#if any jewish people would like to correct me on anything here please feel welcome to

[halfusek]

to my (goyim) understanding people saw some antizionist jews demonstrating on pro-palestinian protests and without looking further into the meaning of the word nor the context of it being used in this situation decided that "zionism = colonialism". it doesn't.

literally all it means to be a zionist is, as said above, to believe/support in establishing/existence of a jewish nation - which is what israel is now

and antizionism is disagreeing with that but there is nuance to this that nonjewish people aren't aware of or refuse to acknowledge

(i myself took some time to reeeaaaally think it through and educate myself to make sense of it and i thought i could share my findings but i also welcome people, especially antizionists, to read up more on their own on what zionism is - and please do from different sources to avoid bias/radicalization - if you know any jewish people do ask them if those sources seem legit)

because to jewish people being or not being a zionist is a matter of their belief and the way they interpret the rules they should live by based on their religion

anti defamation language organization states:

"Zionism is the movement for the self-determination and statehood for the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland, the land of Israel. The vast majority of Jews around the world feel a connection or kinship with Israel, whether or not they explicitly identify as Zionists, and regardless of their opinions on the policies of the Israeli government."

and

"Today, with a Jewish sovereign state a reality, Zionists believe in and support the right of the democratic State of Israel to exist as a Jewish homeland. Israel is the only Jewish state in the world. Being a Zionist is distinct from supporting the policies of the government of Israel."

AND

"Zionism does not preclude support for Palestinian self-determination and statehood. For some Zionists, support for a two-state solution is the realization of self-determination for Jews and Palestinians alike."

and just so my words aren't empty and don't seem biased, here have an example of an antizionist jew speaking on what zionism is:

though a little disclaimer - that is this jewish person's opinion, educated but still an opinion, on how they choose to interpret their own religion, and i've been told that plenty of orthodox jews do not share that opinion, so please keep in mind this is not "FACTS!!!!111!1"

so. if it's a decision that to jewish people has basis in their take on their own religion...

...then what the fuck do we as nonjews have in judging it?

because, please, again being antizionist is not being critical of israel, it's being against jews having rights to have a country of their own

outside of religious aspect what is left there is just... denying some ethnicity of people having a right to live in a country on a land that they historically have been living in for thousands of years. and yes, palestinians have been living there as well, but, again, zionism doesn't inherently deny palestinians a right to have their own country. there's nuance and we can't just equate zionism with nationalism or colonialism or whatever you want to demonize jewish people to be

like people love to equate the israel/palestine situation to ukraine/russia (even though those situations do not equate at all) but if people love it so much then maybe explaining this in the context of it will help here

ukraine as an independent country didn't exist before the 20th century

before this it has been a land ruled by different countries: poland-lithuanian union, austria, russia, ussr - to just name the most recent few (most recent aka going a couple of centuries back)

(this is why referring to ukraine as "the ukraine" is so offensive, because it implies seeing it as not a country but a land that should belong to another country)

ukraine historically had a rich mix of people but generally they felt strong attachement to the land they lived on, even though it wasn't a country (at least not "on paper" nor recognized by other countries as such)

that changed after the world wars and the fall of ussr and its colonialist regime over eastern europe. however, russia still to this day wants to call dibs on ukraine's land, hence the current war situation happening there

and guess what? ukrainian people's self determination to living in their own country? yeah, russian anti-ukrainian propagantists say that being ukrainian is inherently being nationalist, a neonazi

sounds familiar?

what i've been seeing coming out of mouths of even "most progressive of (nonjewish) leftists" lately has been... really concerning

there is a massive lack of education on this subject among us goyims, so before you want to scream off the top of your lungs at random jewish people who happen to be zionists that they support genocide, then maybe fucking. reconsider

actually, no. antizionism is antisemitism. zionism, by definition, is believing in the jewish people's right to live in their home land.

you do not have to be an antizionist to be against israel's government, just like any citizen of any country can be against something their government is doing and not hate the country they live in. shocker, isnt it?

you do have to be an antisemite to claim that we have no ties to the land or our historic holy sites (as the UN does. look it up. unfortunately bbc was the only non-jewish news site i could find that even spoke about the erasure of our history).

tell me, in what way is antizionism not antisemitism? because i havent seen anything that separates the two - in fact, the more i see that thrown around, the more i see the inherent antisemitism.

i hope that all of you well meaning individuals (cough, goyim) will reblog this and truly reflect on what you are marching for. ask questions. study our history. maybe learn about how israel is the only democratic state in the region (ever since tunisia's downgrade to a hybrid regime), and ask yourself and others why. ask, in what way is your antizionism not antisemetic?

what are you marching for?

[thecrazyalchemist]

I've recently seen a post on Tumblr that just, 'broke' something in me (for a lack of a better term).

So I just want to vent about it and another thing that's been bothering me.

(Disclaimer: this is a vent post. I am not an expert in the topics discussed. What I say is knowledge that I have learned from all kinds of places (school, history classes, researching for history projects, reading first hand written material from archives, and other places) and I don't have much the energy to compile everything source into a list (if I can even remember them). However, if you want to add, argue against, or argue in favor of something said here, correct me, you're welcome! Although, please act civil and cite your sources please. (I know I didn't and I'm sorry, but also please remember this is a vent post.) so anyways, here we start)

So, first of all:

Let's talk about Zionism. What does it mean?

To me, it seems that a lot of people think Zionism is something along the lines of 'racist bloodthirsty monstrous baby murderer and cold blooded killer and a rapist pedophile' since I keep seeing the word 'Zionist' in DNI lists next to 'nazis', 'pedophiles', 'minor attracted people', and other stuff like that.

I would love to hear what you think its definition is and I would love to hear where did you learn it, or perhaps any sources for such a definition.

Here's a brief recap of how Zionism was formed and what it is:

Zionism means the desire for Jewish self determination and self governing to exist/continue in the land/country of Israel.

It is an umbrella term, like the term queer, for example.

Zionism has deep roots in Judaism. A lot of practices and rituals in Judaism involve or are related to Israel. The name Israel comes from the name Jacob got from the angel he defeated, and after him the whole tribe of the Jewish people and the area are called Israel. The name Israel is in one of the most basic Jewish prayers - Shema Israel. Also, at the end of every pesach (Passover) Seder we say "Leshana habaa beyerushalaim habnuia" - next year in built Jerusalem. Jewish people have said so ever since the diaspora started.

Before the state of Israel existed, Zionism was about how to create and build Israel.

Three examples:

Political Zionism - create Israel by first getting a charter and international recognition and funding.

Practical Zionism - create Israel by first buying land, building settlements and developing the area.

Synthetic Zionism - a merge between the two movements above. Afaik most of the early political leaders of Israel were from that movement (for example, the first Israeli prime minister - David Ben Gurion).

Nowadays, Zionism is more vague. The reason for is that Israel already exits. The different movements on how to create Israel are kind of irrelevant now, because it exists now. The discussion on how to run Israel is perhaps what one may define as different movements within Zionism in modern time, however yet almost always when one says they are a Zionist, they mean they desire/want/believe that Israel should exist. That's it.

As such, Zionism alone doesn't say almost anything about the political view of the person who identifies as a Zionist.

Afaik basically 100% of Israeli Jews and around 80% of the Jews in America identify as Zionist. Under *this* definition.

Now because Israel exists, it's much harder to talk about different movements within Zionism which aren't basically political movements within Israel.

That leads me onto Kahanism.

Kahanism is an extremist far-right nationalist-racist religious Zionist movement (that I completely do not, I repeat: **do not** agree with). It was founded by the rabbi Meir Kahane, which believed that Jews should rule the whole area which was the kingdom of Israel in the days of the Tanach and should kill anyone who's an enemy of the Jewish people (which according to him, is basically everyone).

Here's an article that sums up some of my feelings about it in relation to the current events:

[https://archive.ph/2024.06.10-191347/https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2024-06-10/ty-article-opinion/.premium/forget-being-anti-zionists-lets-be-anti-kahanists/00000190-0228-d660-af95-6fbed3e60000]

Now on to the post that 'broke the camel's back', per say.

The post said “I think that all Israelis should go back to Europe” and that it would solve all the problems here.

Let's try to break down the sentence “all Israelis should go back to Europe”. That sentence implies that that's where *all* Israelis came from.

What's "Israeli"? Afaik, since Israel is a country, Israeli is anyone who has Israeli citizenship (and some may even add 'and/or everyone who was born here').

What's Israel's population demographic? According to official government surveys, Israel has around ~9.9 million citizens, out of which ~73% (~7.227 million) are Jewish, ~21% (2.079 million) are Arab and the rest ~6% (0.594 million or 594 thousand) are classified as else.

The Arab population of Israel (which has equal rights as the Jewish population in Israel) and the Arab population of Gaza and the West Bank originate from the same group of people. Some of them originate from Arab people who had been here for hundreds of years (since the empires age) and many originate from Arab immigration between the end of the WW1 and the establishment of Israel.

Even if you claim that the Arab population of Gaza and the West Bank are the actual indigenous population of this area (despite numerous archeological and historical evidence pointing otherwise, although they do have a long history here), you cannot claim that just because a person was born or even just lived on the other (wrong, in your eyes) side of a border they aren't indigenous to the area!

In Israel, there are also a lot of minorities who are persecuted in other parts of the middle east. Such as: Druze, Armenians, Circassians and more. They have to go to Europe too? No, just the Jews? Surely this isn't antisemitism!

And let's talk about the Jewish population in Israel. MOST JEWS DID NOT COME FROM EUROPE! There are Jews who came from diaspora in Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Saudia, Ethiopia and a whole lot other countries through the middle east, south west Asia and north Africa. They have to go to Europe too?

And that's beside two other important facts: first of all, the Jews are indigenous to the levant. We are indigenous to the land of Israel.

And of course, do you now what happened to Jews all over the world, and especially Europe?

To name a few very notable examples: *The Spanish inquisition*, Kishinev pogrom, Jedwabne pogrom, *The Holocaust*, what that happened in the Soviet Union and many more pogroms, expulsions and massacares. (There were of course also pogroms in the MENA countries, however *I* haven't learned about them. Two examples I am told is notable is the farhood pogrom and the Holocaust in North Africa).

All throughout history, the Jews were expelled and massacred from almost every place. You then expectus to just come back to those places as if nothing has happened?

You want us to come so badly. Can you prove that we are safe to come? That we *have a place to come to*? Because so far you haven't shown that.

That when you and the people around you see a Jew, you won't immediately turn them into the scapegoat of every problom you have and then rape and/or expell and/or kill them.

And also, how would that solve more problems than it will create? Exchanging around ~2 million refugees for ~9.9 million refugees? How would that help? And even if you only mean the Jews (which I can't see how it isn't antisemitic) it's ok cause it's Jews? (which is even more antisemitic)

So no, it would not solve any problems. The country of Israel won't go anywhere, the Jews won't go anywhere, because we don't have anywhere to go - we were born here and we are staying.

However, yes, just as well, the Palestinians will probably not go anywhere (*not talking about Hamas and other similar groups here*). The only way to solve the situation is to unpack and deescalate those decades of conflict and escalation and hate, which will take a lot of work.

[stolen-stardust]

I was confused by your take on your recent post about the keffiyah tweet. (You don't need to "explain yourself" or anything so feel free to delete this if I'm just being dumb) To me they read like this: "I felt like my religious clothing might have made some jewish people uncomfortable. i made an effort to cut the tension and it worked." /"fuck zionists for waging this war and creating discomfort between people who actually have no problem with each other"

I can understand that posting about it could be seen as tacky, but I was wondering what reason you (and others agreeing with the post) had for seeing it as adjacent to a hateful sentiment.

Hi! I appreciate this ask. To put it simply - the tweet in question read, to me, like a person being uncomfortable just in the presence of a minority group (jewish people, in this instance) and acting like they were “good” for not being rude to them simply due to their discomfort? I’m unsure how best to explain it.

Other people related it to “a white woman who clutches her purse around Black people brags about the time she doesn’t, showing how anti-racist she is”. The OP in question had no right to assume this random Jewish family was going to attack or harass her. If her reading of the situation was accurate, both of the groups involved were just… Trying to mind their business. Her describing tension as being high certainly indicates to me that *she* was the one feeling stressed, to which I worry why being around visibly Jewish people would make her stress. That’s just… suspicious to me. OP isn’t even Palestinien or Muslim, to my knowledge, she’s just an ally.

Additionally, it seems like she assumes that nice Jews aren’t Zionists? Or assumes that because this mother smiled at her, she can’t be like Those People, hence the “Zionism is not Judaism” comment at the end. Again, that is a strange sweeping statement to make of an entire ethnoreligion/its people. As if there aren’t Israeli Jews actively fighting for Palestinien liberation right now, alongside Jewish Diaspora. I’ve seen posts on twitter claiming that “Jews need to wear watermelon pins/pro-palestinien symbols if they appear visibly Jewish so that we know they aren’t a Zionist”. Which is. Um. Certainly not a normal take to have when discussing Jews.

All this to say… People have gotten way too comfortable assuming all Jewish people are Zionists - especially violent Zionists - by default, or until proven otherwise. And apparently because of this assumption, they are to be feared and hated.

I hope this response made some sense. I’m never good at explaining things. As someone who’s made more of an effort in the past several months to follow anti/non-Zionist Jewish folk (including those living in Israel), I’ve seen how much variety there is in opinions, learned what sentiments OP express can lead to down the line. If you’d have shown me that tweet in December of last year I probably would’ve been entirely on OP’s side, but now, I fear it reads more as an all-too-comfortable profiling of a minority group, which can lead to some intense dehumanization as I’ve witnessed a lot of on twitter in the name of Palestinien allyship.

(Obligatory “I’m not Jewish” statement here. if any Jewish folk want to add their own two cents on it, or correct my thoughts on things, please feel free. Anyone who uses this post to attack/dehumanize/generalize Palestiniens is being blocked. You are not welcome here.)

[evermoreholland]

Questions (Peter Parker x Jewish!Reader)

Title: Questions

Pairing: Peter Parker x Jewish!Reader

Summary: Peter has lived in a Jewish neighborhood the majority of his life, but he has never once tried to learn more about the people living there. That was until he met you.

Requested: No.

Word Count: 1.9k!

Author’s Note: This story is more of a platonic pairing. The reader teaches Peter about her religion because he’s curious. He watches the reader do certain things that she wouldn’t question, but he did because it was different for him.

I am Jewish but some of my facts could still possibly be incorrect. Feel free to correct me and leave feedback.

--

It was your first day at Midtown High and you were nervous. All of your life you have lived in a small town, but you’re family decided to move to a larger community. Your father was appointed to be the new Rabbi at the Modern-Orthodox synagogue in Queens. Although you were happy for him, it was hard to move to a big city. 

It seemed weird to your father at first that you were even going to Midtown. There were many Jewish schools in New York that you could go to. You had a love for science and your mother didn’t mind sending you. You planned study lessons with your father after school so you could still learn Judaic studies.

Your family was Modern-Orthodox. You kept Kosher and Shabbat, which are laws directly from the Torah. However, you didn’t keep all of the typical Orthodox customs. Your mother didn’t wear a sheitel (wig for hair covering), but instead, she would wear scarves or baseball caps. Sometimes she didn’t cover her hair at all. You did participate in all of the Jewish holidays, not just Hanukkah and Passover.

You got ready for school like you normally would. You woke up, you got dressed in your skirt and long sleeve top, and then you prayed. After that, you went to the kitchen to make breakfast for yourself and then prepared your lunch. You saw that your sister, Gilah, hadn’t packed her lunch yet. 

“Gilah, do you need me to help you pack your lunch?” you asked your younger sister. 

“Yes, please. Ima (Hebrew for mom) told me to ask you before we went to school,” she replied. Your sister was 8 and she didn’t know how to pack herself a well-balanced lunch, so you would usually have to help her out. 

You had 3 older brothers and one younger sister. Your brothers were in yeshiva (post high school program for Torah study) and they were out of the house so you took on the job of helping out your younger sister.

You packed lunches for the two of you, grabbed breakfast, and then made your way out the door to walk Gilah and yourself to school.

“Y/N, don’t forget that we need to call Bubbe after school to tell her about our day!” your sister said on your walk. Every day after school you would visit your grandmother and talk to her about your day. Since you moved, you would have to call her instead.

“I could never forget, Gilah,” you said. You dropped Gilah off at school and then made your way to Midtown. When you approached the building your first thought was: This school is huge. Typically, Jewish day schools are much smaller in size. 

You made your way in and honestly, you were a bit overwhelmed by the size of the school. You got your schedule and made your way to your locker. You looked to your right and saw that your locker neighbors with a brown-haired boy. A very cute boy. At least that’s what you saw from his side profile.

“Hi, excuse me?” you asked. Then the boy turned around and you definitely confirmed to yourself that he was cute. 

“Y-yeah?” he stuttered.

“I’m Y/N L/N. Ummm, I’m a junior and I’m new here. I was wondering if you could show me where the lab is?” you asked him. You were here a few minutes early. Doesn’t hurt to ask.

“Sure. I’m actually going there too. I’m Peter by the way. Peter Parker,” he said with a smile. You both then made your way to the lab for your first period class.

“So what made you move here?” Peter asked.

“My dad got a new job,” you said simply.

“What does your dad do?” Peter asked.

“He’s a Rabbi,” you said.

“So you’re Jewish? That’s so cool! Do you happen to live in Forest Hills?” Peter asked. Peter lived in Forest Hills which was mostly a Jewish neighborhood.

“I do actually,” you said.

“I live there too, but I’m not Jewish. I love my neighbors though. I even went to my neighbors Hanukkah party this year!” Peter rambled. “Sorry for rambling.”

“Don’t apologize,” you said and finally you were in the lab.

You were enjoyed Midtown. You liked the classes you were in and the students were really nice. 

It was lunch and you made your way to the cafeteria. You spot Peter at a table with his friends. He locked eyes with you and waved.

“Can I sit with you?” you asked as you approached his table. 

“Sure,” he said as patted the seat next to him. 

You pulled out your lunch bag and then pulled out your salad. Before taking a bite, you said a quick prayer and then ate. Peter noticed you mumbling to yourself.

“Did you say something Y/N?” Peter asked curiously.

“I was just saying a quick prayer. No biggie,” you said as you kept eating. Peter was curious as to why you packed your own lunch. School lunch at Midtown came for free with tuition. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you pack your own lunch?” Peter said.

“Oh, I don’t mind the question. I keep Kosher,” you said. Peter settled for that answer. He didn’t know anything about keeping Kosher, but he didn’t want to pry. He would just look it up later. 

“What is Kosher exactly?” Peter’s friend said.

“Ned! Can we not bother her about every little detail please?” Peter asked Ned.

“It’s okay to ask questions, Peter. In Judaism, people encourage us to ask. We are all about asking questions and learning more,” you said and then Peter urged you to go on.

“The word ‘kosher’ is Hebrew for ‘fit’ or ‘appropriate’, and kosher foods are those foods that are deemed fit by the regulations of kashrut, the Jewish dietary law,” you said.

“Is it really important?” Peter asked. He didn’t want to come off as rude, he genuinely wanted to know. 

“It’s actually one of the most important aspects of our religion. It’s a way to uphold the fundamentals of our beliefs,” you said. “There are specific foods that are deemed appropriate by kashrut such as land animals that have cloven hooves and chew their cud. We’re allowed to eat most birds. And also no shellfish,” you continued.

“So you can’t eat bacon?” Peter asked.

“Correct, pigs don’t chew their cud. Also, they’re super cute,” you said with a giggle. “There are many more laws involving Kosher, such as symbols on snacks and stuff, but I don’t want to bore you.”

“That’s really interesting. Some of my Jewish neighbors don’t do that though,” Peter said.

“That’s because everyone’s on their own level. Not all Jews are the same. Some can be completely secular and only celebrate traditional holidays like Hanukkah, others keep the Sabbath and Kosher and follow all of the laws and customs, and some are in between,” you said.

“What are some of the key fundamentals of Judaism?” Peter said. He wanted to know more. 

“Lunch break isn’t long enough for that, Peter. You could come over one day and we can have a discussion about it, if you want. Don’t feel pressured though. It’s a lot of information,” you said.

“You free today?” Peter asked. That questioned made you smile. This was all new to you too. All of your life you had Jewish friends so some of this stuff was hard to explain. 

“Yeah. I just need to text my parents to see if they’ll be home,” you said as you began to text your parents. They texted you back and they didn’t really want you bringing a boy home, but you convinced them.

“They gave the okay. I just have to pick up my sister from school, call my grandmother, and then you can come over,” you said.

Peter, Ned, and you exchanged numbers. Ned decided on not coming this time around, which was fine.

Peter was nervous about coming to your house. What if he said something offensive by accident? He also didn’t want to come to your house empty-handed but he didn’t know which Kosher symbols your family held. He decided on shooting you a quick text before going to the store.

Peter: Hey. I don’t want to come to your house empty-handed. What Kosher symbols do you follow? 

You read the text and smiled. He’s so sweet.

Y/N: That��s so sweet of you Peter. We usually get snacks with CRC, OU, and the k with the star around it :)

Peter: Ok thanks. I’ll be there soon.

You were excited that Peter was interested in your religion, but did he actually want to be your friend? Well, maybe he did. You didn’t really know.

He came to your house, treats in hand, and gave a light knock on your front door. He was met with what he assumes to be your mother.

“Hello. You must be Peter, come in,” she said with a welcoming smile.

“I brought you some coffee cake,” Peter said as he handed your mother the treat.

“I love this brand. Thank you, Peter. Y/N, come to the living room. Your friend is here!” your mom said.

“Hey Peter,” you said as you made your way to the living room.

“Hey,” he said.

“My dad should be home soon. He just had to go to prayer services at the synagogue,” you said.

Your father came home about five minutes later and he was eager to learn with you.

“Y/N, what books did you pick out for today’s session?” He asked as he made his way to sit by the two of you.

