#can be made pareve

[mariacallous]

It’s remarkable how just a handful of ingredients — celery, onion, carrots, mushrooms, barley and water — can truly transform into something hearty and nourishing. This isn’t unlike other Jewish foods, like cholent or chicken soup; Jews are masterful at transforming the ingredients on-hand into dishes that feed bellies and souls.

I am sure you have heard of mushroom barley soup, maybe enjoyed a bowl at your local deli or diner, or perhaps your grandmother made it from scratch. But did you know that mushroom-barley soup, or krupnik, is even more Jewish than matzah ball soup?

As Joel Haber explains in this piece, krupnik is a simple and hearty Polish soup made from barley and various root vegetables. Eastern European Jews had a strong affinity for mushrooms, since they were rich, nutritious and, best of all, they grew abundantly in local wooded areas, making them free.

Making this soup without meat also allows it to be pareve, so it can be eaten with either dairy or meat meals according to kosher dietary laws. While non-Jews may have made a vegetarian version if they couldn’t afford meat, most Polish recipes stress the importance of both meat and bones to create the proper consistency, making the vegetarian version distinctly Jewish.

This soup is ideal for so many things: a comforting meal train meal, paired with crusty bread and a salad; easy to make as a big batch to enjoy all week for lunch; or when you want to hear your kids complain “I don’t like mushrooms,” and then eat the barley and carrots all around those carefully sautéed mushrooms.

Notes:

Anyone who has watched “Julie & Julia” knows you don’t want to crowd your pan when cooking mushrooms. I cook this quantity of mushrooms in three batches to allow them enough space to caramelize slightly on each side.

I chose to make this recipe with a combination of white mushrooms and baby bella mushrooms. You can absolutely mix different types of mushrooms based on your taste (or what you have on hand), as long as the total quantity is around 1 lb.

If you want to turn the mushroom flavor up even more, you could add some rehydrated porcini mushrooms as you sauté the mushrooms. You can also add some of the hydrating mushroom liquid into the both for extra umami.

To make this soup pareve (non-dairy), just omit the butter.

This soup keeps well in the fridge for 3-5 days and can be frozen; you may just need to add some additional water or broth when reheating.

[hindahoney]

Do you have any specific tips on learning to keep kosher? Advice like what dairy substitutes work best or a reliable place to get recipes would be great. I grew up in a house that mixes dairy and meat for most meals so any help would be greatly appreciated. If you've already answered this, could you give a link to the post? I couldn't find one, but that might be because tumblr's search function doesn't work.

Sure! Here is a post I made about keeping kosher. Substitutes are your best friend. If a recipe calls for butter, using vegetable oil instead could be better if you're eating it with a meat meal. Margarine is also a great substitute when making baked goods. Mixing lemon juice with a nut milk gives you buttermilk.

In brownies, using orange juice instead of milk makes the flavor really pop. I love doing this on shabbat so I can have a dessert after a meat meal. You could also just use any other nut milk, or oat milk (just make sure it has a pareve symbol on it, I've seen some oat milks that are still OU D because it's sometimes manufactured in dairy machines or factories). Pareve chocolate is a miracle to be appreciated. Using egg noodles or zucchini noodles are great when you want to have a meat-based dish, and pareve bread for meat-based sandwiches.

I love using vegan or vegetarian plant-based meats in my dishes.* For example, I use vegan ground beef in my lasagna, so I can still use regular noodles and cheese. Plant-based chicken is also great for skillets or pasta. You could also just use fish instead, as it's considered pareve. I don't like the taste of vegan cheese, so I'd much rather use real cheese and vegan meat, but it's always an option. If you don't have meat but still want a filling meal, using grains such as quinoa, or starches like potatoes, can help with that.

As for finding recipes, there are a few kosher cooking blogs online. To find things I usually just search whatever food I want followed by "kosher" and it's usually there. If I can't find a recipe for it, I use a regular recipe with the above substitutes to make it kosher. Buying kosher cookbooks is also a good idea. I don't recommend just searching for "jewish cookbooks" because sometimes those include non-kosher dishes, so search specifically for kosher cookbooks.

*Some Jews have customs that don't allow them to eat vegan meats due to abiding by the spirit of the law, and the fact that the appearance of eating something not kosher could mislead others. It is best to discuss this with your rabbi if you think this may be an issue.

[remitiras]

It's so fun to come back home after a long day of work and find a fork and teaspoon from your kosher set inside a bowl from the not-kosher set your roommates use, together with a not-kosher tablespoon, and not know what was eaten with them.

The set is in a seperate drawer which is clearly labelled "kosher dairy" and I also asked them to not put not-kosher kitchenware in the left sink, because I use it for my kosher set.

I'm trying to be a nice roommate and told them that they can use the set but only with kosher dairy/pareve food, since our apartment owner paid for it and not me, but I really regret it now because I don't have a way to make sure they don't ruin my dishes. And they keep leaving their dirty dishes in the sink, and when they do wash their stuff they don't put it away. One of them used the completely new toaster oven we have that also has a sticker that says "Kosher dairy" on and they didn't clean the oven tray and I don't even know what they made in there.

The kitchen was disgusting when I moved here. It's still half disgusting but everything that's clean is because I cleaned it myself.

I'm so frustrated!! I just want to be able to eat and share my food with my more religious friends without fearing they tainted my utensils. I think I'm gonna re-kasher all my silverware.

[overmorrowpine]

okay this might be a little bit silly considering i almost never cry but im like halfway to crying about this cookbook having notes like "this is a pareve version. for a meat version, substitute meat stock and add cubed beef" or whatever (im looking through soups for dinner rn) like. i don't have to do the work to make sure the recipe is kosher. someone else has already made sure it's kosher. my family has gotten it basically (like, they don't cook their bacon in the same pan as im gonna use for my eggs, stuff like that) but like. it's not on me to make sure i can eat this food. someone else has already done it

[suugrbunz]

oh, yeah,, you can use vegetarian marshmallows for sure (I was raised vegan so I get where you’re coming from :))!! I’ve seen recipes that use silken tofu a couple times. When I last made it, I used coconut cream cooked with a lot of sugar and. cornflour to thicken, then peppermint extract and green colouring added. warm vanilla custard is such a homely dessert <3 Lol, I find it so funny we’re talking about this when your blog isn’t even vaguely about food 😆😊

Oh, I love silken tofu, I'd definitely have to try that version. in America, the kosher marshmallows at the market are a french brand. They use a fish gelatin rather than beef or chicken. Coconut cream is really good as well, i love the nutty taste coconut milks and creams have. Funnily enough, I hate shredded coconut or coconut water. I'll definitely have to try this when I have a chance.

