very little sleep this morning so I apologize if anything isn't clear or something. (Also, I would be happy to talk about my experience with my local JVP, which is rather limited beyond knowing they exist and knowing a lot of members, but I do have some knowledge of the work beyond JVP folks in this area who are members are doing.)

They're not Jewish cause they're run by goyim lmao

Here's a doc on their antisemitic history which has lots and lots of sources in it for every claim

Also, this:

A quick search for jvp or Jewish voices for peace in my blog should come up with half a dozen other sources

I feel like I've been pretty clear in my pro-convert stance, and that I think converts are real Jews (I once made a post making fun of that saying "reblog if you think born Jews are real Jews" that unfortunately didn't land or gain traction, but I maintain hilarity). That doesn't mean that everyone who claims to be Jewish is in fact Jewish or that every org that claims to represent Jewish people does in fact represent Jewish people. Jvp is about as Jewish as messianics are - there's certainly some real Jews working with them, but nobody in charge seems to be, and overall they do lots of antisemitic shit.

[is-the-thing-actually-jewish]

Hey, so my late father was a "torah observant follower of Christ" in his own words, as he didn't feel connected to Christianity or Judaism but joined a messianic congregation through some people he met who claimed to be Jewish but idk if they were. Anyway, my dad was a very intellectual man and would read books. I found these books on his shelf and I wanted to know about them and what to think about them? I'm not as bookish as he was but while some of these fully say "messianic" I'm unsure about others.

again delete if not allowed

Thank you for the question, and we're sorry for your loss.

From what we could find:

The Jews: A History, by John Efron et al - seems to be by legitimate academics

L'Havin U'Lehaskel: A Guide to Torah Hashkofa, by Rabbi Eliezer Gevirtz - JEWISH. At least one edition was published by Feldheim, who are a Jewish publisher.

The rest are Messianic.

~Mod Shoshana

[apenitentialprayer]

are there any Jews who view Jesus in a positive way (aside from like messianic Jews who, as far I’ve understood, are considered evangelical Christians by all other Jews)

Okay, ah, to answer this question simply: to my knowledge, as far as Jewish communities who (1) self-identify as Jewish, (2) consider themselves practicing Judaism, and (3) deny that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah go, none of them have an "official" stance on Jesus. Jesus may be a false Messiah, but this is only a "doctrine" in Judaism the same way that the fact that Vissarion of Siberia is a false Parousia of Jesus is a "doctrine" in Christianity — which is to say, not so much an actually asserted belief, but a natural corollary to more deeply held beliefs.

That being said, individual Jewish people have held a variety of beliefs about Jesus of Nazareth. Some of them are, well, quite negative. For example, one Hasidic story tells of how the Baal Shem Tov saw Jesus and Sabbatai Zvi (both false Messiahs) stuck in the same level of Hell together; the infamous Toledot Yeshu, a parody gospel, certainly does not paint Jesus or His Mother in a particularly good light; Maimonides doesn't even use the usual "may his name be blotted out" as he would when talking about an enemy of Israel, but instead uses "may his bones be ground to dust" after citing Jesus by name.

There are relatively sympathetic views among those whose views are negative too, for the record; for example, there's a story of a Rabbi, Yehoshua ben Prachya, who was said to have been incredibly cruel to a student, and by the time he chose to relent that student had already gone off to form his own idolatrous sect. Struck by the consequences of his harshness, he would go on to emphasize the importance of kindness and giving people the benefit of the doubt. Though the timeline doesn't match up (Yehoshua lived two hundred years before Him), some commentators identified this student as Yeshu the Nazarene.

But, let's actually answer your question. You will find a spectrum of relatively positive views. Bob Dylan technically falls outside the parameters I listed above because he does seem to believe Jesus is the Messiah, but I'll use him as the extreme example, because he continued to be active in his Orthodox Jewish community after his conversion. You also have Leonard Cohen, whose Jewishness was very important to him, who could at least understand the importance of the mystical connection to Jesus that Christians claimed as their own — "the figure of Jesus, nailed to a human predicament, summoning the heart to comprehend its own suffering."

You have some scholars, like Amy-Jill Levine; in the work she did in The Misunderstood Jew, The Historical Jesus in Context, and The Jewish Annotated New Testament, she tries to emphasize the idea that the Person of Jesus is something that can bring Christians and Jews into closer ecumenical dialogue; that if Christians could get more comfortable with the Jewish context of Jesus, and if the Jewish community could see the New Testament as a corpus of texts that isn't non-Jewish, but rather a particular type of first century Jewish, then there could be ground for both groups to better understand each other.

During the early modern period, there were attempts by some Jewish thinkers to reclaim Jesus. Rabbi Jacob Emden argued that Jesus never meant to abolish the Law, and that He has actually "done a double kindness in the world" by increasing veneration of the Torah and bringing light to the Gentiles, if only the Gentiles could learn how to properly interpret their own Scriptures (talk about flipping the script!). Moses Mendelssohn also claimed that Jesus never meant to abrogate the Law, and suggested that Jesus and the early Christian community could be models that modern 19th century Jews living among oppressive Prussian authorities could emulate.

