#on galut

[torahtot]

sth that always frustrates me is when people on here say things like "jewish ppl u can let go of connection to israel bc you can be at home in the countries you live in!" and someone responds with a whole essay on how antisemitism is alive and well.. bc that still accepts the original premise. you're saying yes, i agree, we would not feel a connection to the land if antisemitism didn't exist, but it does. this ignores the root misconception that makes someone say things like that, which is that they deny (or simply don't realize/understand) our connection to the land, which transcends the existence of antisemitism in the diaspora. walk into any orthodox school that doesn't even consider itself zionist, and you'll find the kids having conversations with their teachers about how to reconcile feeling comfortable in galut with the desire to properly mourn the beit hamikdash & yearn for mashiach so that we can return. this isn't metaphorical in the slightest; many of them will make aliyah whether mashiach comes or not (and it won't have anything to do with secular zionism or antisemitism). eradicating antisemitism in the diaspora would never change the fact that we are in galut. if they were smart they would actually shift the conversation to why we don't need an explicitly/exclusively jewish state in order to live safely & thrive in eretz yisrael, but they won't bc a) that would require accepting the validity of our connection to it and b) they consider it "validating settler fears" or wtvr the fuck. so instead they will continue to be totally inept at realpolitik solutions & fail to see eye to eye in conversation with jews bc they fundamentally misunderstand.. everything about us.

[anonymousdandelion]

after too long in exile

I hear Yiddish and feel immediately at home.

I hear Yiddish and the rhythms sound like family.

I hear Yiddish and my heart yearns for more.

I hear Yiddish feel Yiddish want Yiddish am Yiddish

I hear Yiddish and I do not understand a word.

[stimulantz]

Girlfriend in a Coma / Mojo Nixon

[istherewifiinhell]

My advice to the world? Dont live with a dog that knocks on doors. Scares the shit outta me.

[torahtot]

babe wake up new haskalah just dropped

This past Saturday, an antisemitic mob hundreds strong in Russia rioted and shut down an airport. They were trying to find, catch, and murder Jews entering the country. That same day, a Jewish community centre in a different part of Russia was burned down, and "Death to Jews" was painted on the rubble. [1] [14]

On October 9th, protestors in Sydney, Australia chanted "Gas the Jews." [2]

There has been a 300% increase in antisemitic incidents in the UK, including kosher grocery stores being broken into and vandalized, and cars shouting "Kill Jews" at London Synagogues. [3]

Over the past month in Germany: Holocaust memorials have been defaced. The phrase "Jewish pigs" was spray-painted on a Green Party office after a party member spoke out about antisemitism. A teenager at a rally shouted "I want Adolf Hitler back. I’m for Hitler, for gassing the Jews." Molotov cocktails were thrown into synagogues. [3] [4]

On October 21st, Italians shouted, "Open the borders so we can kill the Jews." [5]

In Canada, a Jewish Community Center was egged by a man shouting antisemitic slurs, a Jewish business was, and a local Rabbi had a swastika drawn on his window. [11] [12]

Over the past month, synagogues have been defaced or raided in Austria, Colombia, Chile, France, Portugal and Spain. A historic synagogue was burned down in Tunisia. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [13]

All that happened this month, this year. I'm not even touching on the past twenty years of global antisemitism. I'm not even mentioning the United States.

Who told you the proponents of antisemitism and the enemies of Jews were dead? Who told you that our culture and religion were respected in the diaspora? Who told you we could be safely Jewish in “our own countries"? Who lied to you?

[torais-life]

Vivir en Israel o en la Diaspora, ventajas y desventajas- Majón Ora Midrashet

[spot-the-antisemitism]

Question: does anyone know a good video or something that explains how we ended up in the diaspora? The history of the galut and all that, with Yehuda and Israel? And that doesn't... invalidate our identity? I'm trying to teach a goy friend a little about our history, but it's... a lot

(I hope it's alright that I'm asking here, I just figured it's a good place to find credible resources that aren't propaganda)

how about this Overly Sarcastic Productions video? it's shorter, it's funny when appopriate, it's geared towards gentiles but it also treats the heavy topics with tact and doesn't sugar coat it

around the 5 minute mark it clearly explains the diaspora happened because of the Jews the romans took as slaves

[tzipporahs-well]

Why I see the Dark Kingdom, Quirin, and Varian as Jewish:

So I promised a post or so again to expand on my Jewish Varian headcanons, and I wanted to explain my rationale for my headcanon.