Same, i love conversations like these. There's a lot of kosher vegan products as well, since we eat a lot of pareve versions of meat or dairy products. I love little crossovers like that, it's a reminder that people aren't that different.

[hints-and-hacks]

People. Purim is coming in just over a week. You NEED to make these hamentaschen. Mom & I are baking these and 1-2 other flavors tomorrow; we've made these every year since we started baking hamentaschen together in like 2018. (Skipped 2020 because plague, but other than that...) Our friends look forward to receiving them. We love them. MAKE THEM.

YES, you can make these pareve!!! That's how we do them all the time, cuz my body doesn't do dairy! Instead of Nutella, use Israeli chocolate spread or an equivalent thereof for the filling, and use pareve/vegan white chocolate, available on Amazon if not in a local store.

[fabfemmeboy]

I noticed in your tags you said that some kosher laws are racist. I'm kind of confused by that, I've never heard that before. Could you explain what you mean?

So the answer to this is long and complicated and nuanced, and it does rely on the perceived racial/cultural differences between Jews in different parts of the world, but as a (relatively) brief overview:

Because we're a diasporic people, different traditions grew and evolved in different local Jewish communities over centuries. When Judaism kind of coalesced into the modern streams and overseeing bodies were determining which versions of the traditions were doctrinally "correct," they pretty much always chose the ones that matched Ashkenazi traditions/rules and said that the ones that Sephardi and/or Mizrahi Jews practiced were incorrect. Given that Ashkenazim were generally white-adjacent while Sephardi and MIzrahi Jews were generally not-white-adjacent, and given that race is a social construct based on who's "like us" and who's "not like us" largely using cultural background and perceived physical characteristics, it feels fair to me to call that "race-based."

The example that's easiest to unpack is kitniyot. Until only a few years ago, it was prohibited during Pesach for Jews in most streams. The rationale was that kitniyot contained items that could easily be mistaken for the 5 prohibited grains, and therefore either a person could inadvertently consume a prohibited grain while eating kitniyot OR a person could see someone eating a product made with kitniyot, assume it meant they could eat the 'usual' version of the product, and thereby eat one of the prohibited grains. What was included in kitniyot? Legumes, rice, corn, a lot of things eaten in Latin America, MENA, etc. What was not included in kitniyot? Potatoes, which are most common in Europe (especially Eastern Europe, where Ashkenazim lived when making these traditions).

Conservative and Orthodox Judaism literally said that Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews (who were fine with kitniyot during Pesach) were celebrating it wrong and violating the rules of Pesach by eating...hummus. Chicken and rice. Corn tortillas. All sorts of things. Why? Because you can make rice flour or almond flour, make something out of it that looks like it's made with wheat flour, and lead innocent Jews down a path of destruction. Ok, fine, fence around Torah and all that. But if you look on any Kosher for Passover shelf in any western supermarket, it's an array of items designed to look and taste as much like their wheat-flour products as possible. Those are allowed, because they use potato flour.

There are also some discrepancies as to whether the Sephardi traditions are considered 'valid'/proper when it comes to things like defining meat (e.g. fish isn't pareve in all cultures!), etc.

[electriccenturies]

I've been on this whole kick for the last year or so about like, unlearning this black-and-white thinking that, for me, is partly autism related but also largely due to spending my formative years entrenched in a brand of discourse and political discussion that I no longer subscribe to, and it's been so freeing.

Which is to say, I have had a lifelong struggle with the idea of eating meat, and I was vegan for a few years ( around 2012 or so) and veggie for a few more, but found it really difficult to maintain at the time. Back then it was really, really hard to be the only vegan in your family as a kid; vegetarian food was a lot less accessible, and vegan food even more so. I am in a major city and I still had to go to specialty stores for things that I can find in literally any grocery store nowadays. I am a good cook and I was then too, but I was still 13 and ended up mostly living on clif bars and those frozen gardien meals because I had other things to deal with and wasn't allowed to cook on a whim. It was Not Sustainable. I still really don't eat meat very much, though I do eat it.

More importantly, my experience of it was as kind of a manipulative thing. I was into PETA (again, was 13, don't judge lol) and I fucking hated the community aspect of it because it was so heavily disgust/shame based. I didn't feel like I was being ethical, I constantly felt like I was under-performing at very basic morality, and I was constantly tempted by 'cheating' — either for convenience or because I wanted to have something that people around me were eating. At the time it felt like the obvious moral stance to take, but like pretty much everything it turns out that there is a lot more nuance to be had in almost every part of that conversation (is it truly unethical to eat ANY animal product EVER? is is truly productive to push "veganism or nothing" as the 'correct' stance? is veganism that is exclusively environment-oriented truly Evil™? is veganism truly a realistic goal for most people? etc).

But now, I have that perspective, and I was just grocery shopping and they seem to be in the process of massively expanding their selection of frozen vegan food, and it made me realize that I want to do it again but just dump the labels. Like, my dad and I had an interesting conversation the other day about how my cousin started eating kosher and just "decided" to treat chicken as pareve and I was like??? YES?! I mean, No, it's not CORRECT, no it's not truly eating kosher, but it IS basically in the spirit of the laws and it is more kosher than eating a cheeseburger or something. So why can't I do the same with vegetarianism?

That's all a very long winded way to say that I think I'd rather eat tuna sandwiches, chicken soup, and the occasional meat dish at a restaurant than just give in and eat meat in general because it's easy and I wouldn't be 'doing it right'. I think I'm projecting a lot of my other issues I'm working through onto this one, but this one is suddenly so fucking easy to check off the list lol

[sethshead]

My father was big fan of herring in cream sauce. I always found it too heavy. It took me oil-cured matjes and herring in wine sauce (one of the few things I'll admit Zabar's can match Russ & Daughters on) to get into this particular fish.