“Abba, I didn’t pick out any books today,” you said.

“Why not?” He asked.

“Well Mr. L/N... wait, or is it Rabbi L/N?” Peter asked.

“It’s usually Rabbi but whatever you’re comfortable with,” your father said.

“Well anyway, I came over because Y/N was teaching me about Judaism during school because I wanted to know more. We didn’t really finish talking about it,” Peter said.

“Why do you want to know more, Peter?” Your father questioned. 

“Ummmm, maybe it’s because I lived all my life in this neighborhood and I never once acknowledged their religion,” Peter said.

“Maybe that’s because you don’t care about the religion someone’s affiliated with, you just care about the person that they are,” you chi med. 

“I guess so,” Peter said simply.

“Why do you want to know more now?” your father asked.

“Because I met your daughter and I knew that I was going to be friends with the minute I saw her. I want to know more because it’s a part of who she is. I may not be religious but I want to know what makes Y/N the way she is,” Peter said. He was proud of his answer. You were proud of his answer. 

Peter and you got along pretty well after that. You didn’t only talk about your religion. You talked about each other. You realized you liked a lot of the things that Peter liked as well. You’ve been hanging out ever since the first day of school. You really fit in with Peter and his friends. Peter would come over twice a week to hang out with you and to do homework. Peter kept asking questions about Judaism. You were happy to answer. He stopped asking as much because Peter knew that your religion wasn’t the only thing that made you who you are. It is a big part of your identity, but not the only part. He then started more questions about you. You were definitely happy to answer those questions.

--

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Masterlist

[deniigi]

hannukah! for the Peters. Or just shenanigans with holidays is peachy

I literally spent hours today trying to find a Hanukkah sweater for my father, so anon. I feel this one deeply. Have some nonsense around gift-giving.

Just a note, Peter = Blondie in this

—

Gwen laughed when Miles showed her the gift he’d picked out for Peter B. He thought at first she was laughing at the lights tangled in the cotton balls attached to the Santa hat on the socks, but between gasping breaths she managed to wheeze out the real reason.

“B’s so Jewish, Miles,” Gwen said.

And just like that, Miles felt like the Red Sea had parted in front of him.

“Gwen,” he said. “I fucked up.”

—

Gwen could stop laughing any day now. Any. Any that she pleased.

“You—you—”

“Girl, I need you to help me,” Miles said.

“All of them, Miles. You got them all Christmas shit.”

He hadn’t known, okay? Like, he knew that his Peter was Jewish because he’d told Miles that he wasn’t going out as Spiderman on Yom Kippur and his headstone had had a Star of David on it, but even with that, Peter was really into Santa. Like, bizarrely into Santa.

Peter wanted to grow up to become Santa, he claimed. It was a life goal of his. He liked to show people his Christmas album and point to his half-assed Santa get-up on it while whispering ‘soon.’

It was hard to tell if he was fucking with people or if he legitimately wanted to be a jolly, white-haired, fat man when he got old. With Peter’s personality, it could go either way, but mainly his interest took the form of something bordering on an obsession.

MJ’s disgust for Santa was probably the thing fueling that, now that Miles thought about it.

The only thing keeping Santa out of Peter and MJ’s home décor year round was MJ’s complete refusal for anything red and white to enter their apartment without prior inspection.

Miles had just figured that this Santa thing, like the whole Friend-to-Small-Creatures thing, was a trait common to all Peter Parkers. And maybe he’d sort of fucked up and assumed that his was the only Jewish one, but any way around, it couldn’t be left to stand now. Corrections had to be made.

“Gwen, help me,” he said as pitifully as he could.

Gwen could not resist the puppy eyes. She tried to. She lasted ten seconds and a pouty lip.

“Fine,” she sighed. “But you’re gonna need to coordinate.”

—

MJ was always very helpful when Miles asked her things. She was nicer than she looked, unless she was with Peter. She bullied Peter in front of his friends but was (allegedly) super nice and patient with him when they were alone.

She was not Jewish. She just hated Santa.

“It’s an honest mistake,” she told Miles very kindly. “And given that our Peter’s…like that, I could totally see how you’d make it.”

“Should I just get them all menorah socks?” he asked.

MJ considered this.

“You could do that,” she said, ���Or you could give them seven useless things and one thoughtful one. That’s what Pete and May do to each other. It’s kind of a competition for who can find the shittiest gift until the last night. Pretty sure last year we were dealing in real-life-sized cardboard cut-outs and twisted paperclips.”

Peter’s weird truly knew no boundaries.

“Okay, well, how about not?” Miles said. “How about only thoughtful gifts?”

MJ lifted an eyebrow.

“Chapstick,” she said.

Peter’s weird was kept in check purely by his wife’s relentless pragmatism.

—

Okay, so. Gifts decided. A menorah hat vetoed.

Gwen was real butt-hurt about the menorah hat thing. But they pressed on.

Gwen thought that it would be kind of cute if all of the Peters had matching Hanukkah socks. She thought that they would probably all like that. They had near-matching suits as a it was, which they all seemed to appreciate.

So socks it was. But then came the trouble of sizing.

“We need a shoe,” Gwen determined. “One from each of them.”

Miles was not stealing people’s shoes. That was weird.

—

So Miles was stealing people’s shoes now. It was weird. Gwen made it as weird as humanly possible by trying to fit one of her own shoes into each one they stole.

This unfortunate side effect aside, the nice thing about having Gwen along for this ride was that one of them could chat with the Spidey they’d targeted while the other stole the shoe.

It worked every time.

Miles was worried about these people. They literally did not notice people making off with their sneakers. That is, until they got to B. Nothing was ever easy when it came to B.

His shoes were guarded by his wife in the bedroom, who had understandable concerns about this particular type of thievery. She refused to give any of B’s sneakers, boots, or slippers to Gwen until Gwen fessed up as to what they were doing. This led to Miles trying to hold a long and awkward conversation with B in the other room while B cracked his DP’s back by walking on it.

“You doin’ anything for the holidays, Miles?” B asked casually over the swearing under him.

Miles couldn’t see DP’s face but he was positive that he was not enjoying this experience.

“Just, uh, not that,” Miles said.

He couldn’t look away.

“Oh, well. If you’re not doin’ anything, you’re always welcome here, kiddo,” B said. “We’re having Chinese food and watching Fast ‘n Furious 2. It’s gonna be fun. Get a couple of drinks in MJ and she’s got commentary that you wouldn’t believe.”

Miles did not doubt it.

“Are you guys doing, uh, Jewish things, too?” Miles asked.

B blinked at him.

“Like what?” he asked urgently.

Miles nearly flinched.

“I dunno,” he blurted out to cover for it. “I just thought that you’d do something. You know, Hanukkah and all that.”

B sighed in relief and Miles realized that he thought he’d missed something.

“I honestly don’t give much of a shit about Hanukkah,” B revealed with a shrug. “I mean, like, on the scale of things? Rosh Hashanah? Eons better. They don’t even compare.”

Miles did not know what that was.

“New Year,” B said. DP whined under the ball of his right foot. He shifted his weight to his left one.

Right. Cool.

Miles stood awkwardly watching DP pound a fist against the floor until Gwen hurried out from her interrogation session and announced that they had to bounce.

They said bye. B didn’t seem to notice.

—

Gwen had categorized all the Peters into Beefcake, Stringbean, and Silly Putty.

She claimed that these were the only categories that Spiderpeople could fit into and, on this scale, there was a correlation between age and category. The young were more likely to be stringbeans. The twenty-somethings tended to be silly putty. And the old folks were beefcakes.

She refused to answer any and all questions about Ham.

Miles sat up in horror upon wondering if human was kosher in Ham’s verse or not. Gwen told him to stop thinking and go back to writing out cards. She’d amassed what seemed like a billion pairs of blue socks. She was very busy making neat little packages for them out of wrapping paper.

After about an hour, they had before them a row of presents with names printed on them so that she and Miles didn’t mix any of them up.

“What now?” Miles asked.

Gwen beamed at him.

“Now,” she said. “We go in reverse. Gotta return all the shoes, remember?”

She’d kept.

The shoes.

Miles laid his head on his arms.

It was going to be a long night.

[mrsalwayswrite]

The Difference Between Champagne and Rum Part 2 (Alfie Solomons x OFC)

As always a huge thank you to @evelynshelby​ for encouraging and supporting my Peaky writing. She is the best!

Warnings: Violence, swearing, racial slurs and some mild sexual content. 

Words: 7k (because I could not stop writing, sorry.)

Please let me know what you guys think and if anyone wants to be added to a tag list. Also, I am not British nor is the early 1900s something I am confident in for writing, so it there is anything blatantly obvious that needs to be corrected, please let me know. 

The Difference Between Champagne and Rum

Part 2 - Bloody Fists and Opening Scenes

 ~1912~

He could feel their stares, their glares, their looks of disapproval. He gave zero fucks. His head held tall, an icy look sent to any who dared make eye contact. This was not his neighborhood. He knew that. He was a literal black sheep here amongst those wealthier than him. Yet he refused to bow to their need to dominate. To submit because he wore a kippah, making him lesser than them, his clothes handmade by his mother instead of purchased at a fancy store. No, he knew something these people did not. He was a wolf amongst these sheep, his bloodied knuckles testament to that…and if anyone tried to stop him, he would spill their blood on the ground without qualms. Fuck them all. 

Truthfully Alfie was in a black mood. He walked down the street, fists clenched by his sides, kippah in his back pocket because he was no longer at prayer (his mother would lament that he never attended) nor was he on ‘business’. The whispers of the two Jewish lads walking behind him reminded him to keep his rage under control just a while longer. The three of them were walking back to Camden Town after conducting some ‘business’ for the boss. They had been sent to deliver a particular message to someone who owed their boss money. Smashed furniture and broken fingers were left behind, for that was expected. What put Alfie in a foul mood was the pathetic excuse of a man made a counter offer to pay off his debt. Instead of money, the boss could take his daughter’s virginity. All this he said with a sleezy smile on his face as his teenage daughter cried on the stairwell. What made matters worse… the boss would probably take the offer.

Strange sounds drifted from across the street. Alfie did not even have to look to know what caused it. The London Zoo sign proudly showed above its gates, welcoming its citizens to marvel at the mysterious and wonderful beasts inside. His feet carried him past the spectacle and onward towards the bridge, in which he would be back in familiar territory and no one dared looked down on him.

It was a warmer spring day, the taste of a hot summer to be had that year. Flecks of blood littered the sleeves of his white shirt, now rolled up to his elbows. Somehow he would have to create an excuse to appease his mum who would undoubtably ask about the blood. At least his black trousers hid the evidence better.

His eyes scanned the people on the street, a subconscious habit at this point. At once they locked onto a lithe, feminine form with blonde har. It was embarrassing how often he unconsciously scanned for that very thing. Over half a year flew by since he had last seen those emerald eyes and mischievous smile. His angel. He could not help the way his heart raced at seeing the blonde hair across the street and further down. She was standing in front of some shop, gazing at something in particular in the windowfront. Willing his heart to slow down, he subtly kept peeking, hoping to get a glimpse of her face. In his heart he knew it was futile, in the past it was never her, but hope always arose without his permission. A dangerous thing. This one wore a lovely light pink chiffon dress, sleeveless with ruffles towards the hem of the dress. The top layer of her long hair was pinned up while the bottom hung freely and beautifully.

Moments later, two lads came out of the store, young men really, both in clean pressed trousers, button down shirts, sports jackets and one in a hat. Immediately they walked the few steps to crowd the blonde, one leaning against the window glass to face her and the other hovering by her side. Grins on both of their face and they gave off the impression of superiority and confidence. That alone made Alfie want to fight them.

He knew he should leave it alone, he knew it was none of his business. Curiosity won out. He slowed his steps as he watched the interaction of the three further down. It was obvious, even from where he stood, the lads were trying to flirt with her…but without success. Her eyes remained straight ahead, ignoring them. Less than a minute later and without a word, she turned, starting to walk away, her back towards the lads and Alfie. One of the lads grabbed her hand and spun her back round to face him, not done flirting or still willing to work to get a reaction out of her. Perhaps she was purposefully playing hard to get?

She whipped around, staring annoyed at the lad before uttering something. With a twist of her wrist, she escaped his hold and quickly continued with her walk. Whatever she said, the two lads did not like. With a glance at one another, they followed her, keeping several paces back until the three disappeared from view down a side alley.

All the air had been knocked out of Alfie’s lungs, he was sure of it. For once she turned around and he was able to see her face, a sucker punch to the gut would have been more expected. For there she stood. He would recognize her anywhere for she haunted his dreams. Her delicate features pinched in annoyance as she spat something at him but that core strength visible even from here.

Immediately, as if on autopilot, his feet followed. He crossed the street, uncaring of the cars, carriages and other pedestrians. He had to get to her, to see her up close, to touch her and, if God himself was feeling generous, perhaps he could taste her lips once again.

“Alf, where you goin’ now?” Ishmael asked, having moved to his side. The lad was the same age as Alfie, both had their eighteenth birthday during Hanukkah. Having spent the past eighteen years growing up together, they acted more like brothers than neighbors. One thing stood resolutely between them, they would always have each other’s backs during the good and the bad times.  

“Gonna pick a fight.”

“Uh huh…” Ishmael scratched the stubble on his jawline. “What for?”

“’member that girl I told ya ‘bout. Got me away from those coppers.”

“Yeah, you never got ‘er name.”

“Two fuckers just followed her down that alley.”

Ishmael grunted. No more needed to be said. He was the only person who knew the truth of that night and even then it took almost throwing fists between them for Alfie to confess. After, Ishmael had been sworn to secrecy or his tongue would be cut out. Nathan trailed behind the two, oblivious but uncaring. He was two years younger but Alfie tolerated him because he did not ask unnecessary questions nor go sticking his nose in unwanted places. The lad was just happy to be doing something instead of listening to his six younger siblings and mother in their one bedroom apartment.

Quickly they caught up to where the trio disappeared. As they turned down that side alley, a narrow thing between two sections of shops used to dispose of rubbish, the sounds of all of London faded. For Alfie could only see and hear the commotion before him.

Further down the two toff lads had her backed against a wall as they hovered over her. With an almost bored expression, she just watched them try and intimidate her. One hand loosely held her small purse while the other toyed with her hair.

“I will give you one last chance. Walk away or you will regret it.”

Her smooth voice flowed over him as he heard her speak to them. Internally he was amused by her statement but that still could not keep the red lens from coloring his vision. Those toffs needed to be taught a lesson and he had no problem being the teacher.

The one with the hat leaned forward and ran a hand slowly down her side, making sure to get a good touch of her breast before moving to her hip. “Come on, doll. All we are asking for is just a kiss. Don’t be so uptight. There’s no harm in a kiss.”

The other lad took a few steps back and lit a cigarette. He chuckled at his friend’s statement as he blew out a plume of smoke, ignorant of the trouble approaching.

“Oi! Look ‘ere lads.” Alfie loudly proclaimed as he ambled closer towards the trio, suddenly acting like he did not have a care in the world. An act because inside he was boiling with rage and hoped for nothing more than to ram both of the toffs’ heads against the brick wall. Multiple times preferably. “These boys ‘ere, right, don’t know how to treat a lady none. Tsk tsk. You boys need to go back on your mother’s tits until you know how to properly woo a lady. Cornerin’ her in a nasty alley ain’t the way to do it, yeah? For a posh girl like her, I ‘eard its about that champagne and roses, out dancin’ and the likes. Somethin’ you lot don’t know nothin’ ‘bout it seems. So before you piss me off more, right…fuck off.”

The one with the cigarette smirked around the fag in between his lips. “Oh? And who the hell asked for your opinion?”

“No one but it looked like you needed it.” He shrugged casually, his eyes looked between the two idiots and into the emerald eyes he longed to see. “You ok, Angel? They ain’t hurt you none, yeah?”

“I am fine, Alfie.”

Hearing her say his name sent a shot of warmth straight to his heart. She still remembered him, even after all these months.

“What? You know these kikes?” The one in the hat asked disbelieving, eyeing both her and the three Jewish lads blocking the front way out of the alley and onto the main street.

Alfie could feel himself along with Ishmael and Nathan bristle at the insult. Not that he had never been called that, he had heard all sorts of derogatory insults towards himself and his people, but it practically assured that he would break their jaw so they could not insult anyone for a long time after.

He did not wait for her response, as he laughed in her face. “You must be easy then, playing the innocent bird, but really you let kikes fuck you. You’re just as filthy as them.”

“Charles, shut it.” The one with the cigarette snapped at his friend. He stood between the two groups but kept his eyes on Alfie the whole time. “You lads head on back out. We will just escort the lady here back to her family at the tea shop. Nothing more needs to happen here. We were just teasing her. No harm done.”

“You see, that’s the thing, innit?” Alfie rubbed his hand over his chin, looking as if contemplating something monumental. “Your boy there insulted me and me friends. Worse though, he insulted the lady, yeah? So in me books, he needs to apologize to her then to me friends and me, yeah, then we’ll be on our way.”

The one in the hat- Charles apparently- sneered as he roughly shoved her further against the wall before storming over to stand by his friend. “What are you going to do about it, Jewboy? You are on the wrong side of the river to be saying anything. I can call the coppers and they will arrest your asses without question…because you are a dirty, money-loving, pig-fucking Jew.”

“Mate, I’m gonna make you eat those words. That s’what gonna happen now, yeah? You s’fuckin’ waste of air. Now, let the lady go and then we’ll see if you’re even able to utter the word ‘Jew’ after I’m done with you.”

“Are you her fucking bodyguard or something? I am not done with her. First I’m going to send you back to your shanties then I’m going to have her on her knees right here.”

“Who says I need a bodyguard?” Suddenly she moved from standing behind Charles to his side, a four inch pointed hair pin in her hand. As she moved, she dragged it along his throat until it landed on his bobbing Adam’s apple. Alfie had not even noticed her stepping away from the wall and behind the arrogant toff, she moved so quietly.

“Fucking bitch.”

In a flash she slashed Charles’ cheek before returning the hair pin to his throat. “You stand right here like a good boy until my friends and I are gone. If I look behind and see you following us, I will be sorely disappointed and this hair pin will pierce the very thing you are using to think, which in your case is not your brain.”

A faint snicker came from Ishmael behind him but Alfie kept his eyes on the dangerous beauty before him, both enthralled by her confidence and concerned for her safety. He could see it in the eyes of the lad Charles…he would not let her get away so easily, especially now after insulting him.

Ever so slowly, she pulled the hair pin away and took a step back towards Alfie. After a tense moment, she turned to walk the few steps to Alfie. With her eyes no longer on him, Charles moved. He snarled, moving to reach out and grab her but his hand never made it.

Alfie stood between them, appearing like an apparition in how quickly he moved. His fist reared back and slammed into the jaw of the foul-mouthed toff. All his pending rage from his ‘business’ and now being forced to listen to insults, all that anger fueled him to fulfilling his promise. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ishmael keeping the other lad back. With that knowledge, he poured all his focus and energy into making the lad eat his words and threatening his angel. An unforgiveable crime, really.

Two solid punches were all it took before Charles was on the ground. Yet Alfie was not done with him. Not yet. Punches and kicked rained down on the lad, a harsh lesson being taught that hopefully the idiot would remember. Soon enough, the lad was a blubbering, bloody mess on the dirty cobblestones. It was pathetic how soon his apologies and begs for mercy spewed forth in his mumblings, his jaw broken so his words were hard to understand.

Alfie stood towering over the lad, sprawled out on the ground; his chest heaving, bloodied fists by his sides. Like a judge condemning a prisoner to his sentence, Alfie pointed a finger at him. “I see you again, I’ll fuckin’ kill you, mate. And it won’t be easy or pretty, yeah? You watch your back.” He gave a long pause, letting his words sink like a stone in the shallow pool of the toff’s mind. With a satisfied grunt, he turned to face the other, sporting his own bloodied lip curtesy of Ishmael but that seemed the worst of it. “Get ‘im outta here.”

Without a word, the other lad gathered his friend up and helped carry him down the alley, keeping to the side streets to avoid the bloody spectacle they were.

“I could have handled them, you know. I had it under control.”

Alfie rolled his eyes as he turned to face her. “Yeah? Sure didn’t look like it none, love.” They stared at one another, a silent battle of wills. After a tense minute, he smirked. “’sides, I reckon it’s me turn to be savin’ you, yeah?”

With that she cracked a smile, the tension in the air melting away. After quick shake of her head,  she sauntered over to his side. “Let me see your hands.”

“No, s’fine, love.”

“Was he born this stubborn or did his mother drop him a few times?” She looked over her shoulder at Ishmael and Nathan, both hanging back and observing the curious scene before them.

Her question made Ishmael chuckle. “We still ain’t figured that one out.”

“Ah, fuck off, mate.” Alfie growled at his friend but without real venom.

“Thought so.” She turned back her attention to Alfie. “Hands. Now.”

Grumbling under his breath, he held his hands out so she could quickly examine them and wipe the blood off with a handkerchief she magically pulled out of her small purse. He could not help but wonder if it was the same one from all those months ago. Her soft voice pulled him out of his musings.

“Maybe one of these days we will have the ability to meet without blood on your knuckles and it soiling my handkerchiefs.”

“No promises. How ‘bout next time you beat ‘em up and I’ll clean up your hands, mmm? Sounds fair to me.”

She laughed, a beautiful sound full of life. Head tilted back, eyes crinkling, just like he remembered.

“But fuckin’ hell, love. Since when you carry that hair pin?”

Done with wiping his hands as best as she could, she placed the soiled handkerchief in her purse and retrieved her hair pin out, handing it over to Alfie.

“Since someone told me its not safe to be walking around on my own.”

“Yeah, yeah, fuckin’ genius that one.” He mumbled, looking over the slender weapon. It was sleek and impressive. He had never seen one of these before, only ever heard of them. The head of the pin was a lotus flower with a small ruby in the center. The blade part was at least four inches, making the while thing only six inches but lethal if used properly. “Chinese?”