Names:

Adira’s name is Hebrew: אַדִּירָה. It means “strong” or “mighty.” Notably no one else in the series has a Hebrew name except Ruth, which is a common name used more widely. Adira however is a much rarer name and i have not seen it used beyond Star Trek and Hebrew. Given this is a world in the renaissance to the late 1700s (personally, I interpret it in the late 1700s), it also means that the modern state of Israel does not exist yet. Which leads me to my next point.

The Dark Kingdom: Exile and Return

Within Tanakh, there is this major theme of exile (galut) and return as well as the “promised land.” The Latter Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel) expanded on this significantly. The Jewish people experienced two major exiles from the destruction of both of their Temples, something commemorated on Tisha B’av. These exiles were also preceded by environmental disasters because Hashem withdrew His protection. The land itself is described as a “land of milk and honey” and incredibly fruitful. However, in times of trouble, the land fails to yield to the Israelites and sees drought, famine, and fire.

The Dark Kingdom sees something similar. The land itself has become infested with near indestructible black rocks. Any attempt to destroy these black rocks has led to severe illness and death. Ultimately, all the kingdom’s inhabitants are forced away from their home to survive even as the black rocks spread from other people’s unwise actions (*cough* Fred *cough*). This leads to my next point.

The Parallel to Court Jews: Quirin

So Quirin’s role is very interesting. Reading between the lines, it seems that King Frederic swore Quirin to secrecy. Quirin has to communicate to the king in code when talking in front of other people about the black rocks. Even when it appears that he lied in front of his son. Quirin warns Varian to stop talking about what occurred (“That’s enough, Varian.”) which contrasts with his usual patient but exasperated behavior. This matter suggests a life or death matter and something that he could not even talk to his own family about.

There are parallels in Jewish history with this too: court Jews were a fixture in the Central Europe from the 16th century onwards (about the time period when Tangled the Series/Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure takes place). They were in a precarious position often wearing multiple hats as banker and protector of the Jewish community. Court Jews got certain privileges in exchange for their services and wealth. Court Jews had personal relationships to the people in power usually a prince. this relationship proved very risky to many court Jews (see Joseph Suess Oppenheimer). One wrong move and the entire Jewish community could be forced to leave or less charitably, killed.

Now whether Rapunzel takes place in Central Europe is debatable. The location of the finale shot is somewhere in modern day France. However, certain parts of modern France (Alsace) were part of the Holy Roman Empire depending on the time period. A lot of names used are German/Central European or used frequently in the region: Rapunzel, Frederic, Quirin (which is only used as a Roman name otherwise according to behind the name), Mother Gothel, Edmund etc.

We see some evidence of wealth or at least past wealth in Varian’s household. First, the family lives in a castle rather than a shack or a cottage. Second, the amount of red clothing in Quirin’s household. Quirin wears a dark red shirt, Varian owns a red scarf, and his mother is seen wearing a lot of red. Red was one of the more expensive dyes with madder being the cheapest version. There is also use of furs in Varian’s coat and Quirin’s vest, which was not cheap either. However, Quirin and Varian also straddle the line with being commoners. We see Quirin farming pumpkins and they are clearly inferior to the king. In addition, Old Corona appears to be impoverished, which only worsened from the black rocks.

Jewish Values: Education and Promises

Education is a major Jewish value. We believe in questioning and wrestling with Hashem. Literacy was of major importance to us and Jewish communities often had high literacy rates often higher than the rest of the population. Part of the reason is because we’re people of the book. The other reason is because literacy and knowledge are mobile skills that can be taken with us when we got kicked out again. Varian owns many books, and we see him read and write on the regular. Books weren’t. Education expanded in Western and central Europe during the enlightenment but schooling as a system was still in its early stages. Books were expensive, yet it is likely that those who place a higher value on education would invest in such.

The idea of a promised land forms a major ideological core for Judaism because it provided hope. Hope allowed the long-suffering Jewish people as a whole to keep going even during Egyptian enslavement, massacres, and pogroms. There’s a reason Israel’s national anthem is named Hatikvah (“the hope”). Some of our biggest quarrels come from when covenants and promises are broken. Vows in the biblical era were taken extremely seriously.