The above paragraph was about Jewish individuals who tried to distance Jesus from traditional Christian understandings of Him. So I'm going to end, I think, with Rabbi Jacob Neusner, who engaged the Gospel on its own terms. In 1993, he published A Rabbi Talks with Jesus. In this book, Rabbi Neusner imagines himself as a first century Jewish man and tries to earnestly listen to and consider the words of Jesus as depicted in the Gospel of Matthew. This work places the words of Jesus in conversation with the Rabbinic tradition, and ultimately ends with Neusner being unconvinced and unable to follow Jesus as His disciple. Pope Benedict lauded this work as an authentic exercise in interreligious dialogue, and cites it frequently in his own Jesus of Nazareth.

[deconstructingchabad]

Songs of my childhood

I've been pretty busy with the Yamim Noraim and personal matters, so I haven't had the time to make really big deep-dives lately, but I still want to post on this blog, so I've decided to start a series breaking down the songs from my childhood in Chabad and the harmful messaging in them. Since each post will only be one song, they won't take as much work as a really extensive deep-dive on one specific topic.

So, to start off strong, we'll start with "A Child Alone on the Shore". From a cursory search, the first online published lyrics of this song I found from a compilation of Chabad camp songs in 2008, and in a blog post from 2009, I found it attributed to the album "Oh Rebbe 2", an album released in 1998 by Mendy Chanin and Meir HaLevy Eshel. So, this song has been around for at least 25 years. It's no surprised that it first sprang up after the death of Rabbi Schneerson, since it contains really heavy Messianic overtunes and allusions to his "bodily death", as believers put it, and the belief of his return. So, without further ado, here is the song:

A child alone on the shore, Waving a light up so high. To signal a ship that no one can see, In the rough open ocean and vast darkened sky. As every sailor passed by, They questioned the boy with the light, 'Why little one do stand at your post, There is nothing and no one in sight?' The young boy looked up, his face all aglow, And waved his small lantern above and below. 'Please wait here with me, the ship we will see,' 'Dear child explain to us how do you know?' 'I'm firm in my faith, the answer is clear, I'm so very certain the ship will appear. The captain has told me and promised he'll come, Of course I believe him, for I am his son.' The Rebbe, our captain, his promise will keep, Knowing a chossid's emunah proclaims. 'I'm firm in my faith the answer is clear, V'hu Yigolainu - Omein.'

Notes:

Chossid- word for follower of a Chassidic movement, in this case, a follower of Chabad Chassidut and specifically of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson

Emunah- Hebrew word for faith

The last line is a Hebrew transliteration and translates to "And he will redeem us, Amen".

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson and his wife, Chaya Mushka Schneerson, never had any biological children of their own, and a common sentiment in the Chabad community is that "the Rebbe didn't need an heir because we are his children". The idea of being the spiritual children of a spiritual leader isn't really a Jewish value- we're all descended of Avraham Avinu, the first Patriarch, and we certainly are Bnei Yisrael, the children of Yisrael/Yaakov, but that's because from a cultural and ethnic perspective, we literally are- Judaism is a descent-based ethnoreligion, so we are most of us descended from a single entity. But you'd be hard pressed to find followers of any other Rabbi call themselves his children.

The idea of referring to your spiritual leader as your father is, well, something you see a lot in Christianity, especially in denominations where the clergy take a vow of abstinence and thus would not have biological children of their own. But Judaism has no such thing- sex isn't the sinful thing it's treated as in Christianity, and spiritual leaders especially are encouraged to lead by example by marrying and procreating.

We don't know why exactly Menachem Mendel and Chaya Mushka Schneerson never had children- whether it was a choice or because they struggled with infertility- and it feels wrong to speculate or ascribe judgement because, well, at the end of the day, whether it was a choice or not, it's still very personal, and they themselves might not be alive to hear the way we talk about them, but other couples might. Having children or not having children is morally neutral.

But what's not theologically neutral is assigning divinity to a human being, something that is explicitly forbidden in Judaism. You'll also notice that any mention of G-d is absent in this song- it's the Rebbe that's the father, the Rebbe that's the redeemer. If not for the last stanza in the song, I could totally see it be a song about the Jewish people's relationship with G-d as our Parent and our yearning to be ingathered from our exiles with the coming of the Messianic age. This would not be a foreign theme- Avinu Malkeinu, a prayer recited on public fast days and on Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, literally translates to "Our Father, our King", and is exactly that- an expression of longing for connection with our God. Which is what makes "A Child Alone on the Shore" all the more, well, spiritually icky. It takes the relationship we have and yearn for with G-d and replaces G-d with a human man. A human man, mind you, that was dead at the time of publishing this song.

I'm sure you all know where I'm going with this......