She nodded, taking it back. Quickly and expertly she twisted the top half of her hair into a bun and easily slipped the pin in to hold it steady. There it looked beautiful and innocent, its potential unimaginable.

“Bloody Chinese, yeah. What you doin’ now? Just takin’ a stroll?”

“It’s a lovely day, is it not?” She winked at Alfie before turning to the other two lads. “Pleasure meeting you two. May I inquire as to your names?”

Of course the cheeky bastard winked at her. “Ishmael, that one is Nathan…and what’s your name, love?”

“Tut tut. That is not have the game is played.” She gracefully slide over to Ishmael’s side and wrapped her arm through his. ��Call me Angel. Now I was off to the pictures actually and it would be a true shame if I had to go alone. Who knows the trouble that could find me. How would you lovely gentlemen feel about accompanying me? The tickets will be taken care of. The Three Musketeers is playing and I have heard its riveting.”

“Sounds interestin’. ‘Sides, just met you, be a shame to leave you so soon.” Ishmael gave Alfie a sly grin before guiding her down the dirty alley and back onto the main street with her giggling.

Grinding his teeth, Alfie followed, jamming his hands in his trouser pockets. They ached some but none of his knuckles or fingers felt broken or dislocated. Probably a testament to the calluses he now wore for how often he used his fists.

“Who is she?” Nathan whispered falling into step next to him.

“A friend. An old friend.”

“A gentile?”

He stopped and got in Nathan’s face. “That s’fuckin’ problem?”

“No…no, Alfie.” He stuttered out, quaking under Alfie’s glare.

“Good, that s’real good coz you say one bad thing to her and I’ll make sure the boss knows you pissed your trousers last week, right, when supposed to be collectin’ dues, yeah?” Letting his threat hang heavy, he turned back around and started after Ishmael and his Angel.

Of the two of them, Ishmael was more flirtatious and now was no exception. Occasionally he would lean over and whisper something in her ear that would  make her giggle. God above, Alfie had missed that sound though. Even if it drove him mad that his ‘best’ friend was the one drawing it out of her. He wanted to be the one holding her, making her laugh, soaking in her attention. But instead, he kept walking, hands in his pockets, eyeing anyone that looked at her for too long. He figured there was a game she was playing, he only had to sit back and figure out the rules before winning.

Finally they made it to the movie theatre. The giant board over the entrance announced the movies playing, the scent of popcorn saturated the air, especially once they walked inside. The carpeted floor cushioned all the noise from the other people and the machines. Truthfully, Alfie had never been to the pictures. There was never excess money to spare on such frivolity. By the looks on Ishmael and Nathan’s faces, they had never been before either. His eyes hungrily took in the sights around him, committing it to memory. One day he would be able to come to places like this whenever he wanted. One day he would not have to worry about scraping by for money. One day…

“This way, boys.”

Her voice caused the three Jewish lads to wake from their stupor and obediently follow her. She walked a head of them, her perk little arse a guiding light that Alife could not keep his eyes off of. Down a corridor, she stopped at one of the numbered doors.

“Ready?”

Inside was dim, the picture already getting started. Lights down, a good few of the chairs were filled up surprisingly. The four of them found open seats towards the back in a vacant row. At the end sat Nathan, practically bouncing in his seat with glee, Ishmael, Alfie and then Angel. As soon as the images started appearing on the screen, Alfie found his arm being lifted and draped over her shoulder, followed quickly by her tucking herself into his side.

“Oh, now you wanna be with me yeah? Thought you didn’t want nothin’ to do with me. ‘ell, I beat some wanker up for you and the thanks I get, you walkin’ off with me friend on his arm. Ain’t fuckin’ right.” He whispered into her ear, wishing for nothing more than to bury his face into her neck and hold her close.

“I would hate for them to feel left out…but I can switch seats with you if you prefer and cuddle up to Ishamel there. I do not think he would mind.”

“Shut your mouth. You s’my angel, yeah? I share many things, right, but I won’t share you none.”

“Do not forget it.” Her hand reached over and grabbed his other, toying with his fingers. “Will you have to leave right away?”

“Oi! If you two plannin’ on yappin’ the ‘ole time, move down a few seats.” Ishmael stage whispered, keeping his eyes on the screen.

Before Alfie could retort with an unsavory comment, Angel swiftly yet gracefully rose, grabbing his hand and started tugging on him down the row. He fumbled along behind her, the space between the rows of seats less than desirable for a broad lad like himself. Finally she stopped them at the complete opposite end of the row. He dutifully sat next to her and immediately wrapped his arm around her shoulders again. A glance around showed there was no one else within at least four rows ahead of them and only Ishmael and Nathan on the far side of the row.

“Alright, love, you got me all by me lonesome. Either you s’gonna ravage me or kill me and with it bein’ you…I ain’t sure, yeah? Gotta let me know if I need to defend meself, especially with that bloody hair pin.”

She smiled, a brilliant light amongst the dim of the theatre. “Do you have a preference?”

“Ah, it’s be a fuckin’ shame to die without kissin’ you once more, yeah?” He leaned closer and ran his nose along her ear, just barely able to see the goosebumps appear on her skin from his breath and proximity. “Kissin’ you be the closest I’ll ever get to heaven, Angel.”

“Cheeky bastard with your honeyed words.” She breathed out, her words hitting his lips as she turned to face him. A moment passed, their eyes locked, then she tilted her head and pressed her lips to his. Their mouths met hungrily, tongues dancing, breaths intermingled. Their desperation for one another evident and all-consuming. Her hands clutched his head, dragging him closer. That intoxicating scent of hers, lavender, clouded his senses and judgement. The notion that other people existed vanished in the thrall of passion, yearning for one another. Her touch, her taste, soothed his soul and mind, like he was the desert and her the first rain storm. Their lips parted with a smack, both panting and trying to keep the sound low. The separation was too much, he needed her.

His lips attacked her neck, kissing, sucking, an almost animalistic feel of just more. His hand tightened on her thigh, drifting further up under her dress. Her silk stocking was almost as soft as her lips. As his mouth sucked on a particular spot just behind her ear, a low wanton moan slipped out of her lips and landed in his lap. That sound was enough to make him hard right there. His hand continued to explore up her thigh. He traced the garter she wore, hoping, praying, wishing one day to only see her in those garters, stockings and heels. That was it. God, he wanted that now. Continuing northward, his fingertips trailed up past her garter and into uncharted territory. Never before had he gone this far with a girl. He had heard some of the other Gentile lads talk about it or their conquests, usually at a brothel. This was nothing like listening to them. Oh no, it was far better. Finally his fingertips slowly made their way towards her hot core. Then it hit him. She was without any knickers. Just a garter belt holding up her stockings. This whole time, she had nothing on under her dress and slip, or however many layers a young woman like her wore.

“What’s this, love? S’you a naughty girl?” He murmured into her ear, teasingly tracing her lower lips. Already he could feel she was wet and that did not help how hard he was.

“Alfie…” His name on her breath was the most erotic sound he had ever heard. It was both a prayer and a command. One in which he had no qualms answering. Without warning, he plunged his finger into her heat. Immediately his mouth covered hers, inhaling her moan and coaxing her tongue to dance with his while his fingers played with her.

It did not take long for her to peak. A clenching around his fingers and her sigh evidence along with the moisture coating his fingers. Her head tilted back, eyes closed, chest rising and falling rapidly as she descended back to earth was his new favorite sight. He could watch this all day long and never tire of it. Angelic no longer described her in the heat of the moment. Goddess was closer to the new truth.

“ S’right, love?”

“Stop fishing for compliments, you know you did amazingly.” She smacked his chest half-heartedly then her voice dropped down to a whisper as if voicing her thoughts aloud. “That was better than I ever imagined.”

“An orgasm or just me?”  

She hesitated, biting her lower lip then purred out, “you doing it.”

He groaned, nuzzling her neck. “Angel, you canna say somethin’ like that. Me cock is ‘bout to explode, yeah, and I ain’t goin’ in me trousers like some boy.”

“Well, we cannot have that now can we…come with me.” Abruptly she stood, nudging him to get up.

That was honestly the last thing he wanted to do. It felt like he had a plank of wood the size of his arm in his trousers. Grumbling, he followed her around the last row of seats and over to Ishmael and Nathan. She leaned over Ishmael’s shoulder and whispered something in his ear, earning a nod from him. A quick peck on his cheek and she started towards the exit door. Confused, Alfie glanced back over at Ishmael who only sent a cocky wink before turning back to the screen. So he did what felt right. He followed her out of the exit door. As soon as they passed through and into the main corridor, her hand trapped his and tugged him to follow her.

“The fuck is goin’ on. What you say to Ishmael?”

“I told him you were walking me home.”

Well that sort of explained the wink. Before he could question her further, she opened a different theatre door and pulled him through. This one was dark, just a couple sporadic lights on to beat back the complete darkness. It was also empty, probably in between shows or something. The lingering scent of cigarettes and popcorn filtered through the carpet but all Alfie could smell was lavender. She pulled him to the front of the theatre and practically threw him down into one of the seats.

“What…Angel?”

“Stop talking.”

Then in that dimness he felt her hands tugging on his trousers. That little bit of friction was enough to cause him to hiss. Never had he been so hard. Maybe this was what hell would be like. No relief, continuous torment. He felt himself spring out from its encloser before being encased in something warm and wet. It was overwhelming. A loud groan escaped without his permission but he could not care in the moment. Her name, what she was to him, became a chant as his hands tangled in her hair. Galaxies and stars flew by him as the pleasure grew until he thought he could not physically take it anymore. Suddenly she began to hum and it was as if all the floodgates burst forth. He finished with her sucking him dry, then she released him with a loud, wet ‘pop’ and continued to kneel in front of him.

“What…fuckin’ hell, I mean…fuck…what…fuck...” His brain refused to cooperate, still lost in the waves of pleasure his body was coming down from. This…this had to be heaven. Surely, something this incredible had to be.

“Do not forget to breath, sweetheart.”

“I’ll try me best. Damn, love. You done that often?”

She shifted to lean over him, her face close. “And if I said you are my first?”

His response was to drag her down into his lap and claim her lips. How was this girl even real? She seemed more like something from his own personal fantasy. Both heaven and hell in its pleasure and torment. He did not even care that he could taste himself, so desperate was he to claim her in any way. Their lips clashed, breathing becoming erratic once again as something continued to build between them. Her hands slipped under his shirt, running up his bare skin as she straddled his lap. His own hands were not dormant, but searching, caressing, teasing anywhere he could. Her core rested over his manhood and the heat was scorching him but in the most delectable way. Did she realize how badly he wanted her? She did want him just as much? Was she a virgin? He was. A movie theatre was not the ideal location for losing one’s virginity but Alfie was not opposed right now. He wanted to hear her panting his name again, to see her come undone but with his cock instead of his fingers.

Suddenly all the lights turned on.

“Hey! You kids can’t be in ‘ere!” A distinctly male voice yelled at them, standing in the back near the projector.

The two separated, panting, laughing and smiling. Both had to adjust their clothing and her hair to look somewhat decent, like they had not just been about to…well, you know. They fled the theatre, escaping out of the room and out onto the main street. Broad grins plastered on both of their faces, they tried to casually walk down the street without attracting attention. A feat truly impossible for a young, aristocratic woman and a Jewish lad of a lower class walking side by side giggling and smiling. People take notice.

“I do need to leave now.”

“I’ll walk ya.” Before she could refuse, he tugged her arm through his “I ain’t done seein’ you yet. Only God knows when I’ll see you again, right? Unless you’re gonna tell me who you is, that’d solve this problem. You seem to know where I am.”

She laughed, placing her head on his shoulder momentarily. “You do not like calling me ‘Angel’? I am growing quite fond of it.”

“You’ll always be my angel, yeah. Dunno why you not want me to call you by youse real name.”

“Then you would have to call me either ‘lady’ or ‘miss’ before my name.”

His eyebrows rose at her confession, a confirmation of his suspicions. “Oh yeah? Well that s’somethin’, innit? My lady Angel…” He teased, aware of how stiff she had suddenly become while waiting for his response. She relaxed instantaneously when she realized he was continuing to stay light-hearted in their banter. “What brings you all the way out ‘ere, mmm? I can’t think a posh girl like youself, your governess or whoever the fuck minds you would like seein’ you strollin’ with the likes of me, yeah?”

“You arse! I do not have a governess!”

“But you had one?”

“Fine, yes, yes I did. But she was fired when I was twelve for sleeping with the butler and the horse master when she was supposed to be watching me. I convinced my parents I did not need another. ”

“No!” Alfie placed a hand over his heart with a scandalized look on his face. “Heaven forbid! That disgraceful wench!”

They both broke into peals of laughter at his fake posh accent.

“My father’s driver.”

“Mmm…what s’that, love?”

She sighed. “My father’s driver…he has a mistress out here. When it’s obvious it will be a long day for my father, his driver will claim to run errands but really goes to visit her. I caught him once, snuck into the car without him noticing and popped up just outside of her flat. He about shit himself. So we made a deal. We pretend he is driving me somewhere while he visits her…and I…I get to pretend to be someone else for a while.”

“Ah. No siblings to drag around with you?”

“No. I have an older brother but he is too busy and lost in his books and studies for me anymore.”

“Where does your father work?”

She hesitated before dropping her voice to barely a whisper. “Parliament. But no more, please. I do not want to talk about him.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He still let out a long whistle. So her family had wealth and influence. His desire to figure out who she was exploded exponentially. “That s’fuckin’ thing, innit, I could kidnap you and get a ransom, yeah? Bet you worth lots, yeah?”

“Yes…” Her voice abruptly shifted to dangerously low and harsh, the complete opposite of her usually smooth, sweet voice. “…but I would make you regret it for every moment left of your life until you cursed the money you took and the day you thought of betraying me. I would ruin you in every way possible until you could only crawl and beg in the gutter. ”

He paused, surprised by the venom in her tone and how cold she sounded. “Well, fuck, love. Remind me never to get on your bad side, yeah? Gonna make me piss my trousers the way you talkin’.” He chuckled when she nudged him but they kept stride.

“Tell me about your family.”

“Naw, you don’t wanna hear ‘bout them. Nothin’ interestin’ there.”

“Alfie, please.”

Whatever willpower he broke between those emerald eyes and her soft, pleading voice. He was practically clay in her hands. “Well, there s’me mum, younger brother and sister. Me father died years ago…” And somehow he found himself telling her about his life and family with stories that made her laugh. Time and the streets underneath their feet felt endless but in a positive way. He wished time could cease or never force them to separate.

 *****

 “That is my father’s driver up ahead.”

“Yeah? I’ll walk you this time. Kinda wanna see this wanker.”

They walked closer, eventually catching the eye of the driver. He appeared at least in his thirties with a modest suit, thick moustache and a hat tipped down to shield his eyes. He did a double-take, not recognizing his charge on the arm of a lower-class lad. With one last drag, he tossed his cigarette onto the ground and stomped it out with his shiny shoe before striding their way.

“Miss Sarah, you kept me waiting almost an hour. Your father will be upset with how long we were gone.”

“Miss Sarah, eh?” Alfie looked at the driver and motioned to the young lady on his arm. “So the lovely angel does have a name, yeah? She s’bein’ a pain by keepin’ her name a secret. Done broke me heart thinkin’ I’d never know ‘er real name.”

“You, shut your mouth.” She pointed at Alfie, amusement twinkling in those green eyes. Then she turned back to the driver, “Robert, my father will hardly notice. I decided to go to the pictures and it went longer than I anticipated but it turned out to be…most pleasurable. I do believe it might deserve an encore, and hopefully multiple ones. Truly a masterpiece.”

Alfie tried his hardest to keep the color off his cheeks and the blood from rushing into his trousers with the cheeky smirk Angel -no, Sarah- was giving him.

The driver -Robert- looked down his nose at Alfie, not even trying to hide his distain. Alfie could feel his hackles and anger rise within. “We must leave, Miss, before you return home smelling of the dreck this place is.”

He could not ignore that particular barb. Keeping his voice light and face friendly, Alfie subtly pulled Sarah closer into his side. “How’s that mistress of yours? She live round here, right? Me guess is on Queen’s Alley. What I’ve ‘eard is that’s where all the harlots live…but fuck if I’d know. That all I ‘eard, yeah? S’real shame how many men visits them, I ‘ear.”

Steam practically poured out of Robert’s red tinged ears. His sneer deepened but he cast his eyes to Sarah. “Two minutes, Miss.” Turning on his heel, he stormed back towards the car, lighting a cigarette as he went.

“I think he like me, yeah, fuckin’ bosom buddies now.”

She laughed, eyes crinkling and the sunlight shining on her blonde hair. His breath stuck in his throat looking at her. The more he learned about her, the ravenous yearning to learn more grew alongside. She was everything he wanted and needed in his bleak life- fun, a laugh readily available, unaffected by his anger and violence, uncaring of where he came from, smart, sexy, never truly docile, mischievous with a slice of danger that he found extremely attractive.  

“I better go before Robert makes me walk all the way to Parliament from here. It is a lovely day but my feet would murder me if I walked there in these heels.” She joked, untangling her arm from his.

“Don’t go.”

She froze. “What?”

“Don’t go, love. Stay. I’ll take care of you, that s’fuckin’ promise, yeah? I ain’t got much, can get a job at the factory or somethin’ for extra money. We’ll get our own flat, you can make fancy like. Dunno how but I’ll always take care of you.” The words stumbled out almost in a drunken stagger. Vulnerable did not even begin to describe how he felt. Hands running through his hair, he kept his eyes downcast unable to meet hers. She would laugh at him, at his piss poor promise to provide for her. He could never give her what she already had, what she deserved. But by heaven or hell, he would willing work day and night to keep her by his side. To know she was waiting for him with one of her heart-stopping smiles. He was a fool.

Finally he glanced up and his heart broke. A single tear had slipped down her cheek, betraying the moisture in her eyes as she bit her plump bottom lip.

“No, love, none of that, yeah? S’alright.” Tenderly he wiped the tear away with his thumb, unsure what else to do.

It felt like Sarah and him were encased in their own bubble. The people walking by them on the street did not matter. The sounds of the cars, horses, carriage and pedestrians were drowned out by the stillness surrounding them. The only people in the world that mattered were staring at one another, wishing life was not so cruel.

“I wish I could, Alfie. Truly…but not yet.”

He could feel his heart deflate but suddenly her hands were cupping his cheeks, forcing his eyes to meet her teary ones.

“I will turn eighteen this summer, and I can come see you. My father cannot stop me then. Try not to forget about me, sweetheart.”

“Never.”

With his promise, in full view of God himself and everyone on the street, she kissed him. It felt like their seal, their declaration towards one another. They would  find each other once again. The kiss ended far sooner then he would have liked but it was not like they could have a full snogging session tight there on the side of the street. Not that anyone could stop him if he wanted to.

Gingerly she took a step back. “Stay safe and be good, Alfie Solomons.”

“Miss Sarah, I am always on me best behavior.”

“I certainly hope not.” Her eyes lecherously trailed up his body. “I want to taste you again…and not just your lips.”

His trousers suddenly tight, he tried to ignore it and tease back. “How ‘bout next time I return the favor properly, yeah?”

“I will hold you to that.” With a wink she turned and walked towards the driver, still leaning against the car smoking a cigarette.

He greedily watched her, eyes soaking in every curve of her body to memorize until he could see her again. “Fuckin’ hell, that girl, yeah, be the death of me.”

As fate would decree, that summer would pass by slowly with distance between the young lovers. It would be two years before they saw one another. Two whole years in which the flames of their passion dwindled but never extinguished.

[transalfiesolomons]

I’ve had to deal w a lot of transphobia the last few days, you have any trans headcanons to spare? 🌸💀

You’ve come to the right place friend. I hope you’re cool with an unanticipatedly large dump of ‘em (specifically on Alfie and Michael) below the cut 

(oh I should mention up front these are all modern au) 

(a quick caveat with this. I talk a little bit about the intersection of being trans and being Jewish and while I try to be as culturally sensitive as possible, I am not myself Jewish, so if anyone reading this has something to add or to correct please please do not hesitate to do so)  

(there’s also probably some sentence fragments and thoughts that trail off because i’m a fool who can’t proofread) 

me: hey just do a few happy ones

also me, 3,000 words later, basically having written two fics: ah,

Alfie –

I.

Alfie Solomons spends a lot of his childhood chasing on the heels of older male cousins, refusing to be cooped up inside with the women of the family. He knows there are things that his cousins will never let their single little girl cousin know or see, condescendingly protecting her from a world that is her birthright just as much as it is theirs. 

He grows up hearing about the “family business” without ever seeing it or knowing anything about it, other than sometimes the police came to rough up family members and make arrests and hurl slurs while they did so. But whether this had anything to do with illegality on his family’s part or just people hating Jews, Alfie never really figured out, only that after such raids his cousins are quieter and afraid and those are the times a place for Alfie opens up among them, a desire to hold family close.

When he was younger, growing up around his father’s extended family in Camden Town, Alfie had pretty constantly railed against not being able to do what his male cousins did and also pretty constantly did that stuff anyway, which garnered him both amusement and consternation from his family who only occasionally attempted to stop him.

The men in the family paid him absolutely no attention, which he felt was wrong for some reason but could never find the words to explain why until much alter in his life, until after he stumbles over the word “transsexual” in a medical diary while waiting for a physical exam and until after he first applies the word to himself. Both of which come when he is already an adult. But even before he knows, it complicates a lot of his life, especially when he came to gender roles in worship. Even after he turned 13, he was not allowed to be part of a minyan which felt wrong until someone explained that it was because he’s a girl and only men can be part of a minyan which felt even more wrong but he didn’t push it because there’s a look on his mother’s face when he asked why that told him this was just one of those things (and there were many, admittedly) that just wasn’t up for debate.