Within the show, Varian emphasizes the promises that Rapunzel made but ultimately broke. It may not just “bad behavior” or massive hurt but a major breach in values. Rapunzel broke the agreement between subject and ruler: a ruler was to protect their subjects.

Appearances

Varian, Quirin, Hector, and Edmund all have dark hair. Both Quirin and Edmund have aquiline noses, which are common Mediterranean features. Corona is nowhere near the Mediterranean 🤨.

Varian’s mother also has red hair. Red hair is a polygenic trait that often occurs in a recessive fashion. That means two parents with other hair colors can carry red hair traits and pass them to their children. In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Jews were often believed to red hair. Judas and Shylock from the Merchant of Venice were often depicted with red hair. This stereotype has some grains of truth as certain Tanakh figures like Esau and David have red hair or are described as ruddy and red. Because most Jews especially in the premodern age married within the tribe, a lot of traits that are rarer among the general population have been seen more frequently in Jewish populations including red hair and genetic conditions.

The Ham Sandwich Paradox: Obscure Jewish Food History

But wait! What about Varian’s ham sandwiches? Ham is made of pig and pigs aren’t kosher. Therefore, they can’t be Jewish.

Ah, this is where I talk about Jewish ham. Ham made of pork is indeed not kosher at all. However, Sephardic Jews and the Jews of Italy have made “Jewish ham” and “Jewish prosciutto” since about the Renaissance era. It came from curing goose or duck, which were kosher birds. I have tasted cured duck at a restaurant, and it takes remarkably like pork. One could interpret Varian talking about pork ham but Varian doesn’t say what kind of ham and he could just as easily be referring to “Jewish ham.”

Why Jewish representation matters

Tangled the Series/Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure is a piece of media that I wrestle with a lot. The series did a lot of great things but it and the original movie did a piss poor job at handling Jews (in the movie and series) and Romani (definitively in the series). Here I will discuss the Jewish aspect since I am Jewish, not Romani.

Mother Gothel’s character resembles the very definition of old blood libels common in Europe that “Jews kidnap gentile children (especially blondes) and use them for ritualistic purposes.” Her design was changed from gothic romantic to something more “Jewish-coded” and thus more villainous. This is very much a problem especially as we consider the rise of antisemitism. It became worse in the series when we found out that Cass was Gothel’s daughter and that Cass was abandoned in favor of kidnapping Rapunzel. Cass then became a villain because of this. Media depictions like Gothel actively harm our community by reinforcing old dangerous stereotypes. Given these strong negative representations of Jews, I wanted to dilute the pool through making positive Jewish representation. I wanted to make space for myself and other Jews within this piece of media that has harmed our community.

These hints may simply be coincidental if taken in isolation. In stringing them together, we can construct a space where Jews can be represented positively and accurately in the tangled universe.

[aqlstar]

If you don’t mind answering, I have a few questions about Assyrian independence, cause I’ve been wondering for a while. Also apologies in advance if my phrasing is accidentally wildly inaccurate, I’m not very educated about the topic at all but it’s very interesting to me still.

I know the Assyrian independence movement exists, but how popular is it, and how put together is the actual movement? Are there any steps being made towards the idea of independence or is it basically just a hope for people that one day it will come?

I think it was you who talked about how many groups that fall under the larger ethnic group have different beliefs about who they originate from. Like an Assyrian could believe that they’re descended from ancient Assyrians, an Aramean could believe they’re descended from ancient Arameans, but to my understanding they will still think of themselves as the same group, or at least connected to each other? So how does that factor into everything? I’ve read a bit and it seems that it makes it much harder to figure out what to do because nobody can agree properly on a shared group and place of origin.

Connecting to that question, do people generally want independence to be in historic Assyria/Aram/wherever a group believes they originate from, or the places where they’ve been for a long time? (ex for the latter type of place. the area where half of my family spent galut in is part of Iran and has spent most of its existence in the Persian empire, was never part of the Assyrian one, but Assyrians have been there in substantial numbers for about a millennium because of I think the Mongol invasion of Baghdad)

Also, is there a general consensus of how there should be independence? Like a state, or more of an Assyrian controlled area in another country, similar to the currently more independent parts of the Kurdish world?