(Spoiler: It's idolatry)

[challahbeloved]

hello :) i love your blog and felt like this was a good place to come and ask my question!! i’ve been wanting to convert to judaism for several years now (since i was 12) but i’m still 17 so i don’t know how that works when you’re still a minor, and tbh i don’t really know where to start, what to do and i just feel like i’d be intruding so,,, i’ve read some books written by rabbis, started to learn the hebraic alphabet but again i feel like i’m intruding and not doing it in the right way :,) so if you have any advice i’d be happy to receive them!!! tysm in advance for your response

Hi! Thank you!

I’m not very well-versed in the world of conversion. But my understanding is that if you’re not converting with your parents, that you have to be above 18. There is some engagement with holidays that you can do on your own before official conversion, but you can’t be fully observant.

Reading books and learning the aleph-bet would be the primary thing to do right now.

Take the time to learn fully about the different movements. Once you’re an adult, you can visit services at different synagogues to get a feel for which one feels right. Although, there will be differences even within the same movement. Email the rabbi in advance to introduce yourself and to say that you are interested in attending x serve on x date. And ask if there is anything you should know or do in advance…

I once went to hear the Megillah at a synagogue I’d only been to a couple times, and was running late. I could not get into the building because members had key cards and no one was answering the buzzer. So, just showing up isn’t a great idea.

I know there have been posts by other jumblr accounts in the past with books recommendations and tips on how to avoid messianic “resources.” Try searching on here to see if they’ll come up for you (although I know the search function isn’t always helpful).

If you want to PM me to ask about the specific books you’re reading or trying to figure out if they’re suitable to read, you can.

I can give some suggestions of people to follow in PM. I just don’t want to put it in an official post because things change and I don’t want to put someone on a pedestal.

[hindahoney]

what are your personal thoughts on claiming Jewish identity? I know you do not speak for all Jewish people but I am curious on your personal take. I just discovered I am matrilineally Jewish but I was raised in a (casually) christian upbringing. I am interested in studying Judaism more deeply as well. but would it be improper to say that I am Jewish?

Who constitutes as a Jew is incredibly complicated, and a rabbi would be much better equipped at answering your question than I am. If your mother's Jewish identity is in question, you should bring your knowledge and evidence to a rabbi, preferably one that is in a movement you could see yourself being involved in. I recently learned that the reform movement denies matrilineal descent in certain cases (if your great grandmother on your mother's side was Jewish but either she or her daughter converted "out" of Judaism, leading to your mother not being raised Jewish). So, the question of whether you're Jewish or not is up in the air and more information is needed.

All that being said, if you still identify as Christian, this could cause a lot of tension should you start claiming a Jewish identity within Jewish spaces. That has nothing to do with whether you are halachically Jewish, but just a warning.

As for my own personal opinions about who constitutes as a Jew, it isn't my place to say them (unless it is regarding messianics). Only HaShem has the true answers for who is a Jew and who isn't, and I trust He will decide.

[unbidden-yidden-deactivated20240]

Archive Masterpost

Since tumblr refuses to fix its search function and/or make its tagging system reliable, to keep things tidy around here I am going to start a masterlist of posts that I think are helpful, funny, or that I am likely to want to reference again for some reason.

(If I've spent more than a couple minutes searching for a post ever, it's going on this list so I don't have to waste my time again)

This is primarily for my own reference (so I will not be taking requests or unsolicited advice) but feel free to use it if you're looking for something of mine.

Religion/Theology (typically tagged with "every hour is theology hour around here apparently")

Extremely long post explaining differences between Xtianity and Judaism

Trinity post

This extremely excellent post by @/a-queer-seminarian about why the Tables Flipping Incident isn't what a lot of lefty Xtians like to say it was

Jumblr takes on the Tables Flipping Incident

A good test of the value of any given religious belief

Progressive Xtians need to step up, Now

Religion doesn't change my morals; it enhances them

Why are so many Xtians so insecure about their religion in how they relate to Jews?

Shituf (wrt Xtianity)

Culturally Xtian atheist discourse #1

Culturally Xtian atheist discourse #2

Culturally Xtian atheist discourse #3

Why I say 'Xtian'

Questions for converts of any type

Spicy theology question

Questions I regret asking about biblical literalism

Holy Envy quote: Rabia of Basra

Things I don't understand about the Xtian Sabbath

Hey what happens if you reject your baptism according to inclusive Xtians?

Do you ever feel crazy for believing in God?

Xtians should be Xtians by Choice:

Judaism: Religion & Conversion

What to expect at your first Shabbat (@/bneiruth)

First-timer tips for shul: [1], [2]

What you might be asked your first time talking to a rabbi about conversion (@/bneiruth)

Conversion resources (by @/keshetchai)

Do NOT convert to Judaism if your intent is to syncretize it with anything else, and especially don't convert for Lillith of all things.

Trust me, no you didn't embarrass yourself too much to go back to shul

No, really

Having a lot of thoughts about what genuine, compassionate kiruv might look like to interfaith couples

Judaism: Jewish culture & politics

On the diversity of what people mean by "Zionism" and "Anti-Zionism" by @/3tznius5this

On Jewish music vs. Xtian music (pt. 1, pt. 2)

Times of Israel article re: Israel's court reform

Israel is more similar to Liberia

Chelm stories?