Now I wonder if herring in its own milt (how is not the equivalent of simmering a kid in its mother's milk, to nom a herring in its own semen?), with a lighter creamy texture and the addition of vinegar, would be the best of all worlds? Was it the progenitor of herring in cream, or just a parve variant thereof? I'd try this, if only I knew where to get herring milt these days.

This is also a reminder of just how poverty-stricken Jews were in both the Old World and New. From a perspective of relative success in the US, we should not forget how many went hungry and were lost to the horrible attrition of disease, malnutrition, mental illness, and dangerous job conditions in the slums where we first settled. The story of American Jews is not one so much of triumph but of tragedy, survivorship bias, and some survivor's guilt.

[mariacallous]

As those of us familiar with Sephardic cuisine know, there are often different names and spellings for similar dishes. When it comes to baked casseroles of vegetables, egg and usually cheese, it could be called akuajado or quajado, sfongato or asfongato, fritada or frittata. Most often, “almodrote”is used by Turkish Jews when the dish is made with zucchini. “Kalabaza”(or calabaza) refers to squash, and is often used to describe different varieties of the vegetable.

Whatever it’s called, some form of this baked dish is nearly always served during Passover in Sephardic homes, and is usually included in the seder meal. It’s especially convenient because it can be made a day or two ahead (more if you want to freeze it) and doesn’t need to take up precious oven space, as it’s often served at room temperature or just barely warmed through. Almodroteand friends are also good for breakfast when you get tired of eating matzah and leftover haroset, or for lunch, dinner or cut into small squares for an appetizer.

This basic recipe can be adapted in many ways. While it calls for feta and parmesan, cheddar or kashkaval (a semi-hard cheese most often made from sheep’s milk that’s popular throughout the Balkans and Mediterranean), the cheese can be left out altogether to make it pareve, or you can use vegan cheese. Regular or gluten-free matzah meal can be used, or bread crumbs when it’s not Passover. You can also make it with other vegetables, including eggplant(berendjena), spinach (espinaka) or leeks (prasa), or add more of the herbs. 

Traditionally in the no-waste Sephardic kitchen, the squash would be peeled and the peels made into a different dish. This dish, called kashkarikas, involves cooking the peels in a lemon and olive oil sauce, or with tomatoes and garlic. However, for extra nutrition and flavor, I don’t peel my squash.

[hindahoney]

Do you have any tips for eating kosher food when it's not easily available to you? It's slightly easier cause I don't eat meat but its very hard and I'd like help

To anyone who wants to eat kosher, my most important advice is to start slow. It's a process. If you cut out everything at once you will get overwhelmed and quit.

My first advice is to only eat things with a hechsher on it. Because you don't eat meat, it's already significantly easier for you. The problem is finding dairy with a hechsher, especially cheese. A lot of cheeses are made with rennet, which is a part of the animal we are forbidden to eat. This is why a lot of cheese chips and snacks aren't kosher, even if they seem like they should be (doritos were SO hard to let go of for me, and I'll never forgive Sunchips for removing their hechsher). A lot of foods also have non kosher dyes that were made with insect shells, the same with sodas. Additionally, checking produce for any bugs is always a good idea!!! Even produce in grocery chains are likely to contain little bugs. I promise once you start checking, you'll see them. So many products are full of chemicals that were created with non-kosher ingredients or in non-kosher facilities, so the best way to ensure you're not accidentally consuming them is to just eat hechsher products.

For people who do eat meat, however, you can still eat most fish because it's considered pareve. Chicken used to be in this category, though this was changed over time by rabbis who noticed that people began thinking of chicken as meat. The argument proposed is that the Torah says "Thou shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk," and since chickens don't produce milk, this prohibition does not apply. Rabbis would say that the spirit of the law means it does. It is up to you whether you want to agree with the rabbis about this. For me, when I first started keeping kosher, I would allow myself to eat chicken, before I slowly removed it from my diet to abide by the rabbinical ruling. I also think the spirit of the law should apply to eating eggs and chicken (though eggs are pareve) together, if we are prohibiting eating an animal with its potential child. But I'm not aware of any rabbis who have said this (but jews talk about everything so they're probably out there.)

Eating meat or cheese plant-based hechshered substitutes are also acceptable, depending on your movement. For me personally, I will eat hechshered meat substitutes, and this satiates my cravings for meat until I can get kosher meat. Gardein is a good brand, and so is Morning Star, and I'm sure other countries have their own brands. The argument against eating meat substitutes was that the appearance of an observant jew eating what looks to be a cheeseburger could cause other observant Jews to believe the laws around kashrut have changed, leading them to break kosher. This law made more sense back then, but now I'm not so convinced, but that's up to you to decide. Eventually, I see myself no longer eating meat substitutes once I live in an area with a kosher market, but for now this has to do.

Work your way up to waiting between meat and milk. The time varies, I've heard anything from one to eight hours.

Make sure to crack your eggs in a separate clear container to check for blood. It's not common, but it happens.

Eating vegan or vegetarian while you're out is a decent compromise in the beginning until you feel ready to let go of restaurants.

Lastly, have a little non-kosher food send off. Before you start your journey, eat your favorite non kosher food and then say goodbye to it forever, at least until you can find a way to make it kosher. Eating kosher is hard. But it's a reminder of the covenant between yourself and HaShem. When you eat kosher foods, the belief is that whatever animal was used in the making has now served a higher purpose.

If anyone else has tips on how to start keeping kosher, or ways that help you, feel free to share!

[wouldnt-it-be-hilarious-if-i]

What is Kosher?

Kosher: The Basics / What is Kosher? - Everyday Jewish Mom What is Kosher? Chabad.org (Youtube)

What is Kosher? (Website)

What is kosher? What are kosher rules?

The Hebrew word kosher literally means "fit." The Laws of Kosher are guidelines for what are and what are not fit foods for Jews to consume. This means that certain species of animals (and their milk/eggs as well) are allowed to be consumed, and some are forbidden. As you can see in the infographic, a good example of a non-kosher food would be pork or shellfish.