Sorry for kind of overloading you here, plus idk if Shabbat has finished wherever you are. Again, this is just a very interesting topic to me haha. Have a nice day!

Shavua Tov and thanks for the question! I’ll add some more info when I have my computer on me, but for now I’ll just say your instincts are right and it is a very very complicated situation.

So disclaimer- I’m one person who is genetically 1/2 Assyrian, and I’m not even a Christian, so even though I’ve done my best to talk to my dad’s family about it and look things up on my own, I am definitely not the final authority on this subject.

There is general agreement that Arameans and Assyrians are the same people, (if you call them related peoples, you will make exactly no one happy 😭- trust me ). The disagreement lies in what that people should call themselves in English, and where exactly they should call home (beyond generally the northern levant).

Some of this confusion comes from the fact that the Aramaic endonym for the group is “Suryoye” should be translated literally (and was, for a time) as “Syrian.” With the establishment of the Syrian Arab Republic in 1944, using “Syrian” as an ethnic designation became increasingly problematic as “Syrian,” the adjective describing nationality, gained prevalence.

The push for independence is strongest in Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan, which is home to the largest Assyrian minority. So you’ll see a lot of sources citing the areas most densely populated by Assyrians in Iraq as the sole indigenous homeland of the Assyrian people for political purposes. (IMO the Assyrian homeland is probably much larger than that and should include northern syria and parts of Lebanon too).

Remember that the Assyrians living in modern day Iraq were hit very very hard by the Seyfo under the ottomans and anti-Assyrian pogroms (we’re using the word because it fits) under British and Iraqi leadership.

So much of the Assyrian desire for independence comes from not trusting the Muslim Arabs to south and the Kurds to north not to try to murder them all again like they have in the past.

It’s a very difficult situation because the independence movement faces the challenge of the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdish autonomous government/Kurdish separatists.

[unbidden-yidden-deactivated20240]

Today is צום תמוז (17 Tammuz), a minor fast day, which started at dawn (first light) and ends at night (full dark), which remembers the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem during the seige of Rome and begins us on the sad journey of the Three Weeks. Read more:

I hope everyone who is fasting has an easy fast and that even if you are not, that you take time today to engage with the commemoration of this day in history.

[crazy-so-na-sega]

punto per punto

la storia degli ebrei è un mito che si fonda sulla Bibbia (e basta)

A) l'archeologia e la filologia dimostrano che gli ebrei non furono espulsi dalla loro terra nel 70 d.C (furono i dotti, gli studiosi della Torah che scelsero la religione invece della terra [fonte Belkind])

B) ai primi del novecento c'erano ancora molti villaggi arabi il cui nome rimanda a origini ebraiche.

C) La probabilità che dall'antichità fino ai giorni nostri si fosse mantenuta in loco la continuità demografica della popolazione è molto alta anche dopo la conquista islamica [Polak]: l'Islam cacciò i Bizantini, non il popolo del Libro.

D) La logica dell'Esilio è di origine cristiana: il primo a tematizzare il mito della cacciata fu Giustino martire che a metà del terzo secolo spiegava l'espulsione dei circoncisi da Gerusalemme dopo la rivolta di Bar Kokba come una punizione collettiva per l'uccisione del Cristo. Altri scrittori cristiani videro nella presenza di ebrei fuori dalla Terra Santa una conseguenza e una prova schiacciante dei loro peccati [Sand].

E) sulla base di fonti tannaitiche del II e III sec. d.C. che il termine "galut" - esilio - indicava un asservimento politico, non uno sradicamento territoriale, e che le due cose non erano necessariamente correlate [Milikowsky].

A+B+C+D+E = La Diaspora è una colossale narrazione (recente) costruita da storici al servizio dello Stato etnico-religioso ebraico. The end.

-Shlomo Sand (L'invenzione del popolo ebraico)

[j-saying]

Also, there had been 2 major eras of Jewish political entity BEFORE that exile in 70CE.

And that 2,000 years later, we still pray to go back to our homeland in peace.