Judaism: personal experiences

Eretz Yisrael post

Conversion journey

The music of our prayers

An Ode to the Holy Dark

Hashem, the soul you have placed in me is pure

Singing Hallel for Av

Messianic mishegas:

Why messianics aren't valid (long post by @/sorekbekarmi)

Why messianics are antisemitic (also by @/sorekbekarmi)

Interview by @/sorekbekarmi about his experiences being raised messianic

Conversion requires a lot of unlearning

Yoshke is probably a mamzer

Messianics still aren't valid, pt.2

Antisemitism: (more generally)

@/schraubd article about Jews being caught in the middle between Right and Left talking over Jews on antisemitism

@/schraubd post about a possible art simulation of Jewish experience

Dara Horn post

"But... but... Jews are disproportionately wealthy!"

Post about Jewish regeneration through large families; discussion on names

It's not the 1940s anymore, but in the 1940s it wasn't the 1890s anymore...

If I find this massive antisemitism write-up by (I believe) @/penrosesun I will lose it in a good way because it was so good [Edit: I finally saw it on my dash again!!]

Compilation of important dog whistles to know & avoid (by @/dzamie)

Antisemitism inherent to Xtianity?

Khazer theory debunking

No means no applies to proselytizing

Missionizing is awful and Jews should not have to become experts in Xtianity to fend it off

"Diaspora" doesn't even really cover it

Tentatively adding "attributes every failure of institutions and systems to intentional malice rather than ignorance or incompetence" to my List Of Conspiracy Theory Red Flags

Desecrating a sefer Torah is NOT the same as desecrating a printed bible

Jumblr: (mostly memes and other more lighthearted or inspirational Jewish posts)

Pesach tinfoil post

Apparently "fucking" is transliterated exactly into Hebrew

Subarot

Why the Jews are Better Off Without Xmas Trees

You wouldn't drive in your house

"Dual loyalty"

Goyische chol hamoed

The prettiest, most aesthetic sukkah I've seen

Mezuzah friend

A cruel God

Who's ready for Yom Kippur?

Goats have too many sins

First photo released from Mars

Rashi's big frog

What if we advertised Torah study like Bible study?

Don't walk in front of me I may not follow....

"Ruth was un-Jewish by birth. Moses was un-Jewish by upbringing..."

Gender garbage: (personal, often heavy, posts about my own experiences)

Convergent gender

"Indentifying as" language

Labels are for recycling bins

We pick one

Untitled

I don't have preferred pronouns really

Transandrophobia discussions

General trans- and queer-posting:

That one reblog about The Birdcage

Ways to improve discourse around gender wrt to understanding that all genders have the same needs regardless of what patriarchy has told us

Feminism & Reproductive Rights:

Uggghhh this post has too many notes

Conservatives are coming for no-fault divorce

If someone in tech designs this, it's not my fault

Memes and other lighthearted posts:

Why does everyone seem to reblog this one kinda throwaway comment directly from my blog?

Spouse and I are very silly about words sometimes

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Hey if the diaper fits

Miscellaneous:

Be careful what you say, because I might remember it forever

The Sneeze (germ video)

Tech halp:

How to get rid of upload notifications

How to do the small text

Yes, you can actually have a comma in the tags

General/Housekeeping:

Original introduction pinned post (retired)

[good-old-gossip]

“The similarities between that epic venture of medieval Christendom and Zion’s of today are inescapable; not only in their essential natures, objectives and means of achieving them, but in the ways that their conflicts with the states and peoples of the region actually unfolded.”

It was an ethnocracy, long embarked on a form of apartheid that - as visitors from South Africa, such as the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the anti-apartheid champion, who called the “parallels to my own beloved South Africa … painfully stark indeed”, always testified - was as bad, if not worse than what used to be their own.

It was gradually taking on the attributes of a theocracy, with rabbis, often of the most bigoted and reactionary kind, gaining such influence in the nation’s affairs that, in the eyes of anxious secularists, who now habitually refer to this process as the “Iranisation” of Israel, it was beginning to look like a Jewish version of the ayatollahs’ realm.

It was a state and a society held hostage by a golem of its own creation, its religious settlers - wild and weird embodiments of a fusion between the 19th-century “blood-and-soil” nationalism in which their secular predecessors were steeped, and the newfangled, militant Judaic messianism of their own, whom it would probably require a civil war to rein in.

And, yes, in its deepening religiosity, the state really was looking more and more like the Crusaders themselves, taking after them not merely in method - perpetual war - but in aspirations too, with one in particular that exemplified the resemblance above all others.

For those antique "warriors of God”, the supreme, most sacrosanct of tasks had been to save the Holy Sepulchre - the site, Christians believe, of Jesus’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection - from the “pollution” and derelictions of Islam.

Similarly, for an unknown, but growing number of their Israeli successors - and not just religious ones - the return to Zion will not be complete until the Third Temple arises, alongside Al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock, or in their stead, on this, the third-most holy place of Islam; similarly indeed - but, of course, if that ever actually came to pass, apocalyptically, too.