II.

Alfie makes the realization that he’s trans when he is 27. Five years into his enlistment in the British Army, sitting on Basra air base in 2004 during the British-to-American turnover, twiddling his thumbs and sweating his ass off watching supplies be loaded and unloaded on the airstrip. Two months from home for good and suddenly skin-crawlingly aware he doesn’t recognize what he sees in the mirror anymore as himself. He remembers that word then, thinks back to not understanding it at the time, thinking it was strange and wrong, and he spends the rest of the day rolling it (and rolling he, him, his) over on his tongue until its stone-heavy and nearly wrung of meaning.

It’s a sudden and stomach-swooping realization, a long-time-coming clarity that still bowls him over with the sheer force of it.

His last month there, he buzzes his hair just to see how it would be, what it would feel like under his hands. When asked why - and he goes from a regulation cut, but just barely regulation to as short as the clippers will allow him without just shaving his head, so he is asked quite a lot - he claims that the heat just finally got to him and he couldn’t take it anymore. His face is too soft then, a roundness in the cheeks he’d never shed from childhood, to allow him to pass with just a buzz but it gives him a modicum of personal comfort to run his hands over his scalp and feel that soft prickle under his fingers.

He comes home and out-processes from the military and almost immediately jumps into figuring out where the fuck to go from here, pouring over what few online resources he can find and feeling more and more adrift from himself every day. He doesn’t fit into the common narrative of “knew all along” and he doesn’t exactly feel “wrong” in his body (frankly, he’s proud of it) so it’s a long time before he’s able to truly accept that he is transgender and not actively losing his mind and that there isn’t something wrong with him. 

His place as a trans man and his decision to transition put him not necessarily at odds with but in a weird position with his Jewishness. So much of Judaism is split along gender lines: where you sit in temple, what you wear, how you’re addressed, what prayers you lead, what prayers you say, if you can lead prayers at all. It causes a radical reevaluation of where he stands in relation to his faith and to g-d but in the end it wholly reaffirms both his faith and how he feels about himself.There are actually two (incredibly progressive) rabbis that help him - one who reaffirms his identity as a trans man and as a Jewish man and another who tells him in Halachic terms that he can get gender-affirming surgery if it is something he wishes to pursue.

The cool thing about realizing when he did is that Alfie doesn’t have anyone he has (or wants) to come out to - his mother had died some years before, he was estranged from his only (half) sister, he was only ever rarely in contact with any member of his maternal family (spread out between Russia and Israel), and he’d lost contact with his paternal family after his father died when he was eight and his mother moved them away from Camden Town out of fear. He had no close friends or relationships due to his “inability to relate to others” and “aloofness” (the army’s words) and his being “an utter sociopath” (his XO’s words). The not so cool thing is the not inconsiderable amount of loneliness he feels when transitioning alone, celebrating milestones like his first year on T alone, especially when recuperating alone from surgery with only his dog to keep him company (and the complications he didn’t consider - like having to take the dog on walks when he could barely get off the sofa.) But that’s, uh, that’s what alcohol is there for right? 

(Already fit from military training, he dedicates a lot of time during his early transition to weight training and a continuation of the hand-to-hand he learned in basic.) 

III.

His father’s family (the little that’s left of it after a brutal turf war between the Jews and the Italians over a decade ago) reaches out to him when he’s 31, after the murder of his uncle by a small Italian gang of upstarts who took old age for infirmity and, in his cousin’s words, “paid dearly” for it. The invitation is for his uncle’s funeral, but he ends up staying in Camden Town afterwards, working for his cousin who has assumed control of the gang after his father’s murder. Alfie very quickly garners a reputation for just vicious brutality against people that cross the gang. 

Alfie considers it strange that his cousin invites him back, considering, well – but no one (including his cousin) actually seems to remember him well enough to remember that he was a girl child once. People remember that he is his father’s child but apparently not what gender he was assigned at birth. People remember him roughhousing with the boys, not that he was reprimanded for doing so because he was not “one of the boys.” It begs the question of how his cousin tracked him down but Alfie supposes there may only be so many Solomons in England. And it’s weird but it’s also incredibly welcome. Gifts and horses and mouths.

Alfie’s assumption of control of the Solomons Gang right out from under his cousin (who was never fit for the job anyway) is an incredibly nebulous affair that followed very closely on the heels of his uncle’s death. Like, before shiva is even over close on the heels of (which is an exaggeration, but it makes him out to be all the more ruthless, really). Legitimately no one but Alfie knows how exactly any of it went down other than it has a body count somewhere between 2 and 15 people. He describes it to this way as a coup de grace. What that means, no one is even kind of willing to ask.

IV.

He’s outed twice: once by a man in his own gang (a few years after he gains control) and once not long after by a competitor who thinks it will cost Alfie everything. It doesn’t go the way either of them wanted.

His boy does it internally, digs up his service record and his discharge papers and starts to spread the “truth” in an effort to undermine Alfie and possibly gain control of the gang himself. He doesn’t live long past the first wave of rumors and it’s fairly quickly forgotten, just a power-hungry man trying to start something he couldn’t finish.

The competitor spreads it among his supplies and allies, many many of whom have negative reactions and cut ties with the Solomons gang. This costs him the most, at least in the short term - suppliers, support, respect, a modicum of safety - but he doesn’t let it intimidate him. And because it never destabilizes him or truly threatens his leadership of the gang (who actually stand by him, not because they’re supportive but because he’s already proven to be incredibly volatile and unpredictable but also fair to and protective of those loyal to him), he gains a lot in the long term.

(By the time Tommy comes into the picture when he’s 39, there’s been so much turnover in the ranks of nearly every gang and blackmarket business that barely anyone knows and the ones that do either don’t care or just don’t feel like its worth acting on.)

The second time someone internally tries to use his being trans against him, his boys doesn’t even flinch because, cis or trans, Alfie terrifies them. He’s 5′9, built like a brick shithouse, like an American Bulldog, probably 16 stone of mostly muscle, deadlifts twice that, and he punches like a freight train hauling cinder blocks and he terrifies them.

There’s not a person in this world that can make Alfie Solomons ashamed of who he is.

Michael –

I.

Polly spends so much of her life scouring the country looking for her stolen daughters, devastated beyond the ability of words to convey - after searching for twelve hard, long, lonely, terrified years - to find one daughter dead (buried in a country she has never been to and will never see, she can’t even visit her baby’s grave) and the other seemingly wiped from the system after her (private) adoption, no record or her past six years old.

She hits roadblock after roadblock, denied access to privileged and private information she has no legal right to access anymore. It’s helpless, desperate work and it almost breaks her because how could her eldest daughter just disappear?

It’s Tommy who eventually gets access to the records, who digs and digs (and bribes and threatens, but Polly probably doesn’t need to know about that part but probably does anyway, she knows her nephews too well to expect anything different, especially Thomas) until he hits pay dirt. The gender recognition certificate, the legal name change barely half a year ago, the parental consent forms for treatment of gender dysphoria.

It’s a week after he finds it all that he shows her, having mulled over how to tell her and finally settles on just laying it all out. He slides her the folder over breakfast and drinks his coffee – black, two sugars, a Shelby staple – while she reads what she initially thinks are some financial documents or some other Family Business™ family business.

He watches her face morph from shock to confusion to hope to awe and around to the same kind of fond exasperation she looks at him and his siblings with, the closest to love-comfort-softness that Polly gets.

And somewhere in that mix of emotions he knows there is a tug of grief (and it stings, it will never stop stinging, that grief, but for once it isn’t aimed at him), grief because she has lost both of her daughters, grief that is outweighed by the joy of having gained a son, just like the joy of gaining a nephew that outweighed the grief of losing a niece all those years ago. 

“Michael,” she says, awe unmistakable. Traces a hand along the papers with as much tenderness as if they were the face of her lost son, soon soon so soon to be found again and brought home to them.

(Michael, she thinks later, of course he’d somehow pick a family name. It’s only right and it’s perfectly right, she wouldn’t have chosen any different.) 

II.

They wait to reach out until after Michael turns 18, until he has been legally emancipated from his adopted parents. And the wait kills Polly but she understands it, given the circumstances. It’s Tommy that reaches out, somewhat awkwardly, a voicemail left on a cellphone. Perfunctory, because how do you explain the weight of a history like their family’s over voicemail, with a rushed callback number just before the cutoff tone.

And Michael, for his part, two years on HRT and attending uni in London and happy as hell and finally free from parents who were tepidly accepting (at least enough to help him medically transition) but suffocating in their palpable discomfort, jumps at the chance to meet Tommy.

It’s validating that his birth family has reached out to him and even more validating that, to have found him at all, they would have had to found out that he was trans. And to have reached out, they would have had to accept that fact or at least grapple with it. To have reached out, they would have had to want to see him and that’s reason enough to want to meet Tommy. That’s even reason enough to forget that his parents haven’t spoken to him since the day he moved out of their home, to forget that they looked relieved when he left.

III.

And two weeks later they’re sitting across from each other at a coffee shop in north London, a hipster hole in the wall place with good pastries - Michael’s suggestion. They both order coffee – black, two sugars. Michael doesn’t understand why that’s funny to Tommy.

Tommy sits across from him, eyes a shade of blue so startling it’s both hard to maintain eye contact and to look away at all, and offers Michael a a chance to rejoin the family he barely remembers he lost and it almost breaks Michael in half, because he didn’t expect any of this to be so easy. Except it’s not easy, of course it’s not, there’s a weight between then the heft of many people, fathers and brothers and sisters and daughters, but Tommy carries that weight somehow better, with a straight-backed pride Michael finds he would like to learn. To carry the weight of his past like a talisman and not an albatross.

“What does my mum think,” Michael asks just before they say goodbye, standing there on the sunniest day London has seen in months, on the corner outside Warren Street station. He’s put off actually asking this question, unwilling to hear the answer. Unwilling to have another parent see him as a disappointment. “Of me? Of… me.”

Tommy doesn’t speak for a long time, pulling drags and exhaling slowly. When he does speak, he doesn’t look at Michael and Michael can’t help the way his stomach drops to his feet in bitter, sickening anticipation of some kind of rebuff, some kind of confirmation that this will be hard. Instead, Tommy smiles, just slightly, the corner of his mouth blink-and-you’ll-miss-it twitching, and says “You’re her son. She loves you.”

Like it’s just that easy. And for the Shelbys, it kind of is. Family is family, all baggage included. (Ride or die, bitch.)

And Michael isn’t really given to strong emotions (another Shelby staple) but he carries that answer with him for days after, holds it in his body like a physical thing, right next to his heart tucked protectively behind his ribcage. Her son, her son, her son.

(He finds out later that Tommy himself is trans but that is not for some time - it’s definitely one of the last pieces of the puzzle for him, that last missing piece of sky that completes a nearly two decades long year search for who he is and where he belongs. But it’s not for a while yet.)

IV.

He meets his birth mother on a stormy day two weeks after he first meets Tommy. He stands on a curb in Small Heath with an address on a scrap of paper, hastily scribbled while on a confirmation call with Tommy (who does not and will not text, the neanderthal) when he arrived in Birmingham.

She’s not at all what he expected (smaller, thinner, stress-worn. but he has her nose he thinks, and her chin, the curls in her hair) but he supposes he isn’t what she suspected either so they’re at least on equal footing.

Her home smells of incense and perfume, the tea she brews is stout-dark but bright-sweet, her hands are soft and warm on his back when she hugs him and with tears threatening to choke him, his forehead on her shoulder, he thinks oh, I remember this.too

[solo1y]

Pro-Israeli Bias on Quora

Special Investigation

Quora is a question-and-answer website where questions are asked, answered, edited, and organized by users in the form of opinions. Users are expected to register their real names and report their relevant experience and qualifications.

Wikipedia taught us all that crowd-sourcing information is a great idea, and the only problem people seemed to have was that contributors to Wikipedia were anonymous and might have no expertise in the relevant area. Quora appears to have addressed these problems. Two years ago, TechCrunch reported that Quora was worth $1.8 billion with 190 million monthly users.

Throughout last year, I posted the following answer under a number of questions, all of which were variations around: “Why Does Hamas Use Human Shields?”

The last time this question was any way relevant was during the Gaza War, so most of these links refer to that conflict.

I have repeatedly been asked to justify my contention that there is “much evidence that the IDF uses human shields,” which I said in response to a slew of questions about Hamas using human shields.

There are two huge assumptions in these questions: one explicit and one implicit.

Explicit Assumption: Hamas Uses Human Shields

As Gaza is one of the most densely-populated and blockaded areas on the planet, it would be disingenuous to consider the necessary restrictions of the terrain as the use of human shields. Here we go:

Amnesty International stated that they had no evidence that Hamas was using human shields.

The BBC’s Middle East editor, Jeremy Bowen, “saw no evidence of Hamas using Palestinians as human shields”.

The Guardian reported that they had seen “no evidence that Hamas had compelled [civilians] to stay [in targeted neighbourhoods]”.

The New York Times similarly reported that there is “no evidence that Hamas and other militants force civilians to stay in areas that are under attack”.

This is not to say that Hamas definitely don’t use human shields, but it should be enough to question the explicit assumption.

Implicit Assumption: Israel Does Not Use Human Shields

The “Hamas uses human shields” argument is often presented as if it were the worst thing an army could do. That might be correct. Here we go:

Amnesty International reported that Israel used children as human shields in Gaza.

There are many first-hand witness account of the IDF using human shields: Euro-Med Documents Israel’s Use of Human Shields in Gaza

Ha'aretz reported how the IDF used Palestinian children as human shields.

Reuters reported on how Israelis regularly use Palestinian children as human shields.

Again, this is not to say that the IDF definitely uses human shields, but it should be enough to question the implicit assumption.

It’s certainly provocative, and it may contain information that a lot of people in the Middle East commentary space are either unaware of, or strongly disagree with. However, everything is sourced, and the argument is logically sound.

The post has been deleted by Quora a number of times, both on my personal Quora blog and under relevant questions. They repeatedly claim it’s a violation of their BNBR policy, but if you click that link, I challenge any of you to tell me which part of the post violates which part of the policy. (SPOILER ALERT: It doesn’t.) 

While there are many articulate pro-Israeli voices whose source-free, evidence-free bigoted meanderings never seem to be censored, there are few pro-Palestinian voices, or even posters who are interested in genuine balance. Under any of these questions, there is a tidal wave of:

“Hamas forced the IDF to bomb civilians.”

“Any action of Israel is justified in self-defence.”

“Any criticism of Israel is antisemitism.”

“There are no Palestinians.”

I’m not kidding about the last one. There have been many posts arguing that Palestinians don’t exist, which seems to be as blatant an attempt to dismiss and demean an entire people as should shivers down the spine of any Israeli.

So, when the old accusation about Hamas using human shields rolled around, I made a post for some balance, very carefully-worded and using verified sources.

Given that my post is sourced, and accurate, and it does not violate any part of the BNBR policy that I can determine, and the strongest language used in it does literally nothing more than suggest that certain assumptions be questioned, I can only conclude that Quora is censoring posts critical of Israel, and can no longer be trusted as a source of crowd-sourced information on this particular issue. This is depressing, and I hope I’m wrong because I love Quora and the moderation is usually great.

This has nothing to do with whether or not you agree with either side, by the way. (I’ve blocked some particularly violent posters, but I have never reported any single pro-Israeli post for any reason, and I have reported many antisemitic posts.) Regardless of your feelings, you can’t deny that the information in my post is properly sourced and not phrased in a personally insulting manner.

I’ve complained about the pretty egregious pro-Israel bias on Quora before, but it hasn’t stopped me from answering questions about Israel the way I normally do. 

Recently, I was asked to answer a question by a user I follow called Janelle Alicia Monroy, about whom I know nothing other than the fact that I liked reading her answers:

When I clicked on it, it didn’t show up. I checked Janelle’s page and this came up:

Now, Quora has a pretty high tolerance for aggressive questions, so I had no idea what might have caused this. I looked through her feed and found a prescient post:

Now you might not agree with any of that, but the whole point of Quora is that people answer questions from a variety of different sets of assumptions. Banning one entire human experience and political opinion is a terrible idea. Banning people for nothing more than having a particular opinion is a terrible idea.

Quora has had a number of users complain about the blatant and egregious pro-Israel bias in their site, but nothing’s been done about it. If anything, it’s getting worse. It’s more or less impossible to answer any meaningful question about the occupied territories honestly without being flagged.

Recently, this happened:

Even more recently, a question asking why Jewish human rights groups would oppose Zionism was deleted.

And on and on.

As Quora moderation refuse to engage about this, and all comments even mentioning this refusal are deleted, my avenues of protest are limited to pointing it out off-platform, and tagging the jokes I make under Quora questions with “I Still Haven’t Been Kicked Off Quora”.

If you’ve had a similar experience with Quora, or a completely different experience, or you have any idea how to get a response from the normally active admin team, or you are a member of the Quora admin team, please let me know. 

If you are interested in countering any of the arguments I make here, don’t bother. This post is not about Israeli human rights abuses, it’s about unaddressed political bias in Quora. I promise you there are plenty of other posts I make on this topic where you should feel welcome to answer in any manner you see fit.  

[austinpanda]

Dad Letter 051621

16 May, 2021

Dear Dad--

Morning! I didn’t mean to wake up at 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, but it seems like I did! This past week hasn’t been filled to the brim with fascinating occurrences, but I went to my job a few more times, I got paid, and I got something in the mail that’s supposed to take my foot pain away.

About that! What I received were a pair of custom orthotic shoe inserts that were made by a company called UpStep, and mailed to me. The process began a couple of months ago when I got on their website and ordered the orthotics and paid for them. The next thing that happened was when I received a foot impression kit in the mail. That was a thing that unfolded into two halves, with big foot-shaped holes filled with a special kind of foam. With one hand on the back of a chair, you place the opposing foot into the appropriate foot hole in the foam impression kit, let your heel sink to the bottom, let the front of your foot go down as far as it wants, and lift your foot straight up and out. Repeat for the other foot. Oh, and they ask that you take a picture of your shoes (the ones you’re going to put the orthotics in) and send it to them.

Then you fold the kit back up and stick it in the prepaid mail bag and give it to the mailman. It goes back to UpStep central (which I just found out is, no shit, in Israel) where their top science guys use my foot impressions from the kit to fashion custom inserts that correct precisely and specifically for my fucked up feet. I was even able to pick the color! I picked bright orange, in case it’s ever important that they be highly visible. $300 for the custom made left and right shoe inserts, never covered by insurance. Also $130 for the special shoes that have insoles you can remove, leaving space for any custom orthotics you might to insert. Obviously, all this is to counteract the extremely incorrect way in which my flat-ass feet land on the ground whenever I walk. Flat feet means lots and lots of foot pain, and these orthotics are supposed to stop it.

Did they work? Well...kinda! I got them on a day that only permitted me to use them at work for one day, before this weekend began. And the orthotics come with a card saying, “If they feel like shit when you first wear them, it means they’re working!” I spent the day feeling the part of the right orthotic (by far my most fucked up foot) pressing up into the place where I’m supposed to have an arch, but don’t. Feeling your shoe insole press up against your flat feet is weird. But, by the end of the day, my feet didn’t hurt in the odd ways they hurt normally. In short, more testing is needed, but the magical Jewish orthotic shoe inserts might have been worth it! I still can’t believe they came from Israel. Isn’t Israel busy doing other shit just now…?

Thank you most kindly for the recent package! I believe I might have read Black Light back in the day, but I don’t remember anything about it. Well, I remember it was a night vision device for a rifle, I think? And some plot stuff happens? Like with every book ever? I shall set aside a bit of time to begin reading it today. And the doobies are much appreciated too! I have a minor concern that sending them through the mail might be a smidge outside the law, so...continue being a kindly old white guy that the law wouldn’t dream of interfering with, please and thank you.

Now that I’ve been working at my job for about a month, I am getting better at the audits that I do. I have now learned about 43% of all the audits I must learn. And since the government just did away with their recommendations for masks and social distancing for those fully vaccinated, I have a concern that business at the casino is about to boom. If that happens, I’ll probably have more work to do. Now is the time when I focus on the positive aspects of that, like more work = more hours, which = more pay, and also more experience and faster learning. It also means more job, which is something I’ve traditionally been disinclined to welcome into my life, but this is the first job I’ve ever had that I don’t resent being at. Working at a casino and checking their math is not unpleasant! Beats working in a call center.

With the lifting of the plague restrictions, and the coming of nicer weather, Zach and I are considering trying something that other humans seem capable of: camping. It’s still a mini-vacation, and we’d have to plan accordingly, but if that just means putting a sleeping bag in the trunk, fresh batteries in the flashlight and packing a cooler with snacks, I don’t see why I couldn’t do that. It would be more of an adventure (read: potentially unpleasant) for me, as a Person of the Indoors. I really, really don’t like intentionally depriving myself of access to a bathroom. I get that nature’s lovely, but who wants to poop in it? Not this guy, that’s who. And I’m not jazzed about being unable to control the temperature of the space I’m in, but one of the reasons I moved to Maine was so that I could be in a place where the air wasn’t too hot to live in. And I assume we’ll have friends with a tent.

I am such a city boy at heart. What does one do while camping? Watching TV feels forbidden, even though it’s probably technically not. Playing music seems welcome. Eating and drinking seems encouraged. Conversation and fireside things can occur. Various sinful activities can occur, given the enhanced privacy. Is one required to fuck while camping, or is it a case-by-case thing? Also, and this is important, what are the chances of me getting killed dramatically by an animal (bear) or animals (wolves/elephants/great white sharks) while I’m there? Because if Mr. Bear comes by, and all I have to protect myself is a hand with some skin on it, I’m going to be really, really angry at the folks that encouraged me to try camping once in my lifetime. (I don’t particularly want to solve that by bringing a gun, mostly because, how big would the gun have to be to be effective against a bear?) And this isn’t even addressing things like bugs and snakes and sudden thunderstorms, or how far we are from a hospital if someone gets only partially eaten by the bear.