For example, when Israel declared “independence”, US media wrote excessively on how great it was, how the Israelis were celebrating, how the Jewish people now had a homeland of their own etc etc etc, but there was no mention of Palestinians whatsoever like zilch

When we were EVENTUALLY introduced into the narrative years later, the word Palestinian wasn’t mentioned once, but we were referred to as “Arabs”, and when this is presented to a population that has already been fed a narrative of the land belonging solely to the new ~Jewish state~, we’re the implied invaders, attacking Israel out of purely malicious intent

etc etc 

You couple this with Israel’s burning of our libraries and destruction of thousands and thousands of our historical texts, and you can dupe people into believing that Israelis were ~there first~ and that Palestinians really are just invaders looking to take over Israel because they enjoy a “better life”, which is ofc pure bullshit

[sethshead]

This is what Ta-Nehisi Coates admits he might have participated in. Never forget why Jews never feel entirely safe among our neighbors in galut. We never know which of you look at this and side with the butchers of Be’eri.

[schizografia]

La fine del Giudaismo

Non s’intende il senso di quanto sta oggi avvenendo in Israele, se non si comprende che il Sionismo costituisce una doppia negazione della realtà storica del Giudaismo. Non soltanto infatti, in quanto trasferisce agli ebrei lo Stato-nazione dei cristiani, il Sionismo rappresenta il culmine di quel processo di assimilazione che, a partire della fine del XVIII secolo, è andato progressivamente cancellando l’identità ebraica. Decisivo è che, come ha mostrato Amnon Raz-Krakotzkin in uno studio esemplare, a fondamento della coscienza sionista sta un’altra negazione, la negazione della Galut, cioè dell’esilio come principio comune a tutte le forme storiche del Giudaismo come noi lo conosciamo. Le premesse della concezione dell’esilio sono anteriori alla distruzione del Secondo Tempio e sono già presenti nella letteratura biblica. L’esilio è la forma stessa dell’esistenza degli ebrei sulla terra e l’intera tradizione ebraica, dalla Mishnah al Talmud, dall’architettura della sinagoga alla memoria degli eventi biblici, è stata concepita e vissuta nella prospettiva dell’esilio. Per un ebreo ortodosso, anche gli ebrei che vivono nello stato d’Israele sono in esilio. E lo Stato secondo la Torah, che gli ebrei aspettano all’avvento del Messia, non ha nulla a che fare con uno stato nazionale moderno, tanto che al suo centro stanno proprio la ricostruzione del Tempio e la restaurazione dei sacrifici, di cui lo stato d’Israele non vuole nemmeno sentire parlare. Ed è bene non dimenticare che l’esilio secondo il Giudaismo non è soltanto la condizione degli ebrei, ma riguarda la condizione manchevole del mondo nella sua integrità. Secondo alcuni cabalisti, fra cui Luria, l’esilio definisce la situazione stessa della divinità, che ha creato il mondo esiliandosi da sé stesso e questo esilio durerà fino all’avvento del Tiqqun, cioè della restaurazione dell’ordine originario.

È proprio questa accettazione senza riserve dell’esilio, con il rifiuto che comporta di ogni forma presente di statualità, che fonda la superiorità degli ebrei rispetto alle religioni e ai popoli che si sono compromessi con lo Stato. Gli ebrei sono, insieme agli zingari, il solo popolo che ha rifiutato la forma stato, non ha condotto guerre e non si è mai macchiato del sangue di altri popoli.

Negando alla radice l’esilio e la diaspora in nome di uno stato nazionale, il Sionismo ha tradito pertanto l’essenza stessa del Giudaismo. Non ci si dovrà allora meravigliare se questa rimozione ha prodotto un altro esilio, quello dei palestinesi e ha portato lo stato d’Israele a identificarsi con le forme più estreme e spietate dello Stato-nazione moderno. La tenace rivendicazione della storia, da cui la diaspora secondo i sionisti avrebbe escluso gli ebrei, va nella stessa direzione. Ma questo può significare che il Giudaismo, che non era morto a Auschwitz, conosce forse oggi la sua fine.