So will the world, upon finally waking up to all that their protege has wrought upon the land and peoples of the region in the three-quarters of a century since Weizmann forecast that it would “judge” Israel for this - will it forsake or repudiate the state, leaving it to whatever fate might expose it? By the light of modern "values", the US and the West would have much stronger grounds for doing so than the papacy and medieval Christendom once had for abandoning the Crusaders by the light of theirs.

Improbable, no doubt. But the more Israel "delegitimises" itself in the eyes of the world - and it is making one helluva of job of that in Gaza right now - the less improbable it becomes, and with it the possibility, and nightmare scenario of Ohana, the Crusaders scholar, that its fate will come to resemble that of the Crusaders themselves.

Not driven into the sea, of course, but in some way or another strategically/militarily/diplomatically overcome.

[drifting-pieces-blog-blog]

Listen there is so many characters that represent intergenerational trauma in bemis run, (Ra as Khonshu's dad and a foil to Elias, Ernst as the personification of the people who killed Marc's family) but then Bemis doesn't explore that or botches the exploration

Like we already the Khonshu-Elias foil from Lemire run and then there's the grandfather Marc never knew. Who he only knows about through Yitz. and like I hate Yitz and Ernst being the same person (and a rabbi, it's not egdy it's just antisemitic) but Ernst is compelling to me (you are allowed to also be bored by him).

Here is the personification of what your father escaped and hey maybe if you kill your grandfather's murderer you'd get closure? Ha ha no.

But also clearly that's a story that Jews, not edgelord messianics get to tell.

I refuse to ever say anything nice about Bemis.

So the characters that represent intergenerational trauma do NOT come from Bemis' run.

Let's head back to "Death of Elias Spector" by Zelenetz.

This is where we get the story of the generational trauma and start to understand Moon Knight… Where we start to understand Marc Spector.

Up to this point, we have seen him be angry about Antisemitism, fight neonazi scum, and protect Jewish shop-keeps and the likes. We see him get angry about the bombing of a Synagogue and we see him become emotional over the loss of friends.

Before Zelenetz, we understood these to all be proper responses for a Jewish man. Or even just a man in this time period.

But it's when we see the generational trauma that was put so heavily on Marc's shoulders that we start to see those responses as more. We start to see his inner struggles with identity and expectations. We see him be a good man that sees himself as a bad one.

Bemis didn't see any of this.

Bemis said "What if the Rabbi is a Nazi and Marc witnessed him killing people?" He wants it to be more about personal betrayal and revenge than about the horrors of what an actual Nazi is!

There was no undertone. There was nothing deep. This was a man TRYING to tell a deep story for the sake of feeling an egotistical rush so he can pat himself on the back and let people think he's a good Jew.

You don't have to make a Nazi into a supernatural serial killer out for blood to make them into a horror figure.

The real horror lies in the fact that they were regular people that did these things because someone with a little power told them that it was okay.

But let's play with the story a moment. For argument's sake.

Ra as Khonshu's father SHOULD have been a fantastic foil to Elias. Much like in MCU when Ammit was a foil to their mother.

We should have gotten the dissapointed father. We should have gotten the failure for Khonshu to change the world for the better. We should have seen Khonshu change and grow and be able to rise up and declare that HE protects the travelors of the night. That he has chosen a perfect Avatar that can change the world. That he is the Pathfinder, the Embracer, the traveler, and the Defender.

And with that, there is more than violence and fighting. that he can be gentle and kind too.

But we didn't get that.

And Khonshu remains the same.

Moving on to the grandfather. Marc's whole family was murdered in WWII. None of them made it out except for his father and mother.

We don't need an enemy to be a murdering Nazi that specifically targeted his grandfather to make Marc angry.

We don't need a revenge story. That isn't what Moon Knight is about. Because he can't forgive a Nazi. And a Nazi should not live. And there is no way Marvel is going to show him killing a former Nazi out of pure revenge and not have that mess up the character of Marc Spector.

This isn't a revenge story of him hunting down Nazi.

He should never have touched on this. Because there ARE real Nazi that got away with it. There are real Nazi fucks that did terrible things and then wandered off to live normal happy lives.

Having him hide in plain sight AS A JEWISH RABBI is such a kick in the teeth.

And I'm going to do a review specifically on this run in a bit. Expect that soon.

I liked having Yitz as YITZ. Marc getting close to an older Rabbi because he couldn't get close to his own father is a good story. It shows his disconnect with people his own age and his father. It also shows him studying the Torah and working hard to be a good perfect Jewish boy, which leads into Steven's side of things and then further into Jake's take on the spiritual protector.

Heck, an interesting story would be if Yitz had done something that he felt betrayed his trust because then we have a good solid role model that somehow abandoned him or hurt him in some way. And it wouldn't have had to be something terrible. Maybe he left to another state to be with a different Synagogue without warning. Maybe he died suddenly? Any of those things could have hurt him and made him feel alone, since he already didn't connect to children in his school or his own father. We know that Marc feels alone and worthless. It's not a far stretch to show that maybe it started from losing someone he looked up to as a good Jewish person and then not having a role model anymore.