Despite the potential downsides, I can see a lot of potential fun from a camping trip with a couple of friends. People go camping, poop outdoors, have fun, and don’t get killed by anything all the time, so I should be able to as well. I like the idea of spending time with friends this way, so I’m honestly looking forward to a chance to try this with, e.g., plant scientist guy and his husband. I think they’ve done camping trips before; I’ll ask them what they prefer to do while camping. I think there will be lots of opportunities for fun that I hadn’t anticipated, just because my city brain never wondered what that activity would be like in a beautiful natural setting, like a state park. I’ll bet the night sky looks impressive from someplace like that.

I like the way life seems to be going now. I’m working my job, earning money, coming home and relaxing. Now I can add visiting friends and eating out to the mix. Things are beginning to go back to normal. By summertime, I’d like to be able to show movies on the side of the trailer so friends can gather outside and watch them. Having a fire or a grill would be tricky, because our big kerosene tank is right there where the movies would need to happen. I just love the idea of getting an old copy of the original Star Wars from 1977 and showing it on my home for people to watch. Then maybe Apocalypse Now for a double feature, and everyone else--besides me--can fall asleep after the helicopter attack. Here’s a weird thought: What if we all fall asleep during a movie, outside on our wee patch of lawn, and no one wakes up till morning?

Obviously I need to expose myself to a bit more nature, and a lot fewer computer screens, for a weekend, so I’ll let you know how the plans progress. Be well, and all my love to you both!

[braindamageforbeginners]

The apocalypse is here

Pictured above: Either the I5 North or the current political races. I’m no longer sure. So, this will take a bit of time to get to, but I promise it’ll be good. I guarantee that, I’ll be quoting directly from candidate statements/descriptions (we’ll get back to the abyss soon enough, and the time a DIY project almost killed/crippled Dad)(the man attempted an electrical project, I’d like to point I quietly though this was a bad idea). Anyway, I’m certain that decent, kind, honest, noble, and educated and mostly-human Congresscritters must exist - people do vote for them, after all. However, having met one Congressman and, being lied to the staff of another (pro-tip; no matter how pro-military or manly and awesome you like to think you are, it’s not a reassuring thing to your constituents if there’s an explosion on a large photo in your office. So I have rather low regard for them, as a group (I know, that’s baseless stereotyping).

So you can imagine my surprise at coming to rest in Daryl Issa’s old district, a man so loathed even by his own party that they quietly told him to go away. I’ve seen a lot of strange political events, but, believe me when I say I’ve never seen anything like this; a completely vacant Congressional seat that could be inhabited by a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Green, or even some type of salamander (the salamander would’ve been an improvement over Jerry Lewis). Anyway, since there are also assorted state assembly judicial races at stake, they’re all included in this pamphlet (and potentially included in this oversized piece). As usual, I will be selecting choice quotes, and, remember, candidates may include an age and/or occupation.

Kistin Gaspar: “[...] A mother, small business owner, and the mayor of encinitas, she has the get-it-done approach we need in Congress.” Fantastic, just as I start to enjoy the peace and quiet of life without Larry the Cable Guy in the public light, there’s this call-back. Or so I thought, until I found out that the “Get It Done” app is used in our area to report “non-emergency problems to the city.” Now, I hate potholes as much as any American (possibly more, since I used to live in a country where drivers used them to help corner while going 80 mph on unpaved roads). Still, “Fixing potholes” seems a little below the pay-grade of a pre-conviction congresswoman.

Diane Harkey: Healthcare: Diane will worke for policies that increase choice, costs, and allow patietns and doctors to decide what care is best. No, no, she isn’t. Diane’s endorsed/puppeted by the American Independent Party, so she has about as much chance of winning as a large rock. But, more importantly, I’m pretty sure the AIP is only concerned with healthcare as a business that sends them money. The big take-away here is less what I say, and more the fact that third party-associated candidates with little-to-no chance of winning feel compelled to tell everyone their healthcare system will be fine, even if it won’t.

David Medway: “I want to protect working families from increasing taxes, healthcare bills, and gun violence (while protecting our right to bear arms). I want to prevent national catastrophes like pandemics (which I wrote a book about) and environmental disasters (such as protecting our coastline from nuclear waste and oil spills that would devastate our shores). I support women’s rights and the melting pot of cultures tha tmake up California. I support lower taxes, less government and the best healthcare and education in the world for all Americans at reasonable prices. Please define “reasonable,” sir, I suspect our answers will differ. Also, you’ll notice he’s making the classic math mistake - better, improved services at a mere fraction of the tax cost! Which is a bullshit political statement/proposal. You might be able to get a great vaccuum cleaner for a fraction of the name-brand because slavery is still totally legal in some parts of the world (meaning the company saves a lot on payroll), and wholesalers/transportation will give bulk purchase discounts. Unless your local police and firefighters are staffed by robots (always a possibility), imagine City Hall telling them that they now have to do the same job, only much better, and with a pay cut. Oh, and we’re firing one-in-three of their employees. Society tried hat in Silicon Valley (with choppy results), I don’t think you want to try it with ambulances.

Crag Nordal: ���I am an Evangelical Christian who will defend and protect Israel, protect innocent human life from conception to birth, and to natural death, defend and protect marriage between a man and a woman, restore Christian and Jewish morals and ethics to our public schools, and protect religious freedoms. I vow to enforce and enhance border security, build that wall, protect and defend our 2nd Amendment as an NRA life member, and wok to shrink government daily and drain that swamp. I believe I have a conviction from God, to enter this race. I ask that you consider my moral character and conviction above any other experience or attributes. Nothing is more important in selecting our leaders in in the Congress of the United States of America. Our country is engaged in a spiritual battle between the guiding force of moral law and those that are working to remove God from every aspect of our society. We need Christian moral leaders to stand up and fight for the God given rights that our Founding Fathers based our Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. In the creation of this great country God and His laws were relied on to form the greatest founding documents of any country ever formed by men, and thereby the greatest country ever conceived. The United States was formed to be God’s hammer in this world to contain and destroy evil.” Holy shit (almost literally), is there a lot to discuss - I included all of it because every time I thought I’d gotten to the funny/pertinent point, it went on, like a Harry Potter book . First of all, even though you get looney-tune candidates like this and parts of the GOP that always like to nod to the idea of instituting a theocracy, let’s get that out of the way; this is basic civics, First Amendment expressly forbids the idea of instituting a state religion. Speaking of which, even if that were legally possible, whose religion? When he simultaneously restores Jewish and Christian ethics to the schools, will bacon be allowed in those schools? You get a different answer depending on if you go to church on Saturday or Sunday (which is also something different Christian sects have different ideas on). For the purposes of brevity, I’ll have to just say, everyone’s welcome to their own religion, but the institution of a theocracy - while appealing in theory - would be horrific, brutal, and possibly genocidal (I’ll admit I like the idea of communism, in theory, but I’ve seen enough of the results in the real world to know it’s not a good idea). Also, I appreciate his desire to look after Israel, which is always a positive attribute when you’re voting for someone to look after your own country’s interests (I know there’s a tenuous Biblical connection, but, come on, guys, Isarel’s gotta start fending for itself)(the flip side of hat sentiment would be, “We can talk about Israel when every American has a job, home, and healthcare”). And there’s “I believe I have a conviction from God.” We all have convictions, maybe some of them come from God, but most are personal. Unless he means “I believe I have a mission from God.” Which is more grammatically correct, and, compared to the rest, no crazier or dumber. BTW, I feel like I have to put out a disclaimer about religion and say that I don’t really care if you’re religious, or, as long as it’s not hurting anyone to what extent your religion informs policy proposals (and I wouldn’t expect anyone to be able to determine exactly where one ends and the other begins; our minds just aren’t built that way) - there’s a massive difference between that and standing up in the middle of church (let alone Congress) and shouting, “GOD COMMANDS ME TO CAST OUT THE UNWORTHY.” I do like his demand that we judge him exclusively on his faith and not on what he says, does, or anything else that might involve objective reality. Oh, and that bit about “God’s hammer in this world” really upset me when I first read it, and I couldn’t figure why, until I remembered this quote, “ "I am the Flail of God. If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you. “ which is attributed to Genghis Khan (even if you think the temporary stability and increased trade in Asia as a result of the Mongol Empire is awesome, remember that 40-60 million people died due to his campaigns and policies)(the Mongols tended to obliterate cropland, so whoever they didn’t kill usually starved).

Robert Pendleton MD, PhD - Surgeon/Biochemist/Small Businessman/Visual Artist: “ My name is Robert Pendelton Md PhD and I feel a calling to awaken the apathetic and unite disenfranchised moderates. I am an eye-surgeon, biochemist, small businessman, and visual artist, and the K9USA Party is my vision for a better world. K9 is a political party and philosophy of decision-making based upon the attributes of dogs that make “man’s best-friend” so special: Unconditional Love, Simple Needs, and Readiness to Defend. Adapted to national politics, international politics, and our personal lives, these attributes become the nine K9 principles: Socially Progressive, Fiscally Conservative, and militarily prepared (national, Altruistic, Sovereign, and United (international), and Loving, Lean and Strong (personal).2020 Application of K9 Principles yields the “six results” of Tolerance, Security, Health, Happiness, Peace and Freedom. My “2020 Vision” is for the K9USA Party to elect a majority of representatives (50% women) to the United States Congress and Presidency by the year 2020... Donkeys and elephants have failed. It’s time for dogs to lead.” I have only just heard of this man and I love him.

[boythirteen]

Thank you for not being fed up with me. I feel so relieved I think I’ll be docile and sweet now.

I finished writing my sermon today. I was trying to focus on something other than you but still was looking for you in between. This is the sermon if you have time to read it:

From Matthew 21:12-17 12Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”

14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.

16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, ‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?” 17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

This story of the temple riot appears in all 4 gospels. 3 of these stories, from Matthew, Mark, and Luke, occur after Jesus rides the donkey into Jerusalem at Passover, just prior to his death. The story in John, though, seems to occur at an earlier Passover nearer to the beginning of Jesus’s ministry. There is some theological debate as to whether or not Jesus would have behaved this way twice, but differences in the time frames of these stories definitely suggest that he did. I like believing that he did, that there wasn’t just a single occasion of Jesus losing his cool and flipping over things in an over-the-top way that he could later regret and wish he had handled with more poise and polite restraint. Because Jesus didn’t regret what he did at all. He did it again! He chose to do it again, as if to model the correct action to take when confronted with societal structures that oppress people and cast them as less worthy of participation in the fullness of life, less acceptable to God, even. He was saying: Clash with these structures! Turn them upside down! Just like our trans forebears did at Stonewall 50 years ago, like we still have to do today. Because Jesus was also saying that clashing with the ruling class is something that needs to happen more than once—that standing up to oppressive systems is an ongoing struggle—as we are still and again confronting a mounting backlash against our many advances toward justice, as protections for trans people are rescinded and new oppressions enacted on a weekly if not daily basis it seems.

I feel like we’ve been over the significance of the temple cleansing lots of times in many sermons. I’ve even preached about it before, but from the story in John, the one that seems to take place at an earlier Passover than this Matthew story we have today. And in the story from John, Jesus uses an actual whip to drive out the money-changers! BDSM Jesus. A notable aspect of the Matthew story, though, is that it includes children shouting “Hosanna.” I want to talk about that in a minute, but first I need to review the table-turning part and why Jesus was so mad.

Pilgrims came from everywhere to celebrate the Passover. They came to the Temple in Jerusalem because it was the center of their faith—the temple. Not one of many but the single, only one. The money changers were there to exchange the pilgrims’ mostly Roman coins into Jewish ones so they could pay the temple tax and purchase sacrificial animals, since Roman money had the head of Caesar on it, a graven image, and wasn’t permitted in the temple. The money-changers charged a fee for this and made a big profit. Also making a profit were those selling the required animals to use as sacrifices for pleasing God, for receiving atonement and salvation. The doves were the most basic, “bargain” sacrifices for poorer people, most especially widows, but with grossly inflated prices at the dove booths in the Temple (like how movie theaters charge for snacks). And the temple authorities were also getting a cut of this. It was a racket. It was a blatant injustice of over-burdening the poor and enforcing a system of worthiness and access to God’s grace determined by who could literally pay for it. And apart from confronting this injustice, I want to believe that Jesus was also challenging the very notion of animal sacrifice as a necessary step to loving communion with God. I do believe that he meant to uproot this tradition, whether or not in deference to the inherent value of animal life, but simply to remove yet another barrier imposed by an authoritative class to “gate-keep” participation in God’s commonwealth.  Like removing the “3 articles of female clothing” rule requiring lesbians to conform to a gender binary standard of acceptability. The religious authorities of Jesus’s day used religious laws to exert control and assign levels of worthiness and acceptability to God that would secure their place at the top-most level, just as the patriarchal system still in place today uses a socially constructed gender binary to secure its dominance and perpetuate the subjugation of women.

In the temple story, it’s also important to note that certain people, those considered “unclean,” such as the blind and lame and anyone, really, with anything thought to be a “blemish” at all, weren’t allowed to make sacrifices or even come inside the temple, except into the outer courtyard. These were the people Jesus healed after flipping the tables, the injustice Jesus corrected by welcoming the outcasts. They came to him and he healed them, and so rendered them whole and acceptable. But something about this troubles me, because it doesn’t comport with a modern understanding of justice and inclusion. It doesn’t fit that Jesus would need to “heal” people with disabilities in order for them to be “clean” enough to belong, or that the emphasis would be on this literal healing instead of on the innate worth of every child of God regardless of physical differences or any other kinds of differences. The necessity of healing implies that the disabilities are legitimate reasons to ostracize people, and that being considered “whole” is what matters. Of course I know that the concept of “healing” is altogether rooted in loving compassion and the very right instinct to alleviate suffering, but something about healing as a metaphor for inclusion—or as a literal action to accomplish it—feels dismissive of the dignity of people just as they are, however much at odds they are with a societal standard of wellness. The work of social justice is to break down barriers, not “fix” people so that they’ll be acceptable enough to be allowed entry. I think of Jesus working within an unjust system and doing what was necessary to open as many doors as possible to the fullness of life for those who’d been most excluded from it, most bereft of love and support. Jesus knew the strictures of society and was pushing its boundaries to welcome in more and more people. But still, it makes me think of our LGBTQI struggle—how some of our leaders felt that we would be going too far to include trans people in the fight for inclusion and equality, how they said we could ease in the trans people after the less threatening LGB people had achieved respectability. I remember Sylvia Rivera standing in front of our MCCNY congregation in handcuffs and screaming at us that our trans siblings were still sitting at the back of the bus. But now, finally, after 50 years, her role in the ongoing struggle for liberation and justice for our people is being recognized and celebrated worldwide. Transpeople are coming to the forefront in the LGBTQI struggle, with allies clamoring to support us in the face of the Trump administration’s attacks. And we are finally, collectively, realizing and admitting and working to change the fact that trans women of color are the most vulnerable among us, and those we must continue to fight hardest alongside of. And soon there’ll even be a monument in the Village to honor Sylvia and her friend Marsha P. Johnson. Remember the pin Sylvia always wore with Marsha’s picture? This one that I’m wearing today.

And all of this is to say that our vision of justice is something that evolves and grows. Our vision today is bigger than it was 50 years ago, maybe bigger even, than Sylvia’s was, however much we owe to her visionary leadership as our guidance and inspiration. Our vision is bigger than Jesus’s was, as Jesus knew it would be, as Jesus prepared us for by teaching us to flip the tables, and to flip them again and again.

Which brings me to the part about the children singing hosanna, the children who recognized Jesus as having this divine and expansive vision.

The word hosanna is from a Hebrew word meaning “save us,” but in the New Testament, its meaning shifts to become a term of praise or thanksgiving for being saved, or in anticipation of being saved. Here at MCCNY, the message I receive doesn’t really focus on the concept of salvation, though. The good news message isn’t that Jesus, or God, saves us from suffering—from the trials and tribulations of life—but that God is with us through the trials, that we can do all things through God who strengthens us. And that our trials and tribulations are never punishments from God but simply are, and “deliverance” from suffering isn’t a sign of God’s special favor granted to “good” people—that all of us are God’s beloved no matter what befalls us or uplifts us. That none of us need to be “saved” or “fixed” or “healed” in order to be beloved and worthy—we simply are beloved and worthy. So the significance of Jesus “healing” people isn’t about a literal, physical healing to make someone “whole,” but is about providing opportunities for ostracized people to belong and so to experience a sense of worthiness—for them to begin to believe in themselves as beloved. To begin to be their truest selves, our truest selves, the beloved children of God. So what we need to be healed of isn’t our difference or divergence from what society considers ideal, but our inability to believe in ourselves, just as we are, as worthy and beloved children of God.

So “hosanna” is an expression of thanksgiving for the experience of worthiness, for the opportunity to practice belief in ourselves as beloved.

That children are expressing this, or that they’re the ones in this story who recognize what Jesus is advocating, feels important to me. It stands out as something unique to Matthew’s telling of the temple cleansing story, a part that has special significance. So what is it about children that’s special?

I think of children as being the most innately aware of who they naturally are. Children haven’t yet been imprinted by society to doubt their belovedness. They haven’t yet been sucked into systemic structures that rank people according to social constructs—these constructs having been invented by a ruling class to subjugate people and erode their belief in themselves, that force them to conform or be outcast. Children haven’t yet been warped by this in order to survive it. And as much as children were among the most marginalized group in Jesus’s day, (and still are in our country today—being ripped from their families and thrown into detention camps, being vulnerable to all manner of abuse, being stripped of healthcare and supportive services) they remained and continue to remain themselves, the models of how best to engage with God, to “become like little children.” Because children naturally resist society’s efforts to mold them into something other than who they truly are.

I have at home a big photo of myself as a child, a little girl then, maybe 2 years old. I’m wearing a frilly dress, probably a pink dress but the photo is black and white. I’m smiling a little, enough to make for a presentable photo of a sweet little girl. But the story I was told about this photo and others was that I pitched a screaming fit and had to be placated to sit still and vaguely smile. What I didn’t want, what I remember so vehemently resisting throughout my entire childhood, was to wear the frilly dress. I can’t imagine that, as a 2 year old, I understood too much about gender roles or how being forced to wear a frilly dress was constricting me into a false identity of “girl.” But still I knew that something was happening to me that meant to take away my freedom to be who I truly was, who was a child who wasn’t at all a girl as society defined it.  And I resisted this with all my might until I just didn’t anymore, when I became a teenager with a maturing body I didn’t want, a frightening and terrible (to me) female body I felt was so horribly betraying me but didn’t know how to make stop. It took me until I was well into my adulthood, after years of waywardness and self-destructive behaviors, self-hatred and drug addiction and self-neglect, to come to a place where I could begin to learn to be myself, to become as a child. This church was where I found the opportunity to experience myself as worthy. It’s where I learned about transitioning—that it was even a possible thing for me to do. It’s where I felt loved and supported enough to actually do it.

Which is another thing about children— their absolute reliance on the support of others. When I was first thinking through how to write this sermon, I got stuck on this part, the need that children have to be taken care of. Because I was thinking of Stonewall, of Sylvia and the others being outrageously themselves, how this was their expression of worthiness in defiance of all that society had tried to imprint on them to tame and control them, how much like wild children they were who just didn’t care what society dictated. And the idea of them needing to be taken care of didn’t seem to fit with this image of courageous defiance and unbridled freedom.

It did fit, though. It does fit, but first I need to talk about “Gentleman Jack.”

Did any of you watch the series on HBO called “Gentleman Jack?” The season is over now but I’m sure there’s a way to see it even if you don’t have HBO. You need to watch it! Miss Lister, the main character, will remind you of Rev. Pat and it will be great! But without giving away too much of the story, it’s about a remarkable lesbian in England at the onset of the industrial revolution. She strides through the show just busting down barriers and brashly confronting the patriarchy at every turn, sometimes with exuberant joy and other times grim determination. She’s also heart-breakingly sensitive. And she was an actual person. She seems to fall in love kind of easily and overwhelmingly, too, as I hear lesbians are wont to do. But there’s a part where she’s fallen in love with someone and wants her loved one to live with her as her wife. She proposes, even, but with the understanding that society won’t know, or won’t explicitly know, what their union truly is. They’ll just be “companions,” because the vision of justice hasn’t yet expanded enough to begin the fight for marriage equality. But this isn’t what struck me, really. What happened was that Miss Lister’s love interest, Anne, who was fully in love with Miss Lister and unafraid to profess this to her, still remained deeply afraid to shake off the strictures of society, particularly the religious ones, and was sent into a kind of self-pitying panic over Miss Lister’s proposal. I just wanted to shake her and drag her to a service at MCC. Miss Lister, too, seemed to want to do this. On more than one occasion, Miss Lister asked Ann why she thought so little of herself. In other words, why she couldn’t believe in herself as worthy. And Anne said she almost could when she was with Miss Lister. Or, in other words, when she felt cared for and supported and could draw strength from the support. Because Anne needed to be taken care of. She just didn’t yet feel real enough or worthy enough to give in to that need and believe that it would be met.

So maybe needing to be taken care of and supported is part of being our realest, truest selves. The trans warriors at Stonewall weren’t just confronting the unjust barriers to their very existence, they were insisting, like Sylvia was in church, that their existence had precious value, that they needed and deserved to be taken care of and supported, not simply named but honored and attended to, and with “names better than sons and daughters.” And this insistence on being cared for and supported is part, maybe the crucial part, of believing in ourselves as beloved children of God­—that we believe in ourselves as worthy of loving attention. That we consider this a given. That being healed means this. I think of the people who came to Jesus for healing, the ones who believed that he would heal them, that they were worthy of healing. And Jesus telling them that their faith made them well, which was to say that their belief in themselves as worthy and deserving of healing is what facilitated the healing, which was their embodiment of their truest selves as beloved and worthy children of God.