Kosher laws also prohibit the consumption of meat and dairy together. In a kosher household, separate utensils are used when making either type of food. Foods cannot be kosher if they use these two ingredients together, or if they are prepared using the wrong utensils (such as if one were to prepare meat on the same cutting board where they sliced cheese). Also important is that there is a waiting period between eating the two types of food. The Chabad video states that waiting period as six hours, but the other video says that this time can vary based on different communities.

Another important thing to remember is that meat must come from animals that are slaughtered in a very specific and painless way. This method is an ancient method called shechitah (or ritual slaughtering). The meat is checked for disease and certain parts are removed (including the blood).

Fruits, vegetables and grains are typically considered kosher, but the itty bitty bugs that might be on those things are not kosher. This means always checking these foods for any signs of bugs in order to ensure it's kosher status.

While watching these videos and reading the article I read, I learned that Kosher does not mean food blessed by a rabbi, which is what I was always told. Kosher means following the laws of Kosher. A Rabbi is involved in the process, just not the way I was taught. Since any, even the tiniest amount, of non-kosher food can render a food no longer kosher, all processed food and eating establishments are required to be evaluated and certified by a reliable Rabbi or a kashrut (laws of kosher) supervision agency.

So, why do Jews keep kosher?

According to the Chabad video, no one really knows exactly why the Torah defines the laws of kosher. Regardless of this, keeping kosher is considered a mitzvah (a good deed) and another way to honor G-d. The Chabad website writes that, "The kosher laws were commanded by G‑d to the children of Israel in the Sinai Desert. Moses taught them to the people and wrote the basics of these laws in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14." Eventually, these laws were passed down and written in the Talmud and the Mishnah. Keeping kosher is a uniquely Jewish experience as well as a definitive one.

It shows that even the most mundane acts, such as eating, are G-dly.

More about keeping kosher:

There are three categories of kosher foods:

Meat includes the meat or bones of mammals and fowl, soups or gravies made with them, and any food containing even a small quantity of the above.

Dairy includes the milk of any kosher animal, all milk products made with it (cream, butter, cheese, etc.), and any food containing even a small quantity of the above.

Pareve foods are neither “meat” nor “dairy.” Eggs are pareve, as are all fruits, vegetables and grains. Pareve foods can be mixed with and eaten together with either meat or dairy (fish are parve, but not eaten with meat due to health concerns outlined in the Talmud).

Eggs, Milk and Honey

"A rule of thumb cited by the Talmud is: What comes from a kosher animal is kosher; what comes from a non-kosher animal is not kosher."

Milk and eggs are only kosher if they come from kosher animals. All eggs are supposed to be inspected before being used to check for blood spots.

Honey is kosher because isn't considered an animal product. Bees, however, are not kosher.

"The kosher laws stipulate that all dairy products should be chalav Yisrael (lit., “Jewish milk”): a Torah-observant Jew must be present from the milking to the end of the processing to ensure that only milk from kosher animals is used.

Kosher terms

Kosher: (Hebrew) the catch-all term that refers to all that is fit to be consumed or to be used together with kosher food.

Treif: (Hebrew) literally, “torn,” referring to an animal that met an unnatural death other than shechitah, but extended to mean any food that is not fit to eat.

Parve: (Yiddish) the in-between, neutral foods, which are neither meat nor dairy and may be eaten with both.

Fleishig: (Yiddish) meaty. Variants include fleishigs, and fleishige.

Milchig: (Yiddish) dairy. Variants include milchige and milchige.

Pesachdig: Kosher for Passover (Pesach). Since Passover has its own set of rules, food and dishes that conform to the Passover standards are referred to as Pesachdig or Pesachdik.

Kasher: (Yiddish) the act of making something kosher. This can either refer to the salting of meat or to the process of making dishes or appliances kosher through the application of heat.

Mashgiach: (Hebrew) supervisor, often appointed by a supervising agency to ensure that food produced at a commercial establishment is kosher.

Hashgachah: (Hebrew) Supervision, and the certification thereof, often issued by a rabbi or a rabbinic agency.

Hechsher: (Hebrew) Kosher certification, and the actual symbol denoting that a given product is certified kosher.

Glatt: (Yiddish). Literally “smooth,” this refers to an animal whose lungs have been found to be superbly healthy and free of adhesions. Since this is a higher standard of kosher, it has come to refer to food that is kosher according to the most exacting of standards.

Shechitah: (Hebrew) Kosher slaughter.

Shochet: (Hebrew) Trained kosher slaughterer.

Chumrah: (Hebrew) Additional stringencies that are beyond the letter of the law, which some communities or individuals may adopt.

Notes

This was very interesting to learn about, but it's definitely a lot to remember. I've babysat for a family that kept kosher in the past, and it was really interesting to learn from them a little about it. I didn't know that there wasn't a specific reason for why Jews keep kosher other than what I explained above. But given when I know about Jewish history, I always just assumed that it was for health reasons. I remember reading somewhere that kosher laws (among other things) were why Jewish people weren't initially falling ill at the same rate as Christians during the black plague. This was one reason why they were persecuted (because it was assumed they were engaging in witchcraft.

One thing that interested me was how hygienic it all is. These laws have existed for so long, since well before science really studied these things. It interests me that these were written down, and have continued to be so intuitive and hygienic to this day. It just all sounds so cool to me!

I'll definitely have to read more about it.

[bailey-writes]

So You Want Your OC to be Jewish

So you’re writing a story and you want to make a Jewish character—great! I’m here to help. I always want more Jewish representation but I want good Jewish representation, so this is my attempt to make a guide to making a Jewish character. What are my credentials? I’m Jewish and have been my whole life. Obligatory disclaimer that this is by no means comprehensive, I don’t know everything, all Jews are different, and this is based on my experiences as an American Jew so I have no idea, what, if any, of this applies to non-American Jews. 

If there’s anything you want me to make a post going more into detail about or if there’s anything I didn’t mention but you want to know please ask me! I hope this is helpful :) Warning, this is long.