I did not like Ernst. Was he interesting? Probably. I get where he can be compelling as a villain. We all want to hate a good Nazi villain. It's one thing Hollywood has shown time and time again.

But there is no closure in this. There will never be closure in this. Marc still lost his family. His grandfather was a drop in an ocean and if they REALLY wanted to put Nazi fucks in the story, they should have just had young Marc accidentally walk into a KKK rally or something. Because we don't need the threat of the old Nazi. The Nazi just changed their hats. They're still out here today.

This is a story Bemis should never have touched.

I apologize it if sounds like I'm angry. I'm not angry at you by any means!

I'm just so pissed off at Bemis. I respect your wanting to see a better story from the stones Bemis laid before us. It's nice to dream that he could have been a better writer.

Marvel has a lot to answer for and this is just one more thing they managed to really screw up.

[germiyahu]

Hi! Fellow prospective convert here, I’ve been studying for two years but haven’t gathered the courage to even ask to attend shabbat at a local shul. Can I ask what “intro” course you’re taking? It sounds like a good way to be learning while also being in contact with a rabbi and I’m just curious 💜

Hello! I hope you don't mind if I publish this. The course I was looking into was a Zoom course offered by the American Jewish University (almost $400), I presume it's in California. The Rabbi strongly implied that I would be learning at her shul, but I don't know the details yet, we haven't met quite yet. This specific course does not match you with a Rabbi, but does expect you to find one if you want to convert and not just learn about Judaism.

I found another course that costs nearly $4000, and I was like "Em..." however you pay monthly. That one has the explicit requirement of contacting a Rabbi, attending services at their shul, doing bimonthly check ins, the works. You won't graduate the program if you don't do these things. I want to apply that same standard to any and every other course/program I take.

So basically I just looked for synagogues that were within range of me, and by some miracle I found a "new" one that I had missed in all my previous searches. It would be a quick drive to Friday evening services after work and it claims to be "nondenominational," but there were zero Messianic red flags, so it seems pretty perfect for me. I just plucked up the courage and emailed them using the address they provided and one business day later the Rabbi herself emailed me back from her own address.

She told me straight up she expects me to attend services and study with her and her congregation, for about a year. That was good for me, I was hoping she wouldn't go easy on me and have me do things the thorough way. So really, you just have to go for it. But you have to research the logistics first. How much money can you spend, travel, schedule, what kind of minhag it is. I'm trying to go into this without expectations, but I'm sure whatever Rabbi you'll find will appreciate how much you've been studying already.

Good luck!

[fromchaostocosmos]

I grew up chasidic. I grew up around men who look like 'Rabbi Beck' and who, at first glance, probably look the same to those people who pull him out for their 'one good jew'.

I have never, in all my life as a chasidic person in chasidic communities, met someone who think Neturei Karta is anything but a cult of wackos. Even satmar, the chasidic sect they technically stem from, does not consider them a legitimate branch. Chassidim have there issues, but we are pretty good at recognizing cults and cultish behavior within our own communities (but perhaps that is only my experience) we just try to handle this bullshit internally because how in the world are we meant to trust goyim when they act like this??

I'm so tired of them being used as an example.

(also you don't have to publish this or anything I am just so tired and wanted to tell someone)

Thank you for sharing this. This is also important for people to hear and listen to.

I honestly do not know of any group that falls under Orthodox umbrella, no matter their view on the current modern State of Israel, that views Neturei Katara as anyone to be taken seriously, to be listened in regards to Torah values and Halacha opinions.

From what I know and have seen is that most view them to be about a step above messianic "jews" because at the very least they still believe in Hashem, do not think Mosiach has come yet, and are not practicing avodah zara.

They are still viewed as a cult, a massive massive Chillul Hashem, and a overall embarrassment.

[nijjhar]

