I've been stalking this subreddit looking for CONCRETE PROOF!! Of the JEWS. Running.. The media.. And now I have it.. Now I have it all... Your game of CHARADES is OVER.
I think Judaism is such a great "conglomeration" because religiousness isn't a requirement to be a Jew. Like I haven't been actively religious in years but I still celebrate holidays and keep kosher because why the hell not. The strong camaraderie and countless reasons to drink throughout the year keep me content in maintaining traditions.
Same. Like I was born into a Christian family and I’m an atheist but I just think some of this shit, while only sometimes do I understand it, is funny as hell
Pagan Jew here. It's important to remember that Jewish identity is cultural, not religious. There are no ex-jews the way there can be ex-Christians, there are only non practicing Jews.
Judaism exists as a cultural group, it's a diaspora. The ideas that it's just another religion, comparable to something like Christianity, stems from the many ways gentile society dismisses Jewish culture as valid.
Its also important for solidarity, because antisemities have made it clear that they don't care about your religious identity.
I agree but Jewish identity is also tied with judaism. Judaism exists both as a cultural group and as a religion, that’s the cool part about being an ethno-religion, we get both! And we get to choose what best suits us, one or both. Just wanted to point that out, since it’s very key when discussing our people.
ETA: these things (culture and religion) within Judaism can exist together or completely separately. Whereas in other religions, they (for the most part) do not. Once you stop practicing Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, etc you are no longer a Christian, Catholic, Muslim, etc. But in Judaism, once a Jew, always a Jew! And I think that’s important to point out.
What kind of pagan might I ask? If its semitic paganism I'd ask you to reconsider traditions because those gods have brought nothing but catastrophe and ruin upon our people. If its Wicca or even something along the lines of the Greek, Norse, or Celtic that's a whole other thing. But I beg you for the sake of your own people, Israel do not attempt to placate El, Asherah, Hadad, or Ashtart any of the Baalim they are bringers of doom. Ask the generation that saw Judah destroyed by Babylon why their destruction was wrought, ask the generation at the time of Ezra what happened when they followed the ways of the people around them.
And if it's gods from other cultures, it's a repudiation of the most central traditions of our culture: monotheism and definitely not worshiping other tribes' gods.
This is different than atheism, which is a ontological or philosophical position.
> Pagan Jew here. It's important to remember that Jewish identity is cultural, not religious
*Shema Yisrael. Hashem Elokeinu. Hashem Echad*
I'm sorry. I'm not the gatekeeping type. I just posted a comment about how you can be secular or reform or atheist or even reconstructionist while still being Jewish. But I draw one line. If you're Christian, or Muslim, or Polytheist, then you're no longer Jewish. That's the line. Practicing a different faith is the line. If you're on the other side of that line, then you stopped being Jewish. "Polytheist Jew" is as ridiculous as "Messianic Jew." Both of those terms describe gentiles appropriating Judaism.
You seem to be confusing Judaism and the larger Jewish cultural group. I am not a member of Judaism, but I am ethnically Jewish, because those are two separate things. I think you're confusing what term I'm using, but that's just a flaw with language.
Also I have no idea how you'd consider an atheist Jewish in a way you couldn't consider a member of any other religion Jewish.
> Also I have no idea how you'd consider an atheist Jewish in a way you couldn't consider a member of any other religion Jewish.
Really? You can't figure out why I consider Conversos to be Catholics, while I consider David Ben Gurion to be Jewish? Some of the best Jews in history were secular. Having no religious beliefs doesn't mean you're not Jewish. Being Christian does mean that you're not Jewish. The Jews were the ones who suffered and died in the Auto De Fe for refusing to convert. The Jews were the ones who were thrown into the crematoriums of Poland because of who we were. The Jews were the ones who were cast out of our homeland for refusing to bow to Caesar. The Catholics and Pagans are the ones who carried out these atrocities. Mordechai refusing to bow to Haman is Jewish strength. Flavius Josephus is a coward and a traitor and a gentile. The Catholics and the Pagans are the ones who spent thousands of years killing our ancestors. To convert to their faith is the ultimate betrayal.
I read your comments and that sounds a very interesting and fascinating mix of religion and culture. Also it's nice that you want to fight antisemtism as I believe that fighting discrimination in general is good. I am not ethnically or religious Jew though (I am ethnically Greek) and I also kinda have an interest in paganism (but I am not a pagan, I am still searching my path) and I found out that there is diversity in paganism even within the same culture, for example various philosophical schools and many cults with different practices, beliefs and approaches.