Jew PSA

If you are Jewish you can use the word Jew(s), e.g. “She’s dating a Jew.” If you are not Jewish you cannot use the word Jew(s). This is not up for debate. Non-Jews calling us Jews has a negative connotation at best. Don’t do it and don’t have your characters do it.

Basics, Plus My Random Thoughts that Didn’t Fit Anywhere Else

A confusing enduring issue is, what is Judaism? It’s a religion, but some Jews aren’t religious; is it a race? A nationality? A culture? A heritage? The only constant is that we are seen as “other.” There’s a lot of debate, which makes it confusing to be Jewish and as such it’s common for Jews to struggle with their Jewish Identity. However many people agree that Jews are an ethnoreligious group, aka Judaism is a religion and an ethnicity.

Temple/Synagogue/Shul = Jewish place of worship. Shul is usually used for Orthodox synagogues.

Keeping kosher = following Jewish dietary rules: meat and dairy can’t be eaten together and you can’t eat pork or shellfish. Fish and eggs are pareve (aka neutral) and can be eaten with meat or dairy (but again not both at the same time.) When eating meat it has to be kosher meat (e.g. kosher Jews are allowed to eat chicken, but not all chicken is kosher. I know it’s kinda confusing I’m sorry.) Kosher products in stores will have symbols on them to identify them as kosher. If someone is kosher they’ll probably have separate sets of utensils/plates/cookware/etc. for meat and dairy

Shabbat/Shabbos/Sabbath = holy day of the week, day of rest, lasts from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Depending on observance Jews might have Shabbat dinner, attend Shabbat services, or observe the day of rest in its entirety (making them shomer Shabbat)

Someone who is shomer Shabbat will refrain from any of the prohibited activities. These can easily be looked up but include: working, writing, handling money, cooking, and using technology.

Bat/Bar/B’nai Mitvzah = tradition where a Jewish boy/girl becomes a man/woman. Celebrated at 13-years-old for boys, 12- or 13-years-old for girls. Girls have Bat Mitzvahs (bat means daughter in Hebrew), boys have Bar Mitzvahs (bar means son in Hebrew) and twins or two or more people having one together have a B’nai Mitzvah. They will study for this for months and then help lead services and, depending on observance level, read from the Torah. The ceremony is often attended by family and friends and followed with a celebration of sorts (in America usually this means a brunch and/or party.)

Goy/gentile = non-Jew. These words are not slurs, they are literally just words. Plural of goy is goyim and is a Yiddish word, plural of gentile is gentiles.

Jewish holidays follow the Hebrew calendar, meaning that according to the current solar/Gregorian calendar the dates of our holidays are different each year.

Jewish law recognizes matrilineal inheritance. This means that Jewish law states your mother has to be Jewish for you to be Jewish. This is because of reasons from biblical times that I can explain if you wanna come ask, but as you can imagine is a bit outdated. While Orthodox Jews might embrace this idea and only consider someone Jewish if their mom is Jewish, many Jews are more flexible on the idea (and yes, this does cause tension between Orthodox Jews and other Jews at times.)

Judaism =/= Christianity

Some people think Judaism is just Christianity without Jesus (some people don’t even realize we don’t believe in/celebrate Jesus so newsflash, we don’t) and that’s just wrong. Yes both religions share the Old Testament, so they also share some history and beliefs, but the entire ideologies of the religions are different. In brief, they are similar in some ways but are not the same.

What seems to me to be the biggest difference is that Christianity (from what I understand) has a heavy focus on sins, more specifically repenting for/gaining forgiveness for your sins. In Christianity you are born tainted by original sin. In Judaism we believe everyone is born pure and free from sin and everyone is made in God’s image. Judaism has some concept of sin, but doesn’t focus on them and instead focuses on performing Mitzvot (plural, singular form is mitzvah. Direct translation is “commandment” but basically means good deed or act of kindness. It also relates to the commandments, so following the commandments is also performing mitzvot.) Examples of mitzvot include anything from saying a prayer or lighting Shabbat candles to helping a stranger or donating to charity (called tzedakah). One of the main tenets of Judaism is tikkun olam, which directly translates to “repair the world” and means exactly what it says on the tin. Instead of focusing on being forgiven for doing bad Judaism focuses on doing good. The only day we focus on past wrongdoings is Yom Kippur, one of our most holy holidays, discussed below.

Holidays

Rosh Hashanah – The Jewish New Year, occurs around September and lasts for two days, though Reform Jews often only celebrate the first day. Day of happiness and joy, celebrated by eating sweet things for a “sweet new year” (often apples dipped in honey) and circular challah to represent the end of one year and beginning of another. Also celebrated with services and blowing the shofar (rams horn.) Some spend the day in prayer and/or silent meditation. Possible greetings: chag sameach (happy holiday; can be said on almost any holiday), Shana Tovah, or happy new year (which is what Shana Tovah means, some people just say it in English.)

Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement. Occurs ten days after the start of Rosh Hashanah. One of if not the most solemn day for Jews, but also the most holy. The day is spent reflecting on yourself and any past wrongdoings and atoning. The day (sundown the night before to sundown the day of) is spent fasting, a physical way of atoning. We do this in hopes of being “written in the Book of Life” and starting the year with a clean slate. The shofar is blown at the end of the holiday. Most Jews will end the fast with a grand meal with family and friends. Most common greeting is “have an easy fast,” but happy new year is still appropriate.

Sukkot – Celebrates the harvest, occurs on the fifth day after Yom Kippur and lasts seven days. Celebrated by building a temporary hut outdoors called a sukkah and having meals inside it, as well as shaking palm fronds tied together (called a lulav) and holding a citrus called an etrog. Very fun and festive holiday. Possible greetings include chag sameach or Happy Sukkot.

Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah – Some Jews (mostly Reform Jews and Jews living in Israel) combine both holidays into one day while some celebrate them as two separate days. Either way they occur immediately after Sukkot. Shemini Atzeret is similar but separate from Sukkot and features a prayer for rain; Sukkot is not mentioned in prayers and the lulav isn’t shaken but you do eat in the sukkah. Simchat Torah celebrates finishing reading the Torah, which we will then begin again the next day. It’s a festive holiday with dancing and fun. Some Temples will roll the entire Torah out and the children will run under it. Appropriate greeting for both would be chag sameach.

Rosh Hashanah through Simchat Torah are referred to as the High Holidays.

Chanukah – We all know about Chanukah, celebrating the reclaiming of the Second Temple and the miracle of the oil lasting eight days. The most represented Jewish Holiday there is. Unfortunately it’s one of the least significant holidays for us. Occurs around November or December and lasts eight days and nights. Celebrated by lighting candles in the Menorah each night with a prayer and kids usually get gifts each night. Also celebrated with spinning tops called dreidels, fried foods like doughnuts (sufganiyot in Hebrew; usually the jelly filled ones) and potato pancakes called latkes. Greetings: happy Chanukah or chag sameach.

Tu B’Shevat – Birthday of the trees, basically Jewish Arbor Day. Minor but fun holiday, sometimes celebrated by planting trees. Occurs around January or February.

Purim – Celebrates how Queen Esther of Persia defeated Haman and saved her people, the Jews. Occurs in Spring. Festive holiday traditionally celebrated by dressing in costumes, eating sweets, and giving tzedakah (it’s also technically commanded you get drunk so woohoo!) Whenever Haman’s name is mentioned you make a lot of noise, booing and using noisemakers called groggers. Greetings: happy Purim, chag Purim, or chag sameach.

Passover/Pesach – Celebrates the Jews being freed from slavery in Egypt. Occurs in Spring and lasts eight days. The first two nights (some only celebrate the first night) are celebrated with seder, a ritual meal with certain foods, practices, prayers, and readings from a book called the Haggadah and often attended by family and friends. Most famous prayer/song of the holiday is the four questions, which ask why that night is different from all other nights and is traditionally sung by the youngest child at the seder. The entire holiday is spent not eating certain foods, mostly grain or flour (the food restrictions are complicated and differ based on denomination so look it up or ask a Jew.) We eat a lot of matzah during Pesach, which is like a cracker kinda. I personally hate it but some people actually like it. Greetings: happy Passover, chag pesach, or chag sameach.

Tisha B’Av – Anniversary of the destruction of the Temple. Occurs in Summer. Very sad, solemn day. Some celebrate by fasting from sunrise to sunset. Not the most widely celebrated holiday. Some also commemorate the Holocaust (also called the Shoah) on this day as it was the destruction of a figurative temple.

Denominations

There are a bunch of denominations in Judaism, we’ll go into it briefly.

Religious denominations:

Reform/Reformed: This is the least religiously observant level. Often Reform Jews don’t keep kosher or observe Shabbat, their services on Shabbat will use instruments. Reform Jews probably attend services for the high holidays at the very least and probably had a Bat/Bar Mitzvah. Might say they consider themselves more culturally Jewish. Their Temple/Synagogue will be the most “liberal”—aka have more female/diverse Rabbis and a more diverse congregation. I’m Reform and my Temple’s lead Rabbi is a woman and we used to have a Rabbi who’s a queer single mother.

Conservative: More religiously observant and more generally traditional. Might keep kosher or observe Shabbat, but not necessarily. Services likely won’t use instruments (not supposed to play instruments on Shabbat). Most likely had a Bat/Bar Mitzvah, but girls might not read from the Torah, though this depends on the congregation. They do allow female Rabbis, but in my experience it’s less common.

Modern Orthodox: Very religiously observant but also embrace modern society. Will keep kosher and observe Shabbat. Men will wear kippot (singular=kippah) and tzitzit under their shirts. Women will cover their hair (if they’re married), most likely with a wig, and wear modest clothing (only wear skirts that are at least past their knees and long sleeves). Emphasis on continued study of Torah/Talmud. Parents will likely have jobs. Might have larger families (aka more children) but might not. Services will be segregated by gender, girls won’t read from the Torah publicly, and female Rabbis are very rare. Children will most likely attend a religious school. Will attend shul services every Shabbat and for holidays.

note: there are some people who fall somewhere between modern Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox, or between any two denominations really. as you can imagine people don’t all practice the exact same way.

Ultra-Orthodox: Very religiously observant and not necessarily modern. Will keep kosher and observe Shabbat. Men will wear kippot or other head coverings and tzitzit under their shirts, and are also often seen wearing suits. Women will cover their hair (if they’re married) with a wig or scarf and wear modest clothing (only wear skirts that are at least past their knees and long sleeves). Emphasis on continued study of Torah/Talmud. Men might have jobs but might instead focus on Jewish studies, while women most often focus on housework and child-rearing. Don’t believe in contraception (but this is kinda nuanced and depends). Will often have very large families because having children is a commandment and helps continue the Jewish people. Might be shomer negiah which means not touching members of the opposite sex aside from their spouse and some close family members. Services will be segregated by gender, girls won’t read from the Torah publicly, and there won’t be female Rabbis. Children will attend a religious school. Will attend shul services every Shabbat and for holidays.

Ethnic denominations (the different denominations do have some differences in practices and such but tbh I don’t know much about that so this is just the basics):

Ashkenazi: Jews that originate from Central/Eastern Europe. Yiddish, a combination of Hebrew and German, originated from and was spoken by Ashkenazim and while it’s a dying language it’s spoken among many Orthodox Jews and many Jews of all levels know/speak some Yiddish words and phrases. Majority of Jews worldwide are Ashkenazi.

Sephardi/Sephardic: Jews that originate from the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa, and southeastern Europe. Ladino, a combination of Old Spanish and Hebrew, originated from and was spoken by Sephardim. It is also a dying language but is still spoken by some Sephardim. After Ashkenazi most of the world’s Jews are Sephardic.

Mizrahi: Jews that originate from the Middle East and North Africa.

Ethiopian Jews: Community of Jews that lived in Ethiopia for over 1,000 years, though most have immigrated to Israel by now.

Stereotypes/Tropes/Controversies/Etc.

There are so many Jewish stereotypes and shit and I ask you to please be mindful of them. Stereotypes do exist for a reason, so some people will fit stereotypes. This means your character might fit one or two; don’t make them fit all of them. Please. Stereotypes to keep in mind (and steer away from) include:

All Jews are rich.

All Jews are greedy.

All Jews are cheap/frugal.

All Jews are [insert job here]. We’ll go into this more below.

All Jews hate Christians/Muslims/etc.

All Jews are white. 

First of all Ethiopian and Mizrahi Jews exist, many Sephardi are Hispanic, and today with intermarriage and everything this just isn’t true.

All Jews have the same physical features: large and/or hooked nose, beady eyes, droopy eyelids, red hair (this is an old stereotype I didn’t really know existed), curly hair.

Many Jews do have somewhat large noses and curly hair. I’m not saying you can’t give these features to your characters, but I am saying to be careful and don’t go overboard. And don’t give all of your Jewish characters these features. As a side note, it is common at least among American Jews that girls get nose jobs. Not all, but some.

Jews are secretly world elite/control the world/are lizard people/new world order/ any of this stuff. 

STAY AWAY FROM. DO NOT DO THIS OR ANYTHING LIKE THIS. If you have a character that’s part lizard, do not make them Jewish. If you have a character that’s part of a secret group that controls the entire world, do not make them Jewish.

Jews have horns. If you have characters with horns please don’t make them Jewish.

Jews killed Jesus.

The blood libel. Ew. No.

The blood libel is an antisemitic accusation/idea/concept that back in the day Jews would murder Christian children to use their blood in religious rituals and sometimes even for consumption (did I mention gross?) Not only did this just not happen, but it’s actually against Jewish law to murder, sacrifice, or consume blood. Yes these accusations really happened and it became a main reason for persecution of Jews. And some people still believe this shit.

Jews caused The Plague.

The reason this conspiracy exists is because many Jews didn’t get The Plague and the goyim thought that meant it was because the Jews caused it/cursed them. The real reason Jews didn’t get it is because ritual hand-washing and good hygiene kept them from getting it. Sorry that we bathe.

Jewish mother stereotype.

Ok, listen. I know stereotypes are mostly a bad thing but I have to admit the Jewish mother stereotype is not far off. Jewish moms do tend to be chatty and a little nagging, are often very involved in their children’s lives, and they are often trying to feed everyone (although they don’t all cook, my mom hates cooking.) They also tend to be big worriers, mostly worrying about their family/loved ones. They also tend to know everyone somehow. A twenty minute trip to the grocery store can turn into an hour or two long trip because she’ll chat with all the people she runs into.

Jewish-American Princess (JAP) ((I know calling Japanese people Japs is offensive. Jews will call girls JAPs, but with a completely different meaning. If that’s still offensive I am sorry, but just know it happens.))

This is the stereotype that portrays Jewish girls/women as spoiled brats basically. They will be pampered and materialistic. Do these girls exist? Definitely. I still recommend steering away from this stereotype.

Names

Listen. Listen. There are some names that Jews just won’t have. I won’t speak in definites because there are always exceptions but you’ll rarely find a Jew named Trinity or Grace or Faith or any form of Chris/Christopher/Christina etc. Biblical names from the Old Testament? Absolutely Jews will have those names they’re actually very common.

I’m in a Jewish Sorority. My pledge class of ~70 girls had five Rebeccas and four Sarahs. Surprisingly only one Rachel though.

When it comes to last names I have two thoughts that might seem contradictory but hear me out: a) give your Jewish OC’s Jewish surnames, b) don’t give your Jewish OC’s the most Jewish surname to ever exist.

By this I mean I would much rather see a character named Sarah Cohen or Aaron Levine than Rachel Smith. Just that little bit of recognition makes a happy exclamation point appear over my head, plus it can be a good way to hint to readers that your OC is Jewish.

On the other hand, please don’t use the most stereotypical Jewish names you’ve ever heard. If you have five Jewish OCs and one of them is Isaac Goldstein then fine. If Isaac Goldstein is your only Jewish OC I might get a little peeved. There are tons of common Jewish surnames that are recognizable and easy to look up, so don’t revert to the first three that come to mind. Maybe it’s just me, but I find it yucky, for lack of a better word.

Jobs

We all know there are certain jobs that are stereotypical for Jews to have. We’re talking lawyer, dentist, doctor, banker type stuff. To an extent these stereotypes exist for a reason, many Jews go into those careers. Do not make these the only careers your Jewish OCs have. Stereotypes might have reasoning behind them but it doesn’t mean they aren’t harmful. If you have multiple Jewish OCs some of them can have these careers, but not all of them. I do know a lot of Jewish lawyers, dentists, and doctors. I also know accountants, people involved in businesses (“mom, what does Brad do?” “he’s a businessman” sometimes there just aren’t more specific words), people involved in real estate. I don’t actually know any bankers personally, and with money and stuff being one of the most common and harmful Jewish stereotypes I would suggest steering away from that.

These are common fields for Jews, but Jews can have literally any job. Please feel free to get creative. And if you have more than one Jewish OC you can think about making one of them a Rabbi, but DON’T do this if they’re the only Jewish OC. Please.

Yiddish

So I mentioned Yiddish earlier. Like I already said, it’s not a very widely used language anymore but there are some words and phrases that are still used by a lot of Jews (in America at least.) Here’s a list that is absolutely not comprehensive:

Oy vey = oh no

Shvitzing = sweating (but not just a little bit. Shvitzing is like SWEATING)

Kvetch/kvetching = whine/whining or complain/complaining

Mazel tov = congratulations; this is the same in Yiddish and Hebrew

Chutzpah = nerve or gall (e.g. “He’s got a lot of chutzpah for breaking up over text like that”)

Kismet = fate; I just learned this is Yiddish

Bubbe and Zayde = grandma and grandpa

Schelp/schlepping = drag/dragging, can also mean carry or move (e.g. “I had to schlep the bag all around town” doesn’t mean they literally dragged it)

Schmutz = dirt or something dirty (e.g. “you have schmutz on your face”)

Schmatta = literally means rag but can be used to refer to ratty blankets or clothes

Plotz = collapse (usually used in the sense of “I’m so tired I might plotz” or “she’s gonna be so excited she’s gonna plotz”)

Schmuck/shmendrick = both mean more or less the same, a jerk or obnoxious person

Shtick = gimmick, routine, or act (can be used like (“I don’t like that comedian’s shtick” or “he always makes himself the center of attention it’s his shtick”)

Spiel = long speech, story, or rant

There’s so many more so look them up and think about using them, but don’t overdo it. A Jewish person isn’t gonna use a Yiddish word in every sentence (or even every day or every few days.)

Israel

In my community at least it’s very common that by the time your college-aged that you’ll have been to Israel at least once.

Israel is a controversial topic within the Jewish community and in the world. It’s sensitive and complex. I really, really suggest not getting into it. Just don’t bring it up because no matter what you say someone will be unhappy. Just don’t do it.

Ashkenazi Disorders

Ashkenazi Jews have some sucky genes (I’m Ashkenazi so I can say this, you cannot.) These sucky genes cause certain disorders to be more prevalent for us. Children only get the disorder if both parents are carriers of the disorder, so Jews usually get genetic testing done before having children. If both parents are carriers the risk of the child getting the disorder is high, so parents might reconsider or have some indecisiveness/fear. Some of these are:

Tay-Sachs

Cystic Fibrosis

Canavan Disease

Familial Dysautonomia

Gaucher Disease

Spinal Muscular Atrophy  

Fanconi Anemia

Mucolipidosis IV

Niemann-Pick Disease

Torsion Dystonia

Bloom Syndrome

Ashkenazi Jews also have a high prevalence of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer in women and increase the risk of breast and prostate cancer in men.

Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and Lactose Intolerance are also very prevalent

In a dorm of like 40 Jews, six of them had Crohn’s.

Ways to Show Your OC is Jewish

Wears Jewish jewelry, e.g. Star of David (also called Jewish Star and Magen David), Chai symbol (means life), jewelry with Sh’ma prayer, or hamsa (but beware this symbol is used outside of Judaism).

Mentions their temple, their Rabbi, having a Bat/Bar Mitzvah, going to Hebrew School, Shabbat, or a holiday coming up.

Have someone ask them a question about Judaism.

Have someone notice they have a mezuzah on their door. 

Most Jews will have a mezuzah on the doorframe of the front door of their house/apartment, but they could even have one for their dorm room or whatever. It’s traditional to kiss your hand then touch the mezuzah when walking through the door, but most Jews don’t do this every time, at least not most Reform or Conservative Jews.

Have them call out antisemitism if you’re feeling spicy

The end! I hope this helped and if you have any questions my ask box is always open!

[wenevergotusedtoegypt]

Fun fact but apparently when it’s the middle of a sustained heat wave, our oven will just not heat up due to “not enough electricity” even if we turn off all the lights and ACs and basically everything except the fridge 🙃

I thought it was a problem with the oven, but our landlords are having the exact same issue.

So we got to prepare Shabbos entirely using the stovetop and (pareve) instant pot this week. BH we already had chicken cooked, but it was frozen and we had to use the blech to heat it up. We had challah rolls in the freezer but my son brought home raw challah dough from camp and really wanted to bake it, so I made it in the instant pot. It looks bizarre on the outside but technically has more or less the correct texture inside. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Anyway can we just not with this heat now?

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

Butterfly's Yummy Vegetarian Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 large white onion or 2 medium yellow onions, chopped

8 oz mushrooms, sliced (white or baby bella or any others you may like)

1 cup celery, chopped (optional)

a half head of garlic, sliced (if you like, you can use already roasted garlic to save time and add flavor. you don't need to cut the roasted cloves up much if at all since they're so soft and squishy)

8 cups dry bread, cubed or torn (minimum - this is about a pound or a little less. I prefer challah, but other bread is fine)

1 cup warm broth (I use kosher chicken flavored pareve broth - pareve means it has no meat or dairy)

olive oil (as needed)

seasonings (can add more to taste):

1 tsp sage

2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt (depending on how salty the broth is, use more or less)

anything else you like to add (I sometimes use rosemary, "Italian seasoning", parsley, ground garlic, paprika, etc)

1 large baking dish (aluminum pan is fine)

Directions: Sauté the vegetables in olive oil until they're soft. (If you have roasted garlic, no need there.) Sauté any seasonings that need sautéing (rosemary does, fresh parsley does, oregano is better for it). Put your cubed or torn bread in the baking dish, pour the broth over it, mix it all up till the bread is all soft and glutinous. You may need more broth, depending on how much bread you have and its texture and dryness. Mix in the sautéed vegetables and seasonings (and also your flavored olive oil from the sautéing as long as it's not burned), taste, add more seasonings if you like. Should be really nice and flavorful. When it's all mixed up, bake uncovered in oven at 350 for about 40 minutes or until it's just still moist, but not dry. (On the inside-- if baked uncovered the outside will be a bit crusty.) A good trick if you need to take it somewhere else for dinner and/or make in advance is to bake it covered, and then do 15-20 minutes uncovered before serving.

The recipe is easily doubled or tripled. I usually make this with 2 or 3 pounds of bread because I'm feeding about 20 people. (Not this year, alas.) It's an excellent way of getting rid of old bread -- a few days beforehand I go round to relatives and ask if they have any half-challahs in their freezer (most people do lol). This is vegetarian by default, vegan if you use an eggless nondairy bread. Challah usually has eggs, "water challah" does not, but really any bread is good as long as it's nice and thick. (I haven't tried gluten-free bread, mind you, but I'm sure it'd work fine.) Last time I made it, I used 3 different bakery challahs (one of which was very eggy, the others less so) as well as sprouted grain rolls. (Once I even splurged and bought a La Brea roasted garlic loaf, mmm that stuffing was heavenly.) I think a mix of different breads adds flavor personally, I like to include some whole wheat bread if I can.

Also the seasonings are very much to taste, I usually never measure anything particularly much. Add more garlic if you want, more onions, more mushrooms, it doesn't need to be precise. (Also celery is optional because it takes forever to get soft and my vegetarian sibling who really loves my stuffing does not care for celery.) If it seems too salty, mix in a cup or so of warm water, though you'll need to bake it a bit longer. Just as long as the bread is fully soaked in the broth and everything is well mixed before you put it in the oven, it comes out wonderfully savory and delicious. A Thanksgiving staple, everyone will want a second helping. 🦃 😊