John 14v21-26:- Corruption by the Messianic Jews. Jesus set us FREE as M... John 14v21-26:- Corruption by the Messianic Jews. Jesus set us FREE as Mary Magdalene was of the 7 demons of Menorah. Co commandments from Christ Jesus. https://youtu.be/j8eQZzkUKOg Anti-Christ Popes and their stooges call themselves "Fathers" when we have One Father of our souls Elohim, Allah, Parbrahm, etc. Holy Gospel of our Supernatural Father Elohim, Allah, Parbrahm, etc., delivered by the First Anointed Christ, which in Punjabi we call Satguru Jesus of the highest living God Elohim that dwells within His Most beautiful living Temple of God created by the demiurge Potter, the Lord of the Nature Yahweh, Brahma, Khudah, etc. and it is called Harmandir or “Emmanuel” according to Saint John 14,21-26. Jesus said to his twice-born Labourers that he had employed in the Royal Vineyard of our Supernatural Father of our souls and not the once-born spiritually blind disciples of the Rabbis, a corruption by the Messianic Jews: “Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me; a corruption. Jesus came to set us FREE and not to bind us. Whoever loves me philosophically called “Philia Love” will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him in “His Word”.” Judas, not Iscariot, said to him, "Master, (then) what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words, yet the word you hear is not mine called “InshJesus” but that of the Father called InshAllah who sent me. I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the holy spirit, common sense that the illiterate people use, the Gentile uses that the Father will send in my name--he will teach you everything and remind you of all that (I) told you." Youtube channel - Truthsoldier I served in the satanic Iraq war. I openly am shamed for that and I asked for forgiveness for taking part in that war. I actually had my awakening while over in Iraq. My eyes were opened to the injustice of that war. The Iraqi people loved Saddam; they had whole stories with nothing but Saddam’s face on everything. Since then I have been speaking out against the US and ISRAEL on my Youtube channel. Here is my contribution:- Holy spirit, common sense, shatters the fetters of the dead letters, the Holy Books. If we have One God, our Supernatural Father of our souls, then there should be one Faith. In Christianity, Jesus said One Fold called the Church of God headed by One Shepherd, our Bridegroom Christ Jesus/Christ = Satguru Nanak Dev Ji, the Second coming of Jesus. Solid Proof; this Golden Temple is of the same size as the Holiest of Holy that used to be in Jerusalem and its Curtain held the Secrets of the Oral Torah = His Word was rendered from the Top, the Temple High Priests, to the Bottom, the village Rabbis off you go – Luke 16v16; Law and Prophets were till John and thus, everyone makes a direct approach to God through His Word = Logo = SATGUR PARSAD. So, these hireling Dog-Collared Priests and Mullahs, cannot give your account to God as the Rabbis used to give at Passover. So, they are "ANTICHRISTS" that have a following of the spiritually blind Super Bastard Fanatic Devils - John 8v44 -, Hindu, Jew, Sikh, Christian, Muslim, etc. Outwardly, and not spiritually inwardly. These spiritual selves Hindu, Jew and Christian, are never born like Christ, the Title and they never die but the tribal selves Judah, Levi, Jatt, Tarkhan, etc. were born and they will die. Thus, Jesus was born and Jesus died on the Cross and rose on the Third Day and NOT CHRIST, THE TITLE. Books:- ONE GOD ONE FAITH:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/bookfin.pdf Greatest Blasphemers and Killers Blair and Bush being considered by Anti-Christ Bishops for Nobel Peace Prize. Nobel Peace Prize should rather go to Assange and the Iraqi Journalist who threw both his shoes at the hypocrite Bush in Iraq. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qHdTpTXHvE&list=PL0C8AFaJhsWz7HtQEhV91eAKugUw73PW1 Christ Jesus was killed by the Temple High Priest Hypocrite/Blasphemer against the Holy Spirit and so are these Bush and Blair who at the backing of Jewish people in the USA destroyed one country after the other starting with the cradle of Humanity Iraq, the Land of the forefather of the Chosen People who are no more faithful to Abraham but has become sons of the Highest Satan Al-Djmar Al-Aksa. Blair and Bush’s blasphemies against Holy Spirit https://youtu.be/0WBYOmpDuCs American Jews are today – http://www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/GrimReaper.htm Destroying one country after the other, so that the scripture is fulfilled. Also, do not forget the partition of India and how the dirty hearted-British divided the homeland Punjab of the brave Jatt tribal soldiers who fought in the two World Wars for the British. Trinity:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/trinity.pdf

[jewish-lavellan]

So I've been looking to convert for years now, but there's like ten synagogues in the entire state of Tennessee and none of them are near me, and on top of that, I have no idea what to even look for when choosing one to convert with. Any advice on things to look for as a queer af hopefully-soon-to-be convert? Also do you know how to find a like,,, jewish grouping??? I forget what they're called, but like when you don't live near a synagogue and so people get together to worship and carpool to it on holidays??? idk with my luck someone was pulling my leg and that doesn't exist but I need help so like,,, worth a shot??? ...Thanks for literally any help you can give lmao

Heya!

I will start by saying that I am still a conversion student, and decidedly not a rabbi so like here is your shaker of salt; please use liberally.

I do empathise with your situation a bunch though op! I was in a similar place (a story for another time perhaps)

But here's my advice!

1) research the synagogues in your state anyway, look at what kind of Judaism they practice and work see what kind you gel with. Now in the Uk the denominations are slightly diferent so I can't say which you would find most welcoming, not to mention it varies between congregations anyway.

2) Email the Rabbi(s) or their office admins. Most will have contact information on their websites. Explain your situation and your intent to begin conversion.

I can't promise they'll say yes. The first rabbi I reached out to didn't (his reasoning has really supprised everyone I've talked to irl since tho lol, but enough rabbi drama)

Once you've made contact, and establish that line of communication then they might be able to help put you in touch with groups or carpooling set ups and similar.