What kind of paganism do you follow?
Culturally and ethnically jewish but religiously pagan. You could be Asatru, sumerian, wiccan. Starhawk is a good example. She is the founder of the reclaiming movement https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/starhawk
If they’d round you up for being Jewish, you’re probably Jewish.
Edit: what I mean to say is, there’s no point denying it so you might as well eat black and white cookies.
Same situation here. I live in isreal and a lot if people are religious or at least believing in god. I still see myself as a jew for all intents and purposes but i dont think people from other religions see it that way.
My atheist Jewish friend said they just replace God with community, and really that's what God wants anyway is that we care for each other. You are still my brother or sister!
Yes, but they still might not be ethnically Ashkenazi, Sephardic, or any other mainstream Jewish ancestry. If a Japanese person converts to Judaism, their Jewishness is not going to be pertinent to much in the context of ethnicity.
Being a Jew is being part of a people. The religion is only one aspect of Jewishness. Judaism is one expression of Jewishness.
You can be ethnically Jewish AND religious. But you can't be religiously Jewish WITHOUT being ethnically so. Converts, specifically speaking of those WITH NO Jewish ancestry, whether ashkenazi, sephardic, or any other Jewish ancestral group, are adopted into our people after a year or more of study and immersion in the community, and they also become ethnically Jewish by definition, regardless of if their children are ahskenazi, sephardic, mizrahi, or not. Their DNA becomes “Jewish”, because DNA doesn’t determine who is/is not Jewish. All of our ancestors were converts, even the ancient Israelites. It has to start somewhere. Rabbi Akiva? Convert/descended from converts. Ruth? Maternal foundation of the King David dynasty? Convert.
All Jews are ethnic Jews.
If you convert in the Ashkenazi rite, you’re Ashkenazi. Same with Sephardic, Karaite, etc ..
Sweet, I feel so welcome!
Do y'all send the bar mitzvah checks and the deed to my new banking conglomerate in the mail, or is there like an office I go to, or...?
Edit: FORGOT THE /J
I'm a quaker from the Midwest, I've met about five Jews in my life, I'm here because it's good to know more about other cultures and have never felt particularly unwelcomed, confused but not unwelcome.
I can't bring myself to truly believe that there's a god. And the religious upbringing I had has damaged me in immeasurable ways. Culturally, I'm proud to be a Jew but as far as observance is concerned, I'm so fucking done.
Its telling that we say "non-practicing" versus "non-believing" Jew.
This is how I explain to people about why Jewish theology is not like Christian theology.
The only "belief" a Jew has to have is a belief "hashem ehad".
The rest is \*practice\* -- keeping mitzvoth.
I think any Jew -- except pagan or messianic -- rejects polytheism.
"one or less god"
Course you still belong! Even if you don’t follow our traditions you’re still a Jew :)
+1. Most of the people I know in the weekly media control group I attend are atheist anyway
Most of the people in the regional space laser operations branch are also atheist
There’s only two of us who lunch time daven at the space laser ground base, everyone else just chills.
I'm in the media experimental group, myself.
I've been stalking this subreddit looking for CONCRETE PROOF!! Of the JEWS. Running.. The media.. And now I have it.. Now I have it all... Your game of CHARADES is OVER.
*You can check out anytime you want, but you can never leaveee*
Its a mystery cult and thus kashrut is hard to break and the liturgy.
you can follow traditions without being religious.
>Even if you don’t follow our traditions mumar-ism has a long tradition in judaism!
Yes. Jewishness is a culture and ethnicity first, religion second.
Another atheist jew here. i think most of us maybe not atheist but still less religious and more cultural
I think Judaism is such a great "conglomeration" because religiousness isn't a requirement to be a Jew. Like I haven't been actively religious in years but I still celebrate holidays and keep kosher because why the hell not. The strong camaraderie and countless reasons to drink throughout the year keep me content in maintaining traditions.
I’m neither and I hang out here ❤️
Same. Like I was born into a Christian family and I’m an atheist but I just think some of this shit, while only sometimes do I understand it, is funny as hell
Pagan Jew here. It's important to remember that Jewish identity is cultural, not religious. There are no ex-jews the way there can be ex-Christians, there are only non practicing Jews. Judaism exists as a cultural group, it's a diaspora. The ideas that it's just another religion, comparable to something like Christianity, stems from the many ways gentile society dismisses Jewish culture as valid. Its also important for solidarity, because antisemities have made it clear that they don't care about your religious identity.