Giorgio Agamben, 30 settembre 2024

[some-teeth-in-a-trench-coat]

Listening to my master playlist (all songs I've added to any playlist) on shuffle is fun because the songs really are just

I'M RABID PSYCHO I NEED TO KILL YOU OR THE HORRORS IN MY HEAD WILL EAT ME ALIVE GET READY TO DIE

I like sunshine I feel alive for the first time it's gonna be alright :)

I'm dead come join me you know you want to YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO

Hey I love being Jewish thanks Hashem I'm alive, lie-lie-live

War sucks it will kill you I'm gonna kill you death death war should DIE

Once upon a time there were these twins and one was terminally ill and the other was always hated by everyone except his brother then the sick one died and the healthy hallucinated his ghost climbing into a tree and for the rest of his life he could hear his brother's voice and all of his descendants after him would also hear the voices of their dead ancestors going back to the twins and though some may see it a curse it was also a valuable connection to the past and a really big loving family that just happens to be mostly ghosts and they sing forgotten songs together

Here's a list of crimes by the USA let's eat cops

MURDER MURDER MURDER MURDER I'M SICK I NEED TO MURDER

Can you imagine an insect? Ok now imagine a lot of them? Yeah that's awesome

ברוך השם ברוך השם ברוך השם

The umbrella of the world is crumbling and inverting in the storm you started when you looked me in the eyes and told me fish can't fly now all I have is a radio telling me it's still sunny on Mars

I am a wild animal I will bite you because I'm neurodivergent it's a metaphor but I'm literally going to bite you

The only thought I've ever had is I need to kill and kill and kill and die and kill

We can end the galut with the power of love let's goooooo

הוא לא מכיר את המילים ה��לה

I am a manifestation of all your crimes I'm here to destroy you destroy destroy destroy I'll gladly take the world down with you

Robbing a bank is cool, kid, let's find one

Welcome to your funeral mwahahaha

I had a dream once I walked into the woods and found a dying fox I put it out of its misery and asked myself what could possibly have caused its injuries then the horse spotted me and I ran and ran for my life it was the most vicious and bloodthirsty beast I ever encountered

Hey I thought of a cool pun - um yeah that's cool but do you really wanna chill when you could rap about being a vegan - nevermind puns are in my blood

In my defense I am no longer homicidal I got better

[eretzyisrael]

by Phyllis Chesler

Both Butler and Gessen seem to revere Jewish vulnerability, statelessness and martyrdom. Are they also Nazis in drag?

The two conformists see Jewish vulnerability to persecution as far more “ethical” than the Jews’ ability to defend themselves from persecution and genocide. According to Prof. Corinne Blackmer in her brave book Queering Anti-Zionism: Academic Freedom, LGBTQ Intellectuals and Israel/Palestine Campus Activism:

“Butler implicitly argues that Jews were better off suffering rather than perpetrating state-sponsored persecution. … Two possible lessons or conclusions can be drawn from the fact that Jews experienced considerable state-sponsored violence, persecution and discrimination in the galut [exile], culminating not only in the Holocaust but also the forced removal of nearly one million Mizrachi Jews from their ancestral homes in the Middle East before or during the establishment of Israel as a Jewish state in 1948. One, supported by Butler and other BDS advocates, states that precisely because Jews suffered extreme state-sponsored violence, they should endeavor to avoid state-building, although this formulation leaves unanswered precisely under what political system Jews should (peacefully?) reside.”

In her piece in The London Review of Books, Butler does “condemn without qualification the violence committed by Hamas. This was a terrifying and revolting massacre. This was my primary reaction, and it endures.”

However, she then goes on to “contextualize” this statement by trotting out all manner of false allegations against Israel: “We should develop some understanding of why groups like Hamas gained strength in light of the broken promises of Oslo and the ‘state of death, both slow and sudden’ that describes the lived existence of many Palestinians living under occupation, whether the constant surveillance and threat of administrative detention without due process or the intensifying siege that denies Gazans medication, food and water.”

Butler appears to be either ignorant of or deliberately concealing several important facts: Israel left Gaza in 2005. Hamas—an Iranian-funded Islamist terror group—controls, indoctrinates, tortures, torments and impoverishes Gazans. Hamas has taken the lion’s share of the aid meant for Gaza civilians and diverted it into their own bank accounts abroad and into building their terror tunnels and weaponry. No Arab country has been willing to offer Gazans refuge, even temporarily. Egypt has walled off Gaza from the Sinai. Hamas has increasingly forced women to wear veils, marry into polygamous families and risk being honor-killed if they “shame” their families.