So faith, even, is a manifestation of being our truest selves. It’s like a perfect little sphere. Faith is what we have in order to have faith. Being our truest selves is what we do in order to be our truest selves. It’s like a spiritual mysticism that is now beginning to surpass my ability to define it, except to say that being our truest selves is mysterious and important and powerful and seems to be the crux of everything!

But to bring it back to earth, the Old Testament reading from Esther is about this, too—about Esther being her truest self as a representative of her people, the Jewish people, to secure their deliverance from destruction. About being her truest self “at such a time as this” in defiance of protocol and established norms, like the trans warriors did at Stonewall. Because being our truest selves is also a social responsibility, a way to secure freedom for others to be their truest selves, which is maybe the most practical part that we can apply right here, right now on the 50th Anniversary of Stonewall.  

Because if our social responsibility of being our truest selves requires that we defy the social proscriptions that force us into identities and behaviors that just aren’t who we truly are, then the point is to insist on a different world where we won’t have to wear the false identities to survive, won’t have to rise up and flip over the tables to make pathways for our siblings to experience belonging and wholeness, won’t have to find our way back to being as little children but will simply get to be them the whole time, for our whole lives. Like Sylvia and Marsha and all the trans forebears were doing with their tactical chorus line at Stonewall, and so were paving the way for all of us to get to do. Like we’re all doing right now, just being our needy gay selves at church.

Amen

[batterymonster2021]

The 1 Bitcoin Show- VanEck SolidX ETF, Bank for International Settlements, Unbanked

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/the-1-bitcoin-show-vaneck-solidx-etf-bank-for-international-settlements-unbanked-2/

The 1 Bitcoin Show- VanEck SolidX ETF, Bank for International Settlements, Unbanked

Whats up everybody that is adam meister the bitcoinmeister the disrupt meister welcome to the one bitcoin exhibit today is January the twenty first 2019 worth your wealth in Bitcoin powerful hand ancient you offended with the aid of selling be a distinct beast uncomplicated Bowl holder of last resort that’s that’s me you already know I’ve bought a powerful hand i’m now not letting go of my Bitcoin and i simply need to give a boost to that once more everyday I say powerful hand everyday of my life I say strong hand it can be freaking incredible and i would like you guys to assert the same factor to get those palms powerful to know that one Bitcoin equals one Bitcoin who cares what’s worth in bucks but we’re gonna speak about that in a 2nd i don’t traditionally speak about things like that when you consider that one Bitcoin he was once one Bitcoin check out the hyperlinks beneath the whole lot I speak about in this video is linked to below anybody in the chat Mike he introduced up a subject in the chat proper earlier than the exhibit went are living and i stated now i am now not gonna speak about that for a at the same time and then I was like what the heck you brought it up i am gonna talk about it so i’m gonna talk about that field later within the show and that i didn’t even plan to talk about it tonight what’s it you can see in a 2d all proper I also want to say wait wait wait grasp on hang on dangle on oh yeah thank you for the etherium traditional that used to be despatched to me on November the 30th and thanks for the – that was once sent to me on January first I just realised these coins had been despatched to me all of my crypto addresses are linked to beneath hi there simply considering that I get them for free doesn’t suggest I say to buy them ok humans don’t get careworn I simply have some talk to hear all cash listed considering the fact that persons prefer to given the meat and that’s very high-quality of them to aid the exhibit that means I best buy Bitcoin baby I value my wealth in Bitcoin however yeah I’ve obtained any other all coins listed down there that you could check it out this rock ledge calm tech ball calm follow me on Twitter at Tech ball Tec HP alt k speaking about Twitter and so Lindner has a tweet available in the market i really like this tweet little one it says good good out of date markets are closed at present for a US national excursion Bitcoin is open 24/7 365 a truly world and impartial financial procedure yeah yeah on at the present time in the USA quite a lot of things are closed it is Martin Luther King Day and you know that is simply the best way that’s the way in which the country works there’s federal vacation trips and Bitcoin has no vacations there aren’t any days off here in Israel there it was once a holiday today true b’shvat to Misrata have a good time timber no person’s awful to b’shvat although it is no longer like a devout holiday it can be adore it’s a contemporary excursion we used to sing a tune in a Jewish day college it was once about to be spot I forgot it pal that like button if you happen to went to Jewish day college all right however go back to an cilinder of path yeah the markets are closed with MLK Day Bitcoin Oh No Bitcoin takes no days off within the identify of Bitcoin what extra within the identify of Bitcoin in the title of Bitcoin what extra within the name of Bitcoin does each person get that reference you know that tune anyway yes sir in these days is i am k Twitter a further Twitter tweet here the van X strong this is from who is it Jake definite Vince key did he go to the same day institution that I went to pound out like however no all correct so then the van X solid X Bitcoin ETF vote won’t be routinely approved simply for the reason that the USA government is shut down I’ve noticeable plenty of confusion and misinformation about how the shutdown affects the SEC and its system for dealing with its yet proposals i’ll are attempting to give an explanation for it right here ok he is bought a giant thread about this people if you’re kidding ok the government shutdown is great all of us can admit that it can be extraordinary but however I mean it simply proves that we do not want any of these executive workers however do not get your the final supposedly the final day that they may be able to they have got to come up with determination with the aid of February 27th but what if the federal government still shutdown he goes into fine element into this but guys don’t get your hopes up for February twenty seventh they’re Liebherr me they can make up their possess principles they might say oh no we considering the fact that there used to be a government shutdown we could prolong it even more or it’s accredited for one day and then we’re going to now not approve it on the 28th I mean they are able to do some thing so do not put these dudes on pedestals it just happened that in the news today or once I was looking over Twitter I used to be reminded of all these phrases that like get each person charged up van eck stable ex etf oh my god do not don’t go to crazy humans do not go too loopy examine out that thread don’t go too crazy oh this is an additional one bank of worldwide Settlements that’s what uh or bank for global Settlements each person likes to claim they may be the devil and that they are the reason of all their problems and bitcoin will burn them to the ground who cares about them however someone you do care about them and so they got here out with some document in these days past the Doomsday economics of proof of work in crypto currencies and here is a quote as a consequence the current technological know-how appears unlikely to switch the present fiscal and fiscal infrastructure alternatively the question is instead how the technology might complement current arrangements all proper bis doesn’t like Bitcoin Wow what a shock they may be gonna ruin things that are not the finest about Bitcoin what a shock it can be not gonna change anything i don’t believe they even care they don’t really care yet I doubt they may nonetheless be ready to dot some thing they dominate they may still be ready to dominate with bitcoins then we’ll all be in a position to be pleased the eighty percenters can be in bank of worldwide core for international settlement land and we can be in the Bitcoin overlay every body may also be happy simply since they are saying Bitcoin is is horrible or isn’t that quality anything this report says does not imply some thing don’t put them on a pedestal don’t panic do not go too loopy when you consider that you feel February 27th is gonna be the day of the huge factor ETF considering that in would now not be until 2020 the federal government could make up excuses do not provide you with your possess excuses by placing i’m out twisting two reviews collectively right here by the way they had nothing to do with yet another don’t put the financial institution for international that’s one pedestal always uh do not be scared and say Oh what used to be me although they’ll manage Bitcoin and the federal government’s are managed Bitcoin these unelected monetary coverage makers will manage Bitcoin that manipulate that the bank you realize they manage the important financial institution in order that they manipulate the world though they don’t not I mean when you suppose in Bitcoin you should not supply it the artwork about what the bank of the entire web the entire principal bank’s says or does or anyway you realize persons humans phase reason I do the exhibit or whatever some thing that I repeat on the exhibit over over once more we put some of these better associations on and persons on these pedestals and simply blow them out of percentage and that’s what they need that is what they want you have your own power you’ve gotten your possess vigour and bitcoin is the expression of that vigor all proper you might be elite do not you know that’s the object i love i love the word elite i have been making movies with elite in them since 2015 once I mentioned when you own ten Bitcoin you are gonna be part of the elite used to be I proper or used to be I proper we will see we will see 2020 Bitcoin having little one however he is various persons complain I can’t have enough money to a massive coin now again then once I was pronouncing buy ten Bitcoin it could handiest price like three thousand dollars once more the place 4 thousand bucks get ten whole instead of now plus what forty thousand 5 however the factor is you are elite already if you are into Bitcoin and you’re in the mindset the place you don’t worry about bank financial institution for worldwide Settlements or you do not fear when the ETF is going to be approved considering you recognize the ETF is gonna be you realize eventually they may come allow them to come that they’ll be let all of the folks piling in be later than you the folks waiting for that sign oh i’m simply waiting for the for the primary Bitcoin TT then i will get in there or that’s how i will own my tremendous factor via these yet you might have acquired in there earlier than then you definitely were elite however but you some persons in the market known as envied elites these mysterious your lids who’ve all this insider understanding with the financial institution for international Settlements and who understand when the they knows their den they may be the people who comprehend what day SEC is gonna show they are acquaintances with the SEC they manage the SEC yeah definite these are the magical elite the magic will eat that ruined your existence proper no you ruined your life and yeah and it is no longer smash though you have been elite you were elite should you about massive point all proper talking about elite Dennis Zen tanks he’s obtained a tweet out there he suggests the Coinstar ATM it’s already in action that you can get the the big decoy that you would be able to get the significant coin out of the coin famous person machine I mentioned it the previous day you set in some money and out comes a bit of paper where you i suppose it is acquired a code on it and but you type it into the laptop and you get your Bitcoin the thing that I found intriguing concerning the video and maybe you’ll be able to be advised and well there may be a twenty five hundred greenback limit on how much you could put into the machine and get Bitcoin out that’s excellent it’s just right in two days you can have virtually two giant one in in the future you’ll have almost one Bitcoin however the point the object that form of weirded me out a little bit bit 4% transaction cost ouch so yeah if you’re like some average dude and which you can just buy via coinbase then good and you do not care about kyc if you happen to care about are you able to I see then that 4% is low-cost i suppose considering that i don’t believe there’s a lot kyc on that coin celebrity desktop also I mean once more if you’re so Guatemalan in los angeles you are simply seeking to ship twenty 5 hundred greenbacks that you just made cleansing the fresh Prince of Bel Harris house well then you are gonna you’re gonna take he’s gonna provide you with a twenty five hundred bucks recent prints will spend he’s gonna give you 2,500 bucks you’re gonna go go over to East Hollywood put it in up in the computing device after which you are gonna send your cousin Guatemala the twenty five hundred in a word you must pay a 4 percent rate but but you you bought a defer gratification you inform your cousin in Guatemala you realize one brother cousin sister you you are not able to do not convert this into Guatemalan pesos for a whilst wait wait except it goes up in ten percent price and there you go to you obtained in a position or 4 percentage proper identical to that or simply worth your wealth and bitcoin one value your wealth in bitcoin Juan in Guatemala you’ll be able to learn to you will seem you will grow to be convenient you’ll get you can get the heck out of Guatemala whenever you begin realizing that little one all correct I mean no offense to Guatemala plenty of men and women looking to get to Guatemala the USA it sounds as if from what I saw in a MacArthur Park city that like button if you already know MacArthur Park subject of los angeles there may be a subway discontinue there pound that like button should you’ve definitely been on the subway in l. A. I’ve been on what’s pounding that like button in view that no person’s absolutely been on my own subway in la apart from me i am severe i don’t suppose anybody from la absolutely goes the men and women who travel the subway Lausanne simply aren’t at first from los angeles whats up there men and women these Vitali girls they don’t even comprehend there’s a subway in los angeles I seriously i do know any person a feminine from will say she recognize a difference when subway mild rail some thing’s out there it is the sort of car culture out there however there is some ways first-class and also you when you are on the subway let’s and simply you’re like well what if there used to be a big earthquake now good that is just life you believe about it although big apple you don’t consider about that you think about like what is that man like what’s that losing a man’s face that is what you believe about a bit of on the brand new York subway all correct so i like the los angeles relatively higher in the ny subway cleaner Oh what else do we’ve got right here oh and in addition Dennis says he is acquired a tweet out there and i mentioned this earlier than nevertheless it’s a appeal and i know a few of you some of you like fancy sets in photographs so examine out Dennis is a chart here it says Bitcoin every year fiat Lowe’s and again you’ll discover it can be it is goes up each year basically the low for the yr in Fiat just look at that that o for those who if you are getting a vulnerable hand you’re getting these Fiat blues simply assess out this chart that I Dennis tweet it out its link to beneath o.K. So it was once who used to be it Michael I believe within the chat in the past he is like and that i believe any individual else has brought this up to me before there is a crypto dividend I was once is it going to be a it is going to be an airdrop i guess be hats let’s just call or not it’s hex i’m no longer linking it to linking to it under because the man in the back of it was once like this enormous Bitcoin man and then at some point he like started getting depressed and said you liked the idea um and that i think this is going to be an ER C 20 token enough you realize what I went to the web page which is not linked to under and um and it doesn’t have an effortless signup yet and again this is just a cult of character the man behind you um it’s all these individuals who’re gonna you’re at the back of his cult a man or woman out he’s acquired a man or woman it’s funny um what’s his face down in a Miami did an expose on the man at the back of B hex um let’s say I came to do his name in Miami tones pal in Miami hurry what stones for he is to not be warned towards what’s it dude in Miami’s identify Chris throws yeah to Rose who surely may also be very obnoxious normally however whatever that’s that is his industry he he really he did an expose on the guy in the back of B hats and i do not know how anybody I mean that is just a short-term reminiscence of everyone in the within the area how any one can get at the back of and like like like he says he appears pretty nontoxic after you understand knowing what everyone is aware of and see you recognize saw the guy go from this being this enormous Bitcoin evangelist to love someday like being better when Bitcoin went down like he acquired into he is talking to thought up his I co this the other and and and then when Chris exposes the shadiness of the dudes earlier yet men and women are still like normally fine anything his private obligations of latest counterculture so with the be hex would i purchase any of it no no method of course last things of the sector I not ever purchase now if it used to be unwell if i don’t have got to provide any personal knowledge if it can be an convenient airdrop which has not been demonstrated once more you are not able to just go to the website and do the whole lot that you did with bit core or or be rhodium what is the heck if that is there yeah i’ll signal up earlier than if i’m not giving freely private know-how about it myself and yeah i’ll get it at no cost and yeah i’ll dump it for Bitcoin there is all these men and women available in the market get in the back of that dude’s cult of character I imply some thing you go you he is man or woman response factor you worship the guy pump up the value of this coin that he’s making for himself and his buddies or whoever and then out get it totally free i’m going to promote it i’ll profit off of you worse should bring him to so pleasant do what you are gonna do I mean precisely but so yeah that’s now not that is my feeling on be heck’s good good fortune just right good fortune if I get it without cost i’m hoping it is valued at rather a lot whatever however I mean the reason it’s going to be a valued at line is that this really a rationale is considering persons have tremendously quick-time period reminiscences in this space extremely brief term it is just amazing oh yeah forgive and fail to remember like I mean so yeah it can be funny Andy Hoffman used to be speakme about about be tax and he just he casually stated I have no idea anything about this however this is an possibility and in there like and he’s like the guy at the back of it has quite a lot of followers so surely you know again the all these cash are founded on you know the way a lot advertising they get I mean gonna get me there nothing what what are they over there going all these gimmicks what’s the B hex gimmick it’s five specific matters or hexagon is hexagon six exceptional things yeah hexagon six exclusive matters but the point is that this and i do not even understand if that is why it is called be hex but so yeah and the Andy had a tweet tweet about that and the motive I think about Andy Andy then additionally had a tweet about you understand he’s announcing that does some persons are pronouncing and he’s destroying his popularity although you will see Andy’s tweeted for himself the humorous thing is is you realize for those who believe Andy’s destroyed his status in a yr or here every body forgets about it anyway that’s the best way it works if you idea when you consider Andy’s accomplished some thing incorrect to you or some thing you’re most likely 80% of you’ll overlook about in a 12 months anyway it can be so humorous how things work on the crypt of house there’s so many individuals I get it and i’m not pronouncing Andy did whatever there break his fame if Andy was pronouncing in between you check out auntie’s tweet your self and also you see what he used to be pronouncing however i’ve noticeable people like um good the man the man tone used to at all times say used to be a stammer who’s behind he’s at the back of me oh she was at the back of steam it he used to be behind some thing before steam it and all people keeps on forgetting that the guy received moves from task the assignment it is just so Wow how things work in this house how short-term memories reminiscence is like yeah yeah he will not go away the undertaking this time he’s in no way left the mission he leaves a buddy assembly all proper status in crypto no person cares about reputations in crypto i’m no longer gonna say the pound i am like bummed on the grounds that of which have conviction stampers on me stand for some thing and as each person is aware of I stand for the robust hand through thick and skinny strong fruity hand my message hasn’t changed when the rate went down I did not start announcing oh i’m gonna need to ICO now i am the etherium bitcoins horrible but no that’s no longer me i do not exchange my intellect now I received into this since I knew this used to be the object child I knew this used to be gonna progressive revolutionize the world similar to similar to the internet identical to once I was a youth a yute and i could not I used to be too young to make cash off the internet and all that stuff as a formative years I knew that the internet used to be gonna change the sector and thank Hashem i’m round to look anything even better than the web come alongside and then he is Bitcoin it can be now not ICO it is not aetherium it’s no longer be hex so I received a strong hand for Bitcoin and if you are gonna supply me crypto dividends off the Bitcoin that I could flip in a bit of extra Bitcoin then thanks okay continuing accra moon has a show yeah all of that was once thoroughly unplanned since an individual says speak about BX all correct i can do matters like that speak like that just all right so hacker noon they’ve had this article’s been out for a while but it took me a at the same time to read it Bitcoin for the unbanked how mesh and microfinance would end poverty as we know it and you know this is one other a kind of phrases the unbanked the unbanked India continues getting thrown out there the unbent the financial institution of global Settlements Bitcoin ETF the unbagging i’m banking i am backed good then it can be a excellent story it is a theory on how bad persons in Africa can get Bitcoin what I quite preferred about it is this torch anything referred to as a torch it takes solar power and you can plug into the torch and you get electrical power in the middle of in the center of nowhere I suggestion that used to be the greater story in administrative center you know and there may be a variety of technical sophistication in the back of this story the way you gonna get the mesh community and the torch they usually shouldn’t have electrical power they would not have internet within the middle of the sub-saharan Africa and so are they gonna go to all these steps just to get a microloan I have no idea possibly this is foreign future I’ve learn the article which you could learn the article you could decide on your possess in the end the Bitcoin rabbi I’ve recounted him before he is from the equal part of the united states that i’m i am no longer going to provide away an excessive amount of expertise I do not know if he makes that public or now not he does not reside there now but the Bitcoin rabbi he’s gonna be on bit Stein and Pierre row shards show in 4:00 p.M.Eastern which i suppose is in forty five minutes that’s the famous podcast and so that’s cool I’ve really not ever spoke heard the voice of the Bitcoin rabbi earlier than we’ve got despatched DMS aback and he is a he is a just right man and so hi there they may be interviewing the UH have the absolute privilege of interviewing the Bitcoin rabbi put up sec of the bitcoin community well that is high-quality bit stein has been on that this week in Bitcoin show a very long time ago like a year ago so but assess out the famous podcast it can be linked to under and maybe big coin ribeye is watching this correct now I do not know he or he’s prepping to be on their show proper now i suppose all proper that is or not it’s in motion men and women discovered that like button bang a bell button click on on these squares there i am adam meister the bitcoinmeister the disrupt meister don’t forget to subscribe this channel like this video this video examine out the links section below i’ll see you guys within the chat soon follow me a decent ball tch be alt and bitcoinmeister on steam it bye bye

[airoasis]

The 1 Bitcoin Show- VanEck SolidX ETF, Bank for International Settlements, Unbanked

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/the-1-bitcoin-show-vaneck-solidx-etf-bank-for-international-settlements-unbanked-2/

The 1 Bitcoin Show- VanEck SolidX ETF, Bank for International Settlements, Unbanked