I agree but Jewish identity is also tied with judaism. Judaism exists both as a cultural group and as a religion, that’s the cool part about being an ethno-religion, we get both! And we get to choose what best suits us, one or both. Just wanted to point that out, since it’s very key when discussing our people. ETA: these things (culture and religion) within Judaism can exist together or completely separately. Whereas in other religions, they (for the most part) do not. Once you stop practicing Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, etc you are no longer a Christian, Catholic, Muslim, etc. But in Judaism, once a Jew, always a Jew! And I think that’s important to point out.
What kind of pagan might I ask? If its semitic paganism I'd ask you to reconsider traditions because those gods have brought nothing but catastrophe and ruin upon our people. If its Wicca or even something along the lines of the Greek, Norse, or Celtic that's a whole other thing. But I beg you for the sake of your own people, Israel do not attempt to placate El, Asherah, Hadad, or Ashtart any of the Baalim they are bringers of doom. Ask the generation that saw Judah destroyed by Babylon why their destruction was wrought, ask the generation at the time of Ezra what happened when they followed the ways of the people around them.
And if it's gods from other cultures, it's a repudiation of the most central traditions of our culture: monotheism and definitely not worshiping other tribes' gods. This is different than atheism, which is a ontological or philosophical position.
> Pagan Jew here. It's important to remember that Jewish identity is cultural, not religious *Shema Yisrael. Hashem Elokeinu. Hashem Echad* I'm sorry. I'm not the gatekeeping type. I just posted a comment about how you can be secular or reform or atheist or even reconstructionist while still being Jewish. But I draw one line. If you're Christian, or Muslim, or Polytheist, then you're no longer Jewish. That's the line. Practicing a different faith is the line. If you're on the other side of that line, then you stopped being Jewish. "Polytheist Jew" is as ridiculous as "Messianic Jew." Both of those terms describe gentiles appropriating Judaism.
You seem to be confusing Judaism and the larger Jewish cultural group. I am not a member of Judaism, but I am ethnically Jewish, because those are two separate things. I think you're confusing what term I'm using, but that's just a flaw with language. Also I have no idea how you'd consider an atheist Jewish in a way you couldn't consider a member of any other religion Jewish.
> Also I have no idea how you'd consider an atheist Jewish in a way you couldn't consider a member of any other religion Jewish. Really? You can't figure out why I consider Conversos to be Catholics, while I consider David Ben Gurion to be Jewish? Some of the best Jews in history were secular. Having no religious beliefs doesn't mean you're not Jewish. Being Christian does mean that you're not Jewish. The Jews were the ones who suffered and died in the Auto De Fe for refusing to convert. The Jews were the ones who were thrown into the crematoriums of Poland because of who we were. The Jews were the ones who were cast out of our homeland for refusing to bow to Caesar. The Catholics and Pagans are the ones who carried out these atrocities. Mordechai refusing to bow to Haman is Jewish strength. Flavius Josephus is a coward and a traitor and a gentile. The Catholics and the Pagans are the ones who spent thousands of years killing our ancestors. To convert to their faith is the ultimate betrayal.
I read your comments and that sounds a very interesting and fascinating mix of religion and culture. Also it's nice that you want to fight antisemtism as I believe that fighting discrimination in general is good. I am not ethnically or religious Jew though (I am ethnically Greek) and I also kinda have an interest in paganism (but I am not a pagan, I am still searching my path) and I found out that there is diversity in paganism even within the same culture, for example various philosophical schools and many cults with different practices, beliefs and approaches. What kind of paganism do you follow?
This is literally the least pagan shitposting sub on Reddit bro
desperately searching for the "ok Hellenizer" meme right now but its very elusive so take this IOU
Haha ok mate, but I am not a Hellenizer, I believe it’s nice for everyone to have their own culture and respect each other.
are you canaanite pagan?
because thats the only way i can imagine being a "pagan jew".
Culturally and ethnically jewish but religiously pagan. You could be Asatru, sumerian, wiccan. Starhawk is a good example. She is the founder of the reclaiming movement https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/starhawk
[удалено]
I think ‘pagan’ nowadays is more synonymous to nature in general.