3) Watch out for the messianics. I've not seen them in the uk, but I'm aware sometimes in the US they will set up whole congregations. I'll go have a look for some resourced after my dnd game and rb with some things to look out for

Otherwise! I wish you the best of luck!!

[yhwhrulz]

Worthy Brief - September 5, 2024

Your fasts will become feasts!

As we continue this study of the Dead Sea scrolls, authorities announced the discovery of several more scrolls as their extensive search for more hidden caves and treasures continues. Given the "coincidence" of the events described in previous devotionals, God's providential involvement in these developments becomes clear. His Word tells us what is about to happen, and discoveries of Biblical texts seem directly related to modern prophetic fulfillment.

A few years ago, two passages of scripture were discovered. The first was this passage from the prophet Zechariah; “These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to one another, render true and perfect justice in your gates. And do not contrive evil against one another, and do not love perjury, because all those are things that I hate—declares the Lord.” [Zechariah 8:16-17]

This passage's emphasis on speaking truth and establishing justice ("mishpat" in Hebrew) is so powerfully relevant for Israel and the world.

If you remember, it was just a few months later that Israel was rocked by massive protests as the nation became deeply divided over judicial reform. Many protesters across the country voiced their concerns about the proper administration of justice.

In recent years, we've witnessed increasing deception from governmental narratives and injustice through mandates and new laws. Truth and justice for all people are being threatened like never before. Once again, we can see the relevance of God's warnings to the world about the impending judgment on lies and injustice!

The second portion of this passage refers to the Messianic age, or what some would term the Millennial Kingdom. Zechariah 8:19 speaks of the fasts performed in various months due to past judgments, which will become “seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts.” During this time, the Lord will rule from Jerusalem, and the nations will all be coming to seek Him! [Zechariah 8:22]

Trouble is increasing, perhaps the greatest in history, but the Kingdom of God is at the door … it’s not time to fret or be paralyzed with fear! God is warning the nations, but He is also encouraging us, for soon, our fasts will become feasts of joy!

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George, Baht Rivka, Obadiah and Elianna (Missouri) (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Editor's Note: Feel free to share any of our content from Worthy, including Devotions, News articles, and more, on your social platforms. You have full permission to copy and repost anything we produce.

Editor's Note: During this war, we have been live blogging throughout the day -- sometimes minute by minute on our Telegram channel. - https://t.me/worthywatch/ Be sure to check it out!

Editor's Note: Dear friends — we are now booking in the following states. Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Indiana, West Virginia, Tennessee! If you know Rabbis, Pastors or Leaders who might be interested in powerful Israeli style Hebrew/English worship and a refreshing word from Worthy News about what’s going on in the land, please let us know how to connect with them and we will do our best to get you on our schedule! You can send an email to george [ @ ] worthyministries.com for more information.

[rob-nobody]

asjdhkfgjk, I'm sorry, but this is one of my pet peeves. As fun as it is to think that many of our sayings and proverbs were originally a lot more subversive than their common interpretation, it often just isn't true.

"The customer is always right" was popularized by Selfridge, but versions were used by retail magnate Marshall Field and hotelier César Ritz before him. None of them qualified it with anything like "...in matters of taste" anywhere I can find. Now, maybe it was implied that's what they meant rather than "Give the customer 90% off if they ask for it," but it wasn't explicitly part of the original saying.

"Jack of all trades" goes back at least to Geffray Minshall in 1612, though the similar "Johannes factotum (Johnny do-it-all)" was used in the 1500s (hilariously used in 1592 by English writer Robert Greene to disparagingly describe this upstart young playwright, William Shakespeare.) "...and master of none" was added in the 1700s, with the first known usage by Charles Lucas in a 1741 letter. Near as I can tell, "...but ofttimes better than a master of one" was added circa 2007.

"Blood is thicker than water," in that form and with the conventional meaning, dates back to at least 1652, where it was used in a sermon by William Jenkyn, and the way it's used makes it clear it was a known expression at the time that he was merely quoting. It appears frequently in 18th and 19th-century literature, particularly Scottish literature. The "covenant/womb" version comes from the Messianic Rabbi Richard Pustelniak in 1994, who claims that was the original meaning without citing any sources.

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" dates back to at least 1820, when Charles Colton wrote in his book of proverbs "Imitation is the sincerest of flattery," while the idea goes back to at least a 1714 newspaper article by Eustace Budgell, where he says "Imitation is a kind of artless Flattery." ("Artless," here, meaning "unintentional, and thus pure and sincere.") The version that adds "...that mediocrity can pay to greatness" is attributed to Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), though searching through his works on Project Gutenberg doesn't turn up an actual source, so grain of salt. Regardless, at best this version was a later commentary on the original sentiment.

On the other hand, "The love of money is the root of all evil" IS indeed the original version of the saying, coming from the 1611 King James Bible, 1 Timothy 6:10. "To pull oneself up by one's bootstraps" DID also originally mean a ludicrous or impossible task, dating back to at least 1834 (though the original version specifically referred to carrying oneself over a river or a fence by one's own bootstraps, the meaning is clearly the same.)