Whats up everybody that is adam meister the bitcoinmeister the disrupt meister welcome to the one bitcoin exhibit today is January the twenty first 2019 worth your wealth in Bitcoin powerful hand ancient you offended with the aid of selling be a distinct beast uncomplicated Bowl holder of last resort that’s that’s me you already know I’ve bought a powerful hand i’m now not letting go of my Bitcoin and i simply need to give a boost to that once more everyday I say powerful hand everyday of my life I say strong hand it can be freaking incredible and i would like you guys to assert the same factor to get those palms powerful to know that one Bitcoin equals one Bitcoin who cares what’s worth in bucks but we’re gonna speak about that in a 2nd i don’t traditionally speak about things like that when you consider that one Bitcoin he was once one Bitcoin check out the hyperlinks beneath the whole lot I speak about in this video is linked to below anybody in the chat Mike he introduced up a subject in the chat proper earlier than the exhibit went are living and i stated now i am now not gonna speak about that for a at the same time and then I was like what the heck you brought it up i am gonna talk about it so i’m gonna talk about that field later within the show and that i didn’t even plan to talk about it tonight what’s it you can see in a 2d all proper I also want to say wait wait wait grasp on hang on dangle on oh yeah thank you for the etherium traditional that used to be despatched to me on November the 30th and thanks for the – that was once sent to me on January first I just realised these coins had been despatched to me all of my crypto addresses are linked to beneath hi there simply considering that I get them for free doesn’t suggest I say to buy them ok humans don’t get careworn I simply have some talk to hear all cash listed considering the fact that persons prefer to given the meat and that’s very high-quality of them to aid the exhibit that means I best buy Bitcoin baby I value my wealth in Bitcoin however yeah I’ve obtained any other all coins listed down there that you could check it out this rock ledge calm tech ball calm follow me on Twitter at Tech ball Tec HP alt k speaking about Twitter and so Lindner has a tweet available in the market i really like this tweet little one it says good good out of date markets are closed at present for a US national excursion Bitcoin is open 24/7 365 a truly world and impartial financial procedure yeah yeah on at the present time in the USA quite a lot of things are closed it is Martin Luther King Day and you know that is simply the best way that’s the way in which the country works there’s federal vacation trips and Bitcoin has no vacations there aren’t any days off here in Israel there it was once a holiday today true b’shvat to Misrata have a good time timber no person’s awful to b’shvat although it is no longer like a devout holiday it can be adore it’s a contemporary excursion we used to sing a tune in a Jewish day college it was once about to be spot I forgot it pal that like button if you happen to went to Jewish day college all right however go back to an cilinder of path yeah the markets are closed with MLK Day Bitcoin Oh No Bitcoin takes no days off within the identify of Bitcoin what extra within the identify of Bitcoin in the title of Bitcoin what extra within the name of Bitcoin does each person get that reference you know that tune anyway yes sir in these days is i am k Twitter a further Twitter tweet here the van X strong this is from who is it Jake definite Vince key did he go to the same day institution that I went to pound out like however no all correct so then the van X solid X Bitcoin ETF vote won’t be routinely approved simply for the reason that the USA government is shut down I’ve noticeable plenty of confusion and misinformation about how the shutdown affects the SEC and its system for dealing with its yet proposals i’ll are attempting to give an explanation for it right here ok he is bought a giant thread about this people if you’re kidding ok the government shutdown is great all of us can admit that it can be extraordinary but however I mean it simply proves that we do not want any of these executive workers however do not get your the final supposedly the final day that they may be able to they have got to come up with determination with the aid of February 27th but what if the federal government still shutdown he goes into fine element into this but guys don’t get your hopes up for February twenty seventh they’re Liebherr me they can make up their possess principles they might say oh no we considering the fact that there used to be a government shutdown we could prolong it even more or it’s accredited for one day and then we’re going to now not approve it on the 28th I mean they are able to do some thing so do not put these dudes on pedestals it just happened that in the news today or once I was looking over Twitter I used to be reminded of all these phrases that like get each person charged up van eck stable ex etf oh my god do not don’t go to crazy humans do not go too loopy examine out that thread don’t go too crazy oh this is an additional one bank of worldwide Settlements that’s what uh or bank for global Settlements each person likes to claim they may be the devil and that they are the reason of all their problems and bitcoin will burn them to the ground who cares about them however someone you do care about them and so they got here out with some document in these days past the Doomsday economics of proof of work in crypto currencies and here is a quote as a consequence the current technological know-how appears unlikely to switch the present fiscal and fiscal infrastructure alternatively the question is instead how the technology might complement current arrangements all proper bis doesn’t like Bitcoin Wow what a shock they may be gonna ruin things that are not the finest about Bitcoin what a shock it can be not gonna change anything i don’t believe they even care they don’t really care yet I doubt they may nonetheless be ready to dot some thing they dominate they may still be ready to dominate with bitcoins then we’ll all be in a position to be pleased the eighty percenters can be in bank of worldwide core for international settlement land and we can be in the Bitcoin overlay every body may also be happy simply since they are saying Bitcoin is is horrible or isn’t that quality anything this report says does not imply some thing don’t put them on a pedestal don’t panic do not go too loopy when you consider that you feel February 27th is gonna be the day of the huge factor ETF considering that in would now not be until 2020 the federal government could make up excuses do not provide you with your possess excuses by placing i’m out twisting two reviews collectively right here by the way they had nothing to do with yet another don’t put the financial institution for international that’s one pedestal always uh do not be scared and say Oh what used to be me although they’ll manage Bitcoin and the federal government’s are managed Bitcoin these unelected monetary coverage makers will manage Bitcoin that manipulate that the bank you realize they manage the important financial institution in order that they manipulate the world though they don’t not I mean when you suppose in Bitcoin you should not supply it the artwork about what the bank of the entire web the entire principal bank’s says or does or anyway you realize persons humans phase reason I do the exhibit or whatever some thing that I repeat on the exhibit over over once more we put some of these better associations on and persons on these pedestals and simply blow them out of percentage and that’s what they need that is what they want you have your own power you’ve gotten your possess vigour and bitcoin is the expression of that vigor all proper you might be elite do not you know that’s the object i love i love the word elite i have been making movies with elite in them since 2015 once I mentioned when you own ten Bitcoin you are gonna be part of the elite used to be I proper or used to be I proper we will see we will see 2020 Bitcoin having little one however he is various persons complain I can’t have enough money to a massive coin now again then once I was pronouncing buy ten Bitcoin it could handiest price like three thousand dollars once more the place 4 thousand bucks get ten whole instead of now plus what forty thousand 5 however the factor is you are elite already if you are into Bitcoin and you’re in the mindset the place you don’t worry about bank financial institution for worldwide Settlements or you do not fear when the ETF is going to be approved considering you recognize the ETF is gonna be you realize eventually they may come allow them to come that they’ll be let all of the folks piling in be later than you the folks waiting for that sign oh i’m simply waiting for the for the primary Bitcoin TT then i will get in there or that’s how i will own my tremendous factor via these yet you might have acquired in there earlier than then you definitely were elite however but you some persons in the market known as envied elites these mysterious your lids who’ve all this insider understanding with the financial institution for international Settlements and who understand when the they knows their den they may be the people who comprehend what day SEC is gonna show they are acquaintances with the SEC they manage the SEC yeah definite these are the magical elite the magic will eat that ruined your existence proper no you ruined your life and yeah and it is no longer smash though you have been elite you were elite should you about massive point all proper talking about elite Dennis Zen tanks he’s obtained a tweet out there he suggests the Coinstar ATM it’s already in action that you can get the the big decoy that you would be able to get the significant coin out of the coin famous person machine I mentioned it the previous day you set in some money and out comes a bit of paper where you i suppose it is acquired a code on it and but you type it into the laptop and you get your Bitcoin the thing that I found intriguing concerning the video and maybe you’ll be able to be advised and well there may be a twenty five hundred greenback limit on how much you could put into the machine and get Bitcoin out that’s excellent it’s just right in two days you can have virtually two giant one in in the future you’ll have almost one Bitcoin however the point the object that form of weirded me out a little bit bit 4% transaction cost ouch so yeah if you’re like some average dude and which you can just buy via coinbase then good and you do not care about kyc if you happen to care about are you able to I see then that 4% is low-cost i suppose considering that i don’t believe there’s a lot kyc on that coin celebrity desktop also I mean once more if you’re so Guatemalan in los angeles you are simply seeking to ship twenty 5 hundred greenbacks that you just made cleansing the fresh Prince of Bel Harris house well then you are gonna you’re gonna take he’s gonna provide you with a twenty five hundred bucks recent prints will spend he’s gonna give you 2,500 bucks you’re gonna go go over to East Hollywood put it in up in the computing device after which you are gonna send your cousin Guatemala the twenty five hundred in a word you must pay a 4 percent rate but but you you bought a defer gratification you inform your cousin in Guatemala you realize one brother cousin sister you you are not able to do not convert this into Guatemalan pesos for a whilst wait wait except it goes up in ten percent price and there you go to you obtained in a position or 4 percentage proper identical to that or simply worth your wealth and bitcoin one value your wealth in bitcoin Juan in Guatemala you’ll be able to learn to you will seem you will grow to be convenient you’ll get you can get the heck out of Guatemala whenever you begin realizing that little one all correct I mean no offense to Guatemala plenty of men and women looking to get to Guatemala the USA it sounds as if from what I saw in a MacArthur Park city that like button if you already know MacArthur Park subject of los angeles there may be a subway discontinue there pound that like button should you’ve definitely been on the subway in l. A. I’ve been on what’s pounding that like button in view that no person’s absolutely been on my own subway in la apart from me i am severe i don’t suppose anybody from la absolutely goes the men and women who travel the subway Lausanne simply aren’t at first from los angeles whats up there men and women these Vitali girls they don’t even comprehend there’s a subway in los angeles I seriously i do know any person a feminine from will say she recognize a difference when subway mild rail some thing’s out there it is the sort of car culture out there however there is some ways first-class and also you when you are on the subway let’s and simply you’re like well what if there used to be a big earthquake now good that is just life you believe about it although big apple you don’t consider about that you think about like what is that man like what’s that losing a man’s face that is what you believe about a bit of on the brand new York subway all correct so i like the los angeles relatively higher in the ny subway cleaner Oh what else do we’ve got right here oh and in addition Dennis says he is acquired a tweet out there and i mentioned this earlier than nevertheless it’s a appeal and i know a few of you some of you like fancy sets in photographs so examine out Dennis is a chart here it says Bitcoin every year fiat Lowe’s and again you’ll discover it can be it is goes up each year basically the low for the yr in Fiat just look at that that o for those who if you are getting a vulnerable hand you’re getting these Fiat blues simply assess out this chart that I Dennis tweet it out its link to beneath o.K. So it was once who used to be it Michael I believe within the chat in the past he is like and that i believe any individual else has brought this up to me before there is a crypto dividend I was once is it going to be a it is going to be an airdrop i guess be hats let’s just call or not it’s hex i’m no longer linking it to linking to it under because the man in the back of it was once like this enormous Bitcoin man and then at some point he like started getting depressed and said you liked the idea um and that i think this is going to be an ER C 20 token enough you realize what I went to the web page which is not linked to under and um and it doesn’t have an effortless signup yet and again this is just a cult of character the man behind you um it’s all these individuals who’re gonna you’re at the back of his cult a man or woman out he’s acquired a man or woman it’s funny um what’s his face down in a Miami did an expose on the man at the back of B hex um let’s say I came to do his name in Miami tones pal in Miami hurry what stones for he is to not be warned towards what’s it dude in Miami’s identify Chris throws yeah to Rose who surely may also be very obnoxious normally however whatever that’s that is his industry he he really he did an expose on the guy in the back of B hats and i do not know how anybody I mean that is just a short-term reminiscence of everyone in the within the area how any one can get at the back of and like like like he says he appears pretty nontoxic after you understand knowing what everyone is aware of and see you recognize saw the guy go from this being this enormous Bitcoin evangelist to love someday like being better when Bitcoin went down like he acquired into he is talking to thought up his I co this the other and and and then when Chris exposes the shadiness of the dudes earlier yet men and women are still like normally fine anything his private obligations of latest counterculture so with the be hex would i purchase any of it no no method of course last things of the sector I not ever purchase now if it used to be unwell if i don’t have got to provide any personal knowledge if it can be an convenient airdrop which has not been demonstrated once more you are not able to just go to the website and do the whole lot that you did with bit core or or be rhodium what is the heck if that is there yeah i’ll signal up earlier than if i’m not giving freely private know-how about it myself and yeah i’ll get it at no cost and yeah i’ll dump it for Bitcoin there is all these men and women available in the market get in the back of that dude’s cult of character I imply some thing you go you he is man or woman response factor you worship the guy pump up the value of this coin that he’s making for himself and his buddies or whoever and then out get it totally free i’m going to promote it i’ll profit off of you worse should bring him to so pleasant do what you are gonna do I mean precisely but so yeah that’s now not that is my feeling on be heck’s good good fortune just right good fortune if I get it without cost i’m hoping it is valued at rather a lot whatever however I mean the reason it’s going to be a valued at line is that this really a rationale is considering persons have tremendously quick-time period reminiscences in this space extremely brief term it is just amazing oh yeah forgive and fail to remember like I mean so yeah it can be funny Andy Hoffman used to be speakme about about be tax and he just he casually stated I have no idea anything about this however this is an possibility and in there like and he’s like the guy at the back of it has quite a lot of followers so surely you know again the all these cash are founded on you know the way a lot advertising they get I mean gonna get me there nothing what what are they over there going all these gimmicks what’s the B hex gimmick it’s five specific matters or hexagon is hexagon six exceptional things yeah hexagon six exclusive matters but the point is that this and i do not even understand if that is why it is called be hex but so yeah and the Andy had a tweet tweet about that and the motive I think about Andy Andy then additionally had a tweet about you understand he’s announcing that does some persons are pronouncing and he’s destroying his popularity although you will see Andy’s tweeted for himself the humorous thing is is you realize for those who believe Andy’s destroyed his status in a yr or here every body forgets about it anyway that’s the best way it works if you idea when you consider Andy’s accomplished some thing incorrect to you or some thing you’re most likely 80% of you’ll overlook about in a 12 months anyway it can be so humorous how things work on the crypt of house there’s so many individuals I get it and i’m not pronouncing Andy did whatever there break his fame if Andy was pronouncing in between you check out auntie’s tweet your self and also you see what he used to be pronouncing however i’ve noticeable people like um good the man the man tone used to at all times say used to be a stammer who’s behind he’s at the back of me oh she was at the back of steam it he used to be behind some thing before steam it and all people keeps on forgetting that the guy received moves from task the assignment it is just so Wow how things work in this house how short-term memories reminiscence is like yeah yeah he will not go away the undertaking this time he’s in no way left the mission he leaves a buddy assembly all proper status in crypto no person cares about reputations in crypto i’m no longer gonna say the pound i am like bummed on the grounds that of which have conviction stampers on me stand for some thing and as each person is aware of I stand for the robust hand through thick and skinny strong fruity hand my message hasn’t changed when the rate went down I did not start announcing oh i’m gonna need to ICO now i am the etherium bitcoins horrible but no that’s no longer me i do not exchange my intellect now I received into this since I knew this used to be the object child I knew this used to be gonna progressive revolutionize the world similar to similar to the internet identical to once I was a youth a yute and i could not I used to be too young to make cash off the internet and all that stuff as a formative years I knew that the internet used to be gonna change the sector and thank Hashem i’m round to look anything even better than the web come alongside and then he is Bitcoin it can be now not ICO it is not aetherium it’s no longer be hex so I received a strong hand for Bitcoin and if you are gonna supply me crypto dividends off the Bitcoin that I could flip in a bit of extra Bitcoin then thanks okay continuing accra moon has a show yeah all of that was once thoroughly unplanned since an individual says speak about BX all correct i can do matters like that speak like that just all right so hacker noon they’ve had this article’s been out for a while but it took me a at the same time to read it Bitcoin for the unbanked how mesh and microfinance would end poverty as we know it and you know this is one other a kind of phrases the unbanked the unbanked India continues getting thrown out there the unbent the financial institution of global Settlements Bitcoin ETF the unbagging i’m banking i am backed good then it can be a excellent story it is a theory on how bad persons in Africa can get Bitcoin what I quite preferred about it is this torch anything referred to as a torch it takes solar power and you can plug into the torch and you get electrical power in the middle of in the center of nowhere I suggestion that used to be the greater story in administrative center you know and there may be a variety of technical sophistication in the back of this story the way you gonna get the mesh community and the torch they usually shouldn’t have electrical power they would not have internet within the middle of the sub-saharan Africa and so are they gonna go to all these steps just to get a microloan I have no idea possibly this is foreign future I’ve learn the article which you could learn the article you could decide on your possess in the end the Bitcoin rabbi I’ve recounted him before he is from the equal part of the united states that i’m i am no longer going to provide away an excessive amount of expertise I do not know if he makes that public or now not he does not reside there now but the Bitcoin rabbi he’s gonna be on bit Stein and Pierre row shards show in 4:00 p.M.Eastern which i suppose is in forty five minutes that’s the famous podcast and so that’s cool I’ve really not ever spoke heard the voice of the Bitcoin rabbi earlier than we’ve got despatched DMS aback and he is a he is a just right man and so hi there they may be interviewing the UH have the absolute privilege of interviewing the Bitcoin rabbi put up sec of the bitcoin community well that is high-quality bit stein has been on that this week in Bitcoin show a very long time ago like a year ago so but assess out the famous podcast it can be linked to under and maybe big coin ribeye is watching this correct now I do not know he or he’s prepping to be on their show proper now i suppose all proper that is or not it’s in motion men and women discovered that like button bang a bell button click on on these squares there i am adam meister the bitcoinmeister the disrupt meister don’t forget to subscribe this channel like this video this video examine out the links section below i’ll see you guys within the chat soon follow me a decent ball tch be alt and bitcoinmeister on steam it bye bye

[starlightomatic]

Passover + Goldsteins

@ravens-and-writings asked me some questions about Passover for a fic she’s writing, and I decided to answer with a post in case other people had similar questions (or was curious about Judaism for other reasons).  Also, people are welcome to add anything I missed or correct anything I got wrong!  For people reading this, the Jewish characters in question are Ashkenazi young women in the 1930s, one in New York and one in England

1. Is a Passover Seder held every night or just the night before the holiday starts? If so, what does a ‘normal’ Passover dinner look like? The first two nights.  Jewish holidays begin in the evening, so technically yes, it’s the night before the first day (as well as the night of the first day).

A Passover seder involves a series of rituals (mostly eating various foods), reading from the Haggadah and telling the Passover seder, a meal, and then songs.  Here are some links: Passover 101 The Passover Seder Haggadah (the book used as a guide for the Seder)

In terms of food, I believe brisket is pretty commonly served.  Matzah ball soup is popular as well, as is roast chicken.  Most importantly, as it is Passover, there would be no bread, or anything made from wheat, barley, oats, rye or spelt other than matzah or things made from matzah meal.  Ashkenazi Jews (those of Eastern European descent) traditionally also don’t eat peas, chickpeas, rice, corn, soybeans, green beans, and beans (among a few other things) on Passover.  

If there are any England-specific traditions, English followers please let me know!

2. Would it be okay for Jacob to keep his bakery running during Passover? (Since he’s not Jewish, but his wife and children are and they all live in the flat above it)

I think so.  I’m not really sure the halacha (Jewish law) when a non-Jew and a Jew co-own property or goods (since Jews are prohibited from having chametz -- leavened bread -- on their property, or owning any chametz, during Passover).  If anyone knows the answer to this, please let me know.  (However, I’d venture a guess that Queenie is probably not religious enough to care about the legal specifics and would just figure it was okay).  It might be fine if they just decide that Jacob is the sole owner for the duration of Passover.  Also I’m not even sure if they’d have a conceptualized a man’s wife as a co-owner of his business in the first place.

3. Any advise on writing Jewish people attending an Easter celebration during Passover? (They're visiting Newt's family for Easter brunch ^^)

Basically, just keep in mind that things that seem familiar to you about Easter would be unfamiliar to Jewish people.  I only know the basics of Easter and its traditions -- I know it’s a celebration of Jesus ascending to Heaven, that it often involves an Easter egg hunt, and that people (especially little girls) wear fancy dresses.  That’s about it. Also, Jewish people might have some level of discomfort with the actual service -- specifically with the parts that directly are about Jesus’ divinity.  I’m not sure how to explain this, but participating in a Christian religious ceremony might feel a little wrong.  Which isn’t to say they wouldn’t do it -- I’ve definitely attended church services before, either with friends or just because I was interested.  But this is definitely something I’ve felt.  Though if she’s just attending a brunch and not a service, that feeling would be very much lessened.  I do think there’d still be a feeling of being an outsider, and perhaps apprehension about making sure to do and say the right things -- though it’d very much depend on how well she already knows the family.

4. Any special wellwishes I could/should include when Queenie finds out Tina is pregnant? ;) We don’t say mazel tov or congratulations, because of superstition -- you don’t want to temp the Evil Eye into making you lose the pregnancy by assuming you won’t lose it (weird, I know), so instead we say “in a good hour.”  Nowadays we say it in Modern Hebrew, but I doubt that was the case in the 20s/30s; they’d have used Yiddish.   The internet informs me that the corresponding Yiddish expressions were "in a guter sho" or "in a mazeldiker sho.”  (Even though most Yiddish words are Germanic, some are from Hebrew -- that would be why you wouldn’t recognize “mazeldiker” or “sho.”)

[poemsforuni-blog]

Please help me with my creative writing module by reading my short story and giving me feedback. Any help would be much appreciated

The Hospital Journey

“Here are some earplugs for you, the machine is very loud. Put your head here and lie very still.” A doctor, who seems to be of a similar age to me, instructs.  As he assertively pushes me towards what is essentially a table on wheels, I cannot help but notice how aggressively robust the machine my head was about to be placed into seems to be. “No, don’t cross your legs…” He continued to talk, but is either unaware that the hard foam he just placed around my head is blocking my hearing, or he is too rushed to care. A nurse places a button into my hand and gives me the thumbs up gesture, mouthing at me to relax. I can only assume this is a panic button for when my claustrophobia hits. As soon as I shut my eyes I can feel the bed moving. The inside of the apparatus is so blindingly bright I close my eyes but still need to fight my eyelids to stop them from twitching. My mouth is already dry and subconsciously I have started to clutch onto the panic button. A chainsaw like noise is growing in intensity, bursting through the protective layers surrounding my head and raging against my eardrums. Can they see the stress levels in my brain right now? I have seen some photos from MRI’s before, and I have heard that emotional responses can be shown in them. If so, I hope that the doctor knows his aloof welcome is partly to blame. As I swallow, a high pitched (but thankfully short lived,) screech jerks my body. Surely I do not have to be so still I cannot even swallow?

 Relax.

 The machine scavenging my brain for imperfections is not in fact an MRI, it is the Roller Coaster my Dad and I repeatedly rode on in Blackpool, when I was around ten. The clicking noise is not magnetic fields or radio waves passing through my body, it’s the struggle from the chain on the ride as we rose up the incline of the first drop. Any moment now I will be able to see the ocean once again; I can clutch onto my Dad’s hand whilst screaming at the top of my lungs. The image in my mind is becoming so vivid I can almost smell the crisp sea air…

 The sounds change. I am no longer sat beside my Father on a family day out. No longer am I carefree on a ride at a pleasure beach. Now I am stood in front of my neighbour’s dog, who once got out of his garden and pinned me against a wall for almost an hour. His ears were clasped to his head, his snout snarling to show his fearsome fangs. Wolf like in appearance, any sudden movements could’ve been the aggravation he needed to attack. He was usually kept in a muzzle, even in his own home. I can only assume it must’ve broken off as he scaled the fence which marked the area in which he was usually confided. My hand clamps to the panic button once again.