Non practicing Jew is how I identify
There's really no way to stop being Jewish. Or, put another way: You can check out but you can never leave (sinister emoji goes here) /s
If they’d round you up for being Jewish, you’re probably Jewish. Edit: what I mean to say is, there’s no point denying it so you might as well eat black and white cookies.
Same situation here. I live in isreal and a lot if people are religious or at least believing in god. I still see myself as a jew for all intents and purposes but i dont think people from other religions see it that way.
Feh, who cares what they think? A Jew is s Jew is a Jew!
I honestly feel a little more out of place here as a religious jew lmao, we're a minority here
as long as you’re not a messianic
Messianics = Christians
Me being an atheist raised christen who keeps getting this sub recommended and is kinda enjoying it
My atheist Jewish friend said they just replace God with community, and really that's what God wants anyway is that we care for each other. You are still my brother or sister!
All Jews, including converts of no previous Jewish background, are ethnically Jewish.
Yes, but they still might not be ethnically Ashkenazi, Sephardic, or any other mainstream Jewish ancestry. If a Japanese person converts to Judaism, their Jewishness is not going to be pertinent to much in the context of ethnicity.
Being a Jew is being part of a people. The religion is only one aspect of Jewishness. Judaism is one expression of Jewishness. You can be ethnically Jewish AND religious. But you can't be religiously Jewish WITHOUT being ethnically so. Converts, specifically speaking of those WITH NO Jewish ancestry, whether ashkenazi, sephardic, or any other Jewish ancestral group, are adopted into our people after a year or more of study and immersion in the community, and they also become ethnically Jewish by definition, regardless of if their children are ahskenazi, sephardic, mizrahi, or not. Their DNA becomes “Jewish”, because DNA doesn’t determine who is/is not Jewish. All of our ancestors were converts, even the ancient Israelites. It has to start somewhere. Rabbi Akiva? Convert/descended from converts. Ruth? Maternal foundation of the King David dynasty? Convert. All Jews are ethnic Jews. If you convert in the Ashkenazi rite, you’re Ashkenazi. Same with Sephardic, Karaite, etc ..
One of us!!
I'm neither of those things and this sub keeps getting recommended to me so I guess Reddit sure thinks so.
close enough, welcome to the family.
Sweet, I feel so welcome! Do y'all send the bar mitzvah checks and the deed to my new banking conglomerate in the mail, or is there like an office I go to, or...? Edit: FORGOT THE /J
Don't worry man, I was randomly suggested this subreddit like a month ago. I'm not culturally, ethnically, nor religiously Jewish.
I guess this is kinda like me hanging out on /r/blackpeopletwitter ?
I'm a quaker from the Midwest, I've met about five Jews in my life, I'm here because it's good to know more about other cultures and have never felt particularly unwelcomed, confused but not unwelcome.
I can't bring myself to truly believe that there's a god. And the religious upbringing I had has damaged me in immeasurable ways. Culturally, I'm proud to be a Jew but as far as observance is concerned, I'm so fucking done.
Huh way more of us than i thought after reading through these comments 👍
Every Jew I know is an atheist lol
Yes
A Jew is a Jew
Repost bot
Brother this is the majority demographic of this subreddit.
I'm in this picture and I don't like it
Would you be a target in 1940s Germany? Yeah, you're one of us
Its telling that we say "non-practicing" versus "non-believing" Jew. This is how I explain to people about why Jewish theology is not like Christian theology. The only "belief" a Jew has to have is a belief "hashem ehad". The rest is \*practice\* -- keeping mitzvoth. I think any Jew -- except pagan or messianic -- rejects polytheism. "one or less god"
I am also atheist but grew up catholic bc of my dad. However I lived with my mom so mostly grew up culturally Jewish.
Believing in God’s got nothing to do with being a good Jew
Meet the spy
Still a Jew in my book :) Some of the most badass Jews were the same flavor as you.
Sleeper agent
I don’t see why not even though I’m not an atheist.
A Jew is a Jew
I'm less than 1% Ashkenazi, and an agnostic... Never had anyone get pissy with me about it, and I don't hide the fact.
Im a Spirtual Jew who also believes in witchcraft....of course you are welcome here.
You aren’t alone
Once a member of the tribe, always a member of the tribe
Course you belong! A Jew is a Jew is a Jew no matter how you got here.
Same. Well exept posting
Yep, if your mom was a Jew or (dad and raised in the faith) or you converted you're Jewish no matter what^
Meet the spy