No. Relax. The noise is not the neighbour’s dog who gave me ten stitches that day. Instead I am entering the imaginary suit from the game my cousin and I used to play. Kitted to the bone in futuristic looking armour I prepare myself to join the war against bloodthirsty aliens, situated on a foreign planet the human race is about to take over. The arena seems metallic. Everything is either silver or white, except for the open sky. The darkness emitted from the horizon is enchanting, planets oozing in purples and oranges dazzle me from the distance above. Whilst my army may be outnumbered, we are far more advanced than the enemy. For one, I am carrying a loaded gun which has advanced accuracy and damage. This is a battle I cannot lose. I sprint to hide behind a rock before shooting. The gun grows similar to the dog, however this sound is now exhilarating. There is a box floating not far from me. I have played enough games to know that this will help me to win the battle. As I lunge to grab my target the atmosphere changes (yet again).

 This noise seems almost unfamiliar to me. Almost as if someone is knocking three times on a large, old, wooden door. The kind of doors you would find marking the entrance of an old castle or a little wooden cottage, hidden amidst a village which would have a singular pub (strictly for locals), a butchers, a bakery, and would exist miles away from the rest of humanity. After the three knocks there is the sound of a buzzer, similar sounding to the buzzers apartment complexes have to allow a visitor access to the building. This sequence lasts a while, to the point I can almost envision myself living in a mansion located on hundreds of acres of land, buzzing in my friend’s so they can stay in one of the many rooms of my new home.  

 This new noise is loud. So loud it is rattling my whole body. I wonder if the MRI is picking up on the fact I am recreating stories in my head? I’m not stupid enough to believe the MRI is acting as some kind of portal so that the nurse can see what I am imagining, but I wonder if my creativity is causing a certain area on the images to light up? The rattling sensation is getting worse. I feel like I am sat in a rocket taking off from the Earth’s hemisphere. Instantaneously I imagine myself strapped into a large chair, in front of a dashboard covered in levers, buttons and monitors. There is a bright light out of the window, similar to the light shining into my eyes from the MRI. Blinding. I can only assume this light is from the sun reflecting off the glass, or from the speed in which I am travelling… I hope the bed shaking is normal. Through my internet research I never read that I would be shaking. However, I did also read that I would feel on edge and would struggle to relax during the process. Once I had overcome my initial fear of the unknown, however, I have found myself to be half enjoying my experience. I’m guessing I have only been in the machine around ten minutes. I’ve now become accustom to waiting. Despite the fact I only arrived around five minutes before my appointment, I found myself talking to an old man for around forty minutes before I was seen by a nurse. I guess the time spent at hospitals allows people to have the chance to reminisce, because in this time he told me his whole life story. Born in the time of the war, he joined the RAF after finishing his Grammar School education early. He has been to the hospital very few times for injuries of his own accord. This time he was here as his wife needed an X-Ray. Once as a child he broke his arm, I mentioned how I broke my nose at a festival. He stated how he was once at an RAF festival and an engine failed, killing the pilot and a few people in the crowd who were stood not too far from him. “That’s awful, that must have been so scary.” I gasped, trying to seem involved in the story as I was unsure of the correct response. “It was awful, but all I could think was ‘Thank the Lord’ because that could’ve been me. It reimbursed my faith.” He replied. “You know, I was once in Jerusalem. It was beautiful there. Anyway, there was an Arab beggar. I gave her some money and I was handing her a Bible as a Jewish man ran over. ‘No, no, don’t touch that! That’s not for us!’ He must’ve assumed the Arab was Jewish. Anyway, I replied with ‘Yes it is. It’s for all of us. There is no difference between you and I. We believe in one God. Jesus was born a Jew, died a Jew and will come back as a Jew.’ He seemed rather taken aback by this. We ended up shaking hands.” As he was recounting this story he was searching through the inside pockets of his suit jacket, then he passed me a small blue Bible, filled with prayers from the New Testament. “Keep this, I always hand them out to people in need.” I’m not really sure what he meant by that, I’m not in need, however the Bible that is now lining the inside of my pocket is making me feel a lot safer.

 The bed stops moving. A camera shutter starts. I’m back on a beach in Wales, sat on a wall feeding the seagulls with my Nana, watching the sun set. I’m around fifteen on a camping trip with her, my Dad, my Sister, my younger Cousin and my Uncle. My Dad is taking our photo. I never really saw my Nana, and I had hardly ever spoken to her on the few occasions we did meet. This trip had given me the opportunity to get to know her a little better. I have always felt a little intimidated by her blunt attitude, but at least I always knew her true opinions. Unusually for Wales, the sun was almost unbearable. It was so warm we could comfortably swim in the ocean that morning, which my Sister, Cousin and Uncle took full advantage of. I’m scared of the ocean, though, so chose to eat Ice Cream and Sunbathe. We had spent the night before eating bacon butties and melted marshmallows (cooked on an open fire), so I wasn’t really hungry, yet I spent half the day walking down the high street with my Nana looking for places to eat. I doubt she was hungry either, rather she just wanted to take the time to talk with me about something. We ended up bitching about how arcades are a waste of time and money, and reconfirmed those beliefs after spending £10 on the grabber machines to only walk away with a tacky stuffed bear. It still sits on my bookshelf next to the photo my Dad had taken of us.

 Silence. Is it over? I open my eyes but I am still inside the machine, the bright light is burning a hole into my head. This silence is making it hard for me to picture anything in my mind. It is so quiet I almost feel deaf. Not a footstep, not a cough, not even a low rattle from the machine’s engine. Possibly I could now be in outer space, looking down on Planet Earth after the journey I envisioned earlier? It’s hard to picture. Maybe this is the silence that followed that day at the beach with my Nana, and I am now lay in my tent waiting to fall asleep? No. I could hear crickets and the distance laughs of other campers that night. It was not this silent.

I’m starting to get a feeling of sensory deprivation. I cannot see, cannot hear. All I can smell is the putrid odour of hospitals. The smell which puts me on edge. When I was relaxed I dropped the panic button, now I am frantically patting my body trying to find it. The high pitched screeching is back, the one warning me not to move. This is unbearable. The bed is moving and I can finally open my eyes. “That’s it, your results will be sent to your GP. Don’t forget your jacket as you leave.” The doctor rushed as he quickly pushed me out of the room so the next patient can enter.

[renaroo]

Jude

Disclaimer: Hetalia and associated characters are the creative property of Hidekaz Himaruya. Warnings: political/ethical topics, allusions to the Holocaust, Nazis, racism Rating: T Summary: Neutrality is not as simple as it seems.

A/N: This was originally published with my joint account I shared with @theeffar in 2011 for our Hetalia works, and in my unending need to cultivate and streamline my online works, I’m reposting some of the ones I’m still proud of here and on my AO3.

[Edits - 2017] A HUGE thank you to afleisher2938 for correcting some of the words and facts in this story and helping me improve it! I appreciate it so much

When she made her way into the parlor where her brother usually waited for her, Liechtenstein found that Switzerland was not there.

Instead there was a man she had only seen a few times before.

On previous encounters with the President he had not seemed as thinned. His balded head was darkly shadowed in the many holds of worry found on his brow. A slight arch had begun in his back where his shoulders seemed to buckle under the weight of air. Despite it all, the front of his face was pacifistic.

Tension gathered heavily as he stared through the parted curtains of the window and Liechtenstein nimbly ran her pinky finger around the contours of her dress bow.

Her mind had ground to a halt and she waited dumbly for her big brother to make his return and properly re-introduce the two of them.

“You are Miss Liechtenstein,” the man said in a hoarse voice. The words carried themselves thickly in the air and seemed to surround her with accusation.

In spite of her best efforts, Liechtenstein struggled to force the worlds out. They first had to stumble across her tongue at a time her mouth felt like it was full of cotton.

“Y-yes,” she said with a polite bow, her chin tucking into her chest in a vain attempt to curl into a ball until the encounter was over. “Good to meet… ehm… It is good to meet… good to see you again, Herr bundespräsident. Oh, ehm, that is… Herr… Bundespräsident Etter.”

The fumbling had passed only with the conclusion of her end of the conversation. Tiny embers seemed to burn behind her cheeks and a noticeable quiver made its way down into her hands.

Fortunately, as she looked up to once more meet the gaze of the President of the Confederation, she only received a kind twinkle behind dulled, tired eyes.

“You may call me Philipp, Miss Liechtenstein,” he said in a flat tone that was very similar to her big brother’s. “You, after all, are a sovereign entity. I am merely the servant to your neighbor.”

Again, her cheeks seemed to flare but, at least, this was for a much more comforting reason.

“I am still a country only because of Big Bruder,” she said in a tone muted by her endearment. After a moment of reflecting on this fact she glanced back to the president. “He thinks very much of you. He was eager to have you visit.”

The man nodded in near indifference before uncrossing his legs and leaning forward. His elbows sunk into the fabric over his knees as he stared intently at the young Nation. She felt her stomach leap in illogical horror.

“I am always proud to serve my country,” he reason quietly, his fingers lacing as their respective hands met in the center of his body. “But I have asked Switzerland to step out. My cause for visiting today is not to do with him directly.” His eyes seemed progressively less kind the more focused they became on her. “It is to do with you.”

Biting on her lip to keep from gaping, Liechtenstein merely stared at the man. She felt like crying. “I do not understand.”

“So long as Liechtenstein is a protectorate of the Swiss Confederation it is important for her to agree and cooperate with the decisions of the Swiss government,” he explained dryly.

“Yes, of course,” Liechtenstein murmured, still unsure of what she had done to cause doubt in her brother’s boss.

He studied her for a moment before rubbing his chin. “Fräulein, I must know where you stand with the Nazi party.”

Blinking with great caution, Liechtenstein had to think over the question in her mind. Nibbling on her lip like a rabbit, she wondered if perhaps she had heard the wrong thing because she and her Prince had sworn their neutrality in the current conflicts just as Switzerland had.

“I am neutral,” she said quietly, only hoping that it was the answer he was searching for.

“This I know,” he shot down her hopes. “But I understand there are sympathizers with the Nazi movement within your country. I also understand there are sympathizers with the Jewish population as well. Perhaps even your Princess. Is any of this accurate?”

Her fingers began to curl into the fabric of her dress. “Herr Prussia raised me. I understand what he and Bruder Deutsch are doing. I just… ehm, I do not agree. A-and I know Jews deserve a home, too, and Big Bruder says that if someone comes over the border I have to let them have friends…”

“These are conflicting things, Miss Liechtenstein,” the man responded plainly. “You cannot do anything with your citizens who have German sympathies. I understand. But as long as you are a protectorate of this country you must attempt to not complicate these things further,” he explained before a dark look came to his eyes. “Do not accept anymore Jewish immigrants. We will be regulating your borders but you must not allow the Nazis to have reason to send their Waffen-SS into your nation. This would be devastating to both you and Switzerland.”

Devastating her royal family or big brother were both out of the question.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I-I won’t anymore.”

The easiest way to overcome the situation was to not attempt to address it.

Liechtenstein instead attempts to remain calm and carry on with her daily routines. She followed her big brother through the towns and mingled with his people and occasionally her own people. They had tea in the afternoons and made cheese fondue when the prices were reasonable for the ingredients.

Her mind had completely closed itself off to the war, to the disappearance of Mr. Austria, and the sullen faced immigrant hopefuls who approached her door.

In her mind, as refugees were scattered across Europe, Liechtenstein told everyone You Are Welcome.

Rarely was it the case.

But she could not close herself off to all that was occurring within the possessed states of her former neighbors. Not completely. Not after Yehuda crossed her boarder.

On that day Liechtenstein had been visiting with the Prince and his family. Despite the hardships endured by the entirety of the country, the gracious princess had begun a small tea party and invited their Nation to join them. Liechtenstein obliged.

After some pomp and circumstance, however, Liechtenstein grew tired of the bland dining hall when there was none of her own to keep her company. She missed her brother.

This led to the young girl stepping out into the garden which was still beautiful and green in spite of depressions and wars. It was filled with natural beauty and warmed her heart, until she saw that someone else was sitting on the bench.

Pausing in mid stride, Liechtenstein looked at the man. His eyes were sunk into his sockets and his hair was dripping wet. He smelled like cabbage and was concave and angular. The only thing that Liechtenstein saw was the gold star sutured on his chest.

“You’re Jewish,” Liechtenstein whispered, more to herself than the man. Her teeth worked nervously at her lip.

He looked up, quiet and uncertain himself, before smiling softly. Then, in a language meant only for Nation’s ears, he responded, “In many ways, so is a part you.”

And that frightened her. Liechtenstein knew it was true.

In utter silence, Liechtenstein kneaded the hardening dough.

Cooking was something she often did at her brother’s home. Backing was something else entirely. It was usually reserved for when she and Switzerland could do it together and it was a very rare and quietly celebrated occasion when they did.

Sweets cost money, after all.

Right then, however, Switzerland was in the den with the black clad men who had come to his door. He was discussing something serious, judging by Switzerland’s tone.

Liechtenstein felt as though her stomach was being squeezed and twisted inside her.

In spite of herself, she accidentally eaves dropped as their talk continued.

“The Nations of the Axis would like to implore you to join in their alliance, Herr Switzerland,” the chatty officer said with little regard for Liechtenstein’s attempts to not listen. He was practically shouting. “Austria himself said you were quite the capable warrior.”

“If Austria had said that then he also would have told you that you would be wasting your time,” Switzerland said sternly. “I am not interested in how the East feels like bullying its neighbors. And I won’t be ran over like Belgium.”

Liechtenstein was incapable of pocketing the much pleased smile that crossed her face. Her big brother was so brave.

“Very well,” the same one responded thickly. There was a noticeable change in his tenor and Liechtenstein knew he was not happy. “And as for the manner we discussed at large earlier—”

“Neither the Swiss Confederation nor the Principality of Liechtenstein are harboring fugitives from the Third Reich,” the Nation said more boldly. “We are not accepting the mass immigrations in general. Must I remind you again that we have no interest in your war?”

For the first time since he had entered, the loud mouthed officer was as quiet as his companion.

“I believe we are done here. Thank you for your time, Herr Switzerland,” he said solemnly.

“I don’t believe I need to remind you of the way out,” her brother’s voice carried with the sound of shuffling feet and a scooting chair.

On instinct, Liechtenstein toed her way closer to the kitchen door, just as the front exit shut behind two Nazi uniforms. Switzerland stood between the door facing and Liechtenstein. She felt only slightly comforted by it.

“Ehm… Switzy,” she muttered lowly, receiving his full attention almost instantly. “I-I’m sorry for eaves dropping, but I could not help but overhear some things you said.” Her face began to fall. “Big Bruder, we’re not in danger are we?”

“No,” he said without hesitation. “But we have to keep control of the Nazis. No rallying in our countries. And we mustn’t give them reason to invade us. Not a single Jew is to cross either of our borders, Liechtenstein. Do you understand?”

She was scared. But she understood.

Yehuda returned over the border again. He looked worse than before, to the point that Liechtenstein teared up when she saw him.

He wore an even larger star, scribbled around the German lettering were heavy ink marks of Hebrew. Yehuda held his chest up with pride as he wore it and strolled to the counter.

Liechtenstein looked to her brother. Switzerland’s hawk-like eyes had never left the other nation nor had his pistol which was taking aim for the other’s chest. Or, was, until a woman and a child came in behind him. Similarly, they were marked with golden stars.

“Hello, Liechtenstein,” Yehuda said with unusual levity. It seemed unnatural to come from such a thinned person with graying skin.

She rubbed her fingers together nervously but did not forget her manners. “Hello,” she responded quietly.

“You are not welcome here, Yehuda,” Switzerland interrupted. There was a dangerous gleam to his eyes. “You may have people within our borders, but they are now considered our citizens. We care for them. Not you. If you enter our lands then you will be putting ourselves, our people, and the people that you claim for yourself at incredible risk. Do you understand that?”

The woman behind the Jewish nation began to cry, holding the child in her arms closer. Yehuda shushed them both before looking back to the two with a half broken smile.

“Hashem yevarech etchem,” he sighed before looking more emphatically to Liechtenstein. She had let out a small squeak in response.

She never wanted this responsibility in her hands. It was unfair. It wasn’t her fault.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I have to protect my own people. You must understand.”

He nodded solemnly. “Ulai,” was all Yehuda responded with before gathering the woman and child up best he could and heading out toward the Austrian border again.

Liechtenstein felt sick but a reassuring hand on her shoulder seemed to make it melt away.

“What we do is not easy,” Switzerland said with coolly collective eyes on her. “It is even selfish in nature. But our obligations are to our own people first, Liechtenstein. Not the world.”

It made sense.

Prussia’s visit was unannounced and slightly unwelcome.

Liechtenstein usually preferred staying with her big brother for that very reason.

The cottage home in her land’s countryside has always been treated with the sincere and often misplaced affection of a child’s fort. It always made Liechtenstein feel like its invisible walls and gates were real and lulled her into a foolish sense of security.

It was very much like Prussia himself, full of nostalgia and hidden danger.

“I’ve become a fan of coffee lately,” her Germanic brother said despite taking the offered tea.

Liechtenstein nodded courteously before taking her own seat across from him. Her eyes were trained on him, not willing to let a single movement past her senses. It was just as Switzerland had taught her.

“West drinks so much coffee he is going to pop like a tick,” Prussia explained with a bit of disdain in his voice. “I tell him there’s no sense in drinking beer if you’re going to wash it out with foreign beans. But he won’t listen to me, will he? I’ll answer that! Of course not. It’s always about what his Boss says. The bastard. They’re wanting to take on Russia, and West and I tried to say that it was a bad idea. Stupid idea. They don’t care. They’re still trying to make up for losing to that pussy lil’ island.”

It took a lot out of her patience, but Liechtenstein managed to remain composed in spite of the slew of curses.

Prussia sighed and looked into his tea. “They’re going to tear him apart if they’re not careful, Liechtenstein. Just mark my words. He can’t lose Berlin again. He’s just too stubborn. He doesn’t pay attention to anyone, especially me. He thinks he’ll be able to do this all on his own. Dumbass. Where did he get that from?”

Liechtenstein quietly observed how, in spite of his concerns, Prussia seemed perfectly comfortable in his Luftwaffen Fliegerbluse.

The pot of tea was finished in silence. Then Prussia left with a nod and a crude word or two thrown her way.

He said to pass it on to Switzerland, which she never did.

When she looked at the clock she realized it had been four hours. He had never asked her a question. Probably because he knew the answers. Maybe because he didn’t care.

When it was dark, and Liechtenstein had checked the property twice, she briskly closed the shutters of the cottage and opened the loose floorboards. The family beneath thanked her kindly.

She then asked them, very politely, to try to make it to the Swiss border and then on into France. She never heard from them again.

Her brother never asked her if the rumors were true. He never had to. Liechtenstein could see in his eyes that he knew the truth.

When she stayed at his house in the spring, it became commonplace for him to polish his guns and gaze quietly out the window. He was not intentionally ignoring her, it just so happened that he was lost in his thoughts.

She sat down beside him.

“Why?” he asked lowly, almost as if it was not to her at all. “Why, Liechtenstein? Why would they need a second war? It makes no sense.”

The corners of her mouth tightened into a straight little line and she glanced down to her knees. “I don’t know, Big Bruder,” she said honestly.

“And how many times will the Nazis knock on my door looking for ‘criminals of war?’” he asked, slightly annoyed. Liechtenstein felt the point of this question more directly.

She did not answer more than a meek, “I don’t know why, Big Bruder,” she whispered. “I just did what I thought was right.”

He hesitated before turning his eyes slowly toward her. Switzerland was utterly absorbed in her words.

“It wasn’t because I was trying to be a hero or anything,” she continued. “There are certain things we should expect all people to do.”

They were silent after that. It was long enough for Liechtenstein to think upon her words, her actions, and everything in between.

Then there was a knock at the door and neither said a word because they knew who it was.

Switzerland stared into Liechtenstein’s eyes and, to her credit, she did not back down. He then sighed and made his way to the door.

Quietly, he let in Yehuda.

[Notes] *During WWII, Liechtenstein received pressure from both Nazi-occupied Austria and neighboring Switzerland to not accept Jewish refugees. *Phillipp Etter was President of the Swiss Confederation in 1939, 1942, 1947 and 1953. *A full monarchy at the time, Liechtenstein was ruled by Prince Franz Josef II during the Second World War. In the study I read he was not painted in a great light for his actions during this time period. *Ashkenazim is the word for "German Jews," or Jews from central European descent. This is a large population of current Israeli Jews. *"Hashem yevarech otcha." Hebrew. "God bless you." (Please correct this translation if I'm wrong) *"U-lay." Hebrew. "Maybe." *Switzerland here is not a villain, but meant to raise the opposing moral/philosophical point. Is it the responsibility of the country/government to care for the benefit of foreigners over the protection of their own citizens? Or, morally, is it wrong regardless? Because it is a point that needed to be made in a time as scary and uncertain as this and I think it's important to see/understand that fact before making any conclusions about the actions of the governments/countries of Liechtenstein and Switzerland. *Prussia: It is nearing the end of the war and morale is very down for Germans. *In the end, reports conflict about the intake of Jewish refugees by Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It's estimated that 400 Jews found sanctuary in Liechtenstein while some 27,000 found it in Switzerland. However, it's important to note that just as many if not more were turned away. I think it does give testament to something, however, that Liechtenstein granted 144 Jews citizenship. *The conversation Switzerland and Liechtenstein have in the end is to mirror the dubbed talk on the last installment of "Liechtenstein and her Wonderful Big Brother" where Switzerland explained why he saved Liechtenstein.

And that's all I